344 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



to produce the fruit the following season. After the fruit is 

 gathered the fruiting canes are cut off at the point c, and the 

 new canes from the lower wire are brought into place on the 

 second wire, ready for the production of fruit in their turn. 

 The new canes grown each year may be started from the 

 main cane near the tirst wire or from the ground, as may be 

 most convenient, the rule generally followed being to take 

 the strongest shoot that starts from either place. By this 

 system of training there is no waste or loss of wood, the 

 fritit is brought up where it may be easily inspected, and 

 where a full exposure to sunlight and air will aid in protect- 

 ing it from fungous diseases. 



The party then proceeded to the fruit farm of the late Geo. 

 B. Andrews, about half a mile farther to the north, and on 

 much more elevated land. Here were found healthy vine- 

 yards of Concord, Worden and Delaware vines, of the latter 

 variety about three acres, probably the largest and best 

 vineyard of this variety in the State, and also orchards of 

 the domestic and Japanese plums, apples and pears. The 

 farm is situated at a very high elevation, where late frosts in 

 the spring and early frosts in the fall seldom injure the grape 

 crop. The apple and pear orchards were inspected. It was 

 found that many of the Japanese plum trees, of which some 

 seventy-five trees had been planted two years previously, 

 were badly injured by the previous cold winter. 



The company then drove to the beautiful home farm of 

 Mr. A. A. Marshall. A bountiful lunch was here provided, 

 and after the repast speeches were made by Messrs. Draper, 

 Hadwen, Hale, Dr. Fisher, Secretary Sessions of the State 

 Board of Agriculture, and others. The party was then con- 

 ducted by Mr. Marshall to his fruiting strawberry field of 

 seven acres. This field lies on a slope to the south-east, 

 and was planted in the spring of 1895, the plants being set 

 four by five feet. Not a weed was allowed to grow, and the 

 plants soon covered the ground with a mat of runners. 

 During the latter part of the summer and early fall the beds 

 were thinned out, leaving the plants about six inches apart, 

 in rows about three feet wide, thus leaving a walk between 

 the rows about two feet wide. The fruit was iust beaiuninsr 

 to ripen, and the prospect was that the crop would not be 



