95 



T ploughed it two years before I set the vines and raised 

 the first year a crop of field corn, and the second fodder 

 corn. Let me say, just here, that I selected this particu- 

 lar piece of land, as to location, as carefully as though I 

 intended sowing it to Canada Thistles, for the spreading 

 of blackberry vines into one's field land is a joke not apt 

 to be appreciated. 



In the spring of 1892 I ploughed without putting on 

 any manure, and harrowed with a spring tooth harrow. 

 With the plough I drew furrows 6^ ft. apart. I had a com- 

 post made of sods taken from the roadside, and I put one 

 shovelful under each plant. Set plants, or vines 8^ feet 

 apart in the row. The variety was Agawam and 1 plant- 

 ed about 600 vines. I run the cultivator through them 

 several times and hoed at odd times. Blackberries are a 

 thing you can work at all the time or let alone, because the 

 young ones come up so fast, but I tried to keep the weeds 

 out, and young shoots back. In the spring of 1893 I cut 

 them back and set stakes down each row about five rods 

 apart, and nailed around fencing wire onto the stakes 

 down one side of each row and back the other, and trained 

 the vines between these wires. I made a mistake in not 

 cutting the vines back in the fall of '92, the first year they 

 were set. In the spring of 1893 they had grown and tan- 

 gled so badly that in order to train between the wires I 

 had to cut the vines severely, thereby somewhat injuring 

 my fruit crop for this year, '93. I had to cut off long run- 

 ners in full blossom. It is a mistake I shall try not to make 

 again. I have them now as your Committee saw, so that 

 I can cultivate easily between the rows. I left about two 

 vines in a place for next year and a few more to sell to 

 cover the first cost of the vines. I should have stated 

 that the first year they were set I raised small crops be- 

 tween the rows, mostly beans, so the loss of land is noth- 

 ing. It must be borne in mind that a crop like this is 

 different from a strawberry crop, as after being once 



