82 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



quantities that might be called quite excessive. He believed in planting black- 

 berries and raspberries so that they could be cultivated two ways with a horse, 

 thus saving a great amount of labor. He made several good suggestions to 

 strawberry growers. His plan for mulching was to sow corn between the rows- 

 somewhat late in the summer, which, in the fall, is bent down and left as a mulch 

 to protect the plants. 



Blackberry Culture. — A good paper was given upon ''The culture of 

 the blackberry." The writer stated that he had found an almost gravelly loam 

 well adapted to the cultivation of this fruit. In planting, his plan is 

 to plough a furrow and set the plants in it from two to three feet apart. 

 The tips are pinched back every summer when they reached a height of two 

 feet. The prices of blackberries had averaged him about 1 2 cents, and at this price 

 he found them the most profitable of small fruits. The varieties he would 

 recommend are the Ohmer and Snyder. Mr. Hooker stated that the Ancient 

 Briton is an old variety, hardy and productive, about the size of the Snyder, 

 but the latter is, in his opinion, the more profitable. The larger kinds, such 

 as Kittatinny and Minnewaski are not hardy with him. The Agawam is an early 

 and popular berry, especially where a special market has been made for it of 

 appreciative consumers who know its excellencies. Mr. Hale said that he had 

 grown the Eariy Cluster, but had found it a poor berry. The Snyder is a 

 success with him, but its fault is an inclination to overbear. He had tried 

 thinning his Snyder berries with shears in blooming time, and again when the 

 fruit was about two-thirds grown. The result was larger fruit, and nearly as 

 much in quantity. Though the fruit is somewhat poor in quality, it has a beau- 

 tiful appearance and sells well, but the Minnewaski is destined to be the best 

 blackbery for the north. Wachuset is among the best blackberries in quality, 

 but it is a poor bearer. 



In an address afterwards given by Mr. J. H. Hale, on the subject of " Small 

 Fruits," he stated that he believed that the ventilation of small fruit baskets, as 

 commonly practised, is a mistake. They should be kept in a cool room until 

 the time for shipment, and then packed in tight, close boxes. In this way they 

 carry better, and look better when they reach the market. In order to accom- 

 plish this, it is necessary to have a cool room in which to keep the fruit tempo- 

 rarily until the packing time. The great secret he believed to consist in liberal 

 cultivation and liberal feeding. It is a great mistake to grow too many plants ; 

 narrowing down the rows would aid in the production of finer and larger berries. 

 He did not believe in the old plan of making hedges of our blackberry and 

 raspberry plants. He prefers them to be so planted that they would be culti- 

 vated in two ways with the horse. . He is careful to grade even the small 

 fruits ; and though, of course, this could not be done in the same way as with 

 the peaches, a good deal could be done by the pickers if provided with two 

 baskets, one for the first class and one for the second class fruit. He had found 



