EIGHTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING. 



125 



The variety I have grown the longest is the Victoria. 

 Some will object to it as being too small. It is a medium- 

 sized currant, but a very rank grower and very free from 

 attacks of borers ; it yields handsomely and is altogether a 

 very satisfactory variety. 



W'e have some other varieties fully as good : the Prince 

 Albert, Red Cross, and Wilder. These four varieties are 

 •especially good for commercial growers. 



Stick to the old tested, time-tried varieties for your main 

 crop, — they are the mortgage lifters. The testing of new 

 varieties may be done for diversity. Don't get in a rut be- 

 cause you find some blanks in them, but try them in a limited 

 way. 



Take the black raspberry next. The culture of that fruit 

 is on the decline in Ohio. I believe there is a good opening 

 there for energetic growers to engage in it. I had to aban- 

 don it in my own case as it conflicted too much with the 

 cherry harvest, and we grow the cherry quite extensively, 

 and preferred to abandon the raspberry rather than the 

 cherry. I believe the raspberry can be raised to advantage, 

 but to do so I think vigorous spraying is necessary. 



I believe we cannot depend on any one thing alone. You 

 want to start with clean canes and begin spraying early ; cut 

 out the old bearing canes and burn them up. And that holds 

 good in all horticulture. We should clean up and burn up 

 more often than we do. If care was taken to burn the refuse 

 canes you would not have half as much difificulty with insects 

 and fungous troubles. Take the old canes out and burn them 

 up ; it has got to be done at some time and should be done at 

 once. I don't know as they draw any strength from the root, 

 but they are of no benefit. Get them out of the way as 

 quickly as you can in order to cultivate the young canes and 

 remove the diseases or fungous troubles from the plantation. 



I think one of the greatest mistakes in raising red rasp- 

 berries is allowing the canes to get too thick. I practice 

 allowing about 25 canes to the rod. We grow them in the 

 hedge-row system, and the majority of growers would have 



