Tenth Annual Meeting 25 



paper previous to receiving the program, I shall have but little 

 to say upon the subject as announced. 



"Much I may say to-day is only what is well known by the 

 experienced grower; but there may be those present who have 

 not had much experience, and to those I may possibly say 

 something which will be to their advantage. At least it may 

 give them a new thought, or cause them to study into the 

 matter, and see whether it be so or not, and so lead them to 

 experiment for themselves as most of us have had to do. 



"A writer has said: ' Small fruits to people who live in the 

 country are like Heaven ; objects of universal desire and very 

 general neglect.' I have often noticed and wondered why 

 people living in the country failed to raise a good and abun- 

 dant supply of small fruits. You may visit farmer after farmer 

 right here in Connecticut, and you will only find an occasional 

 one who grows a good liberal supply of small fruits; enough 

 so that his family can have all they want of the most health- 

 ful things we have to eat, and even if he goes to the expense 

 of planting he often sufifers them to be choked with weeds, 

 or run out by grass. What a blessing and comfort they are 

 withholding from themselves and family! Especially would the 

 children enjoy these things. But, although the matter is neg- 

 lected by some, I think perhaps there are now more people 

 who are interested in and derive more pleasure from the grow- 

 ing of small fruits than the growing of anything else, unless it 

 be flowers. The person who has only a city lot, as well as 

 the one who has acres, generally grows something in the small 

 fruit line. The man who works in the shop or store, and has 

 just a little time to spare night and morning, often delights 

 in growing either strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, cur- 

 rants or grapes, or perhaps some of each, thus being able to 

 gather from his own garden perfectly fresh fruit each day 

 rather than having to eat fruit that may have been picked for 

 days and lost much of its flavor, and at the same time gener- 

 ally getting it at much less cost, quality considered. But most 

 of us who are here to-day, while we profit in the same way 

 as just described, grow them for the money profit to be 

 obtained in order to help gain a livelihood. 



"The season of 1900 will probably be remembered by most 



