STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 95 



Mr. Fernald. Yes, it is on the southern slope of a high hill, 

 near tlie head of steamboat navigation on Long Lake. The soil is 

 a hard granite soil, rather shelly, with a gravelly subsoil. The 

 land has been cultivated for sixty or seventy years as a vegetable 

 garden, never having been laid down during that time. If I put 

 the plow down further than we have been accustomed, and turn 

 up the gravel, the soil will come together almost as hard as clay. 



Mr. Varney. If Mr. Fernald is in a location where he can raise 

 cherries, I think he is very fortunate. There are very few locali- 

 ties in the eastern section of the State where cherries will grow, 

 or where it is of any use to attempt their growth Some sour 

 kinds may do well. As to plums, I was obliged to take out all 

 my old stock of the blue damsons. I took them out root and 

 branch, and since that time I have had no trouble. I now use the 

 Mazzard stock. 



Mr. Sawyer. Do you think the black knot is contagious? 



Mr. Varney. I do, and think it is generally so regarded. 



Mr. Sawyer. There was a good deal of discussion on this 

 subject at the meeting of the American Pomological Society at 

 Chicago. It was discussed by Mr. Meehan, Mr. Hovey, Prof. 

 Riley, and others. They didn't agree about it any better than 

 we do. 



Mr. Varxey. I should hope every farmer would attempt to 

 raise a variety of cherries. Mr. Pope can raise cherries at his 

 place, [in Manchester], but at Vassalboro', on the other side of 

 the Kennebec, we can't do it. 



Discussion on Small Fruits. 



Mr. Varney. There are some things in the last paper, on small 

 fruits, that I wish to speak about. In the list of raspberries that 

 our friend has given us, there is only one variety that I should 

 attempt to propagate ; and the blackberries which he recommends 

 we gave up years ago. The Sable Queen is too tender to grow 

 in Maine. The first blackberry on the list is the Dorchester, next 

 the Kittatinny, and then the Lawton, if you must have any more. 

 The best of our raspberries is Brinkle's Orange, but it is a little 

 tender. The next is Knevitt's Giant. The Clarke I consider 

 entirely worthless, though I am not certain that I have the true 

 variety by that name. 



