204 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



cannot be too particular in this regard. A few dollars extra 

 expended for seed or plants sometimes makes a vast difference 

 with the result of the crop, whether it be abundant or almost 

 worthless. 



I have had poor seed and that that was untrue to name, 

 and instead of the crop maturing when it should, it would 

 run to seed or perhaps matured later, a little at a time, never 

 giving anywhere near a full crop, thereby causing a heavy 

 loss by my not being able to gather and sell it when prices 

 were high and there was good demand. Had such seed been 

 given me it would have been far better to have paid an 

 extremely fancy price for the right seed. 



\'ery often a day or two will make from 25 to 40 per cent, 

 difference in the price obtained. 



I have a vivid recollection of an experience of my own 

 over twenty years ago, when I was raising large quantities 

 of peas. I got some poor seed, and while the seedsman was 

 very sorry and receipted the bill in full, still 1 lost hundreds 

 of dollars, as they were "wild," produced but few peas, and 

 kept blossoming all through the season, until finally I pulled 

 them up. I presume they would have continued on the same 

 way until December if let alone. As in this case, after using 

 caution in buying, we sometimes zcill get fooled, but it cer- 

 tainly pays to try to get the best. 



If we expect success, it is necessary to put our ground in 

 the best possible condition, both as to its tilth and its fertiliza- 

 tion ; and. right here, I might say, in order to grow good pay- 

 ing crops we must use large quantities of fertilizers of some 

 form, and it pays us to try to see in what forms we can best 

 obtain it. I think in most cases it pays to use every effort 

 to make what we can on the farm and to raise and plow under 

 some crops for green manuring as well as to buy some chem- 

 ical fertilizers. 



To grow berries and vegetables profitably one must look 

 ahead and only try to grow what he thinks he can get planted 

 at the proper time, especially what he feels he will be able 

 to give good care at the right time. It certainly is useless 

 to expect to be successful and plant seed or set out plants 

 when it is too late, or to let the crop suffer for want of culti- 



