40 STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



ings, that we may perhaps learn a better way, a way that will give 

 the producer a better return for his labor. 



Prof. W. M. Munson of the State College made a short talk on 

 the "-Enemies of Fruit." The same subject was taken up more at 

 length at the Annual Meeting and the paper may be found in sub- 

 sequent pages of the Transactions. 



S3IALL FRUITS AND THEIR CULTURE. 



President Pope gave an account of his experience in growing 

 strawberries. A few years ago he did not believe it would pay 

 him to attempt to grow strawberries, but after attending a good 

 many meetings of the Society he was persuaded to try it for a year 

 or two. He selected a piece of moist, rich land where he could 

 make a few long rows, so as to easily cultivate them with a horse. 

 The first crop satisfied him that he, could not afford to buy berries 

 for his family when he could so easily raise all he wanted at slight 

 cost. The horse does a large part of the work. He has not been 

 without a bed of strawberries since. The plants need frequent 

 cultivation and some cutting back of runners. Spring is the best 

 time to set the plants, and in the fall just before the ground freezes 

 he mulches lightly with strawy horse manure. He has successfully 

 raised several varieties. The Crescent Seedling and Charles Down- 

 ing grow well together. The Bubach is a good grower with him, 

 but he does not like it so well as some of the other varieties. He 

 assured his hearers that any who wished could raise strawberries, 

 but he urged them not to be afraid of getting the soil too rich or 

 hoeing the ground too often. "You can raise these berries much 

 cheaper than you can buy them, and you will not do without them 

 after you have raised them a single year." 



Secretary Knowlton followed with a talk on growing raspberries, 

 blackberries, currants and gooseberries. Nothing seemed so nice 

 in his family as an abundance of good fruit. As the season opens 

 with the strawberry we are often led to the belief that this is by 

 far the best of the small fruits. It is good and much enjoyed, but 

 he believed it could not take the place of the raspberry or the 

 blackberry. As a fresh fruit for dessert it is the best, though the 

 finest supper he ever ate consisted of luscious blackberries and 

 nice bread with a cup of tea. In other words each of the small 

 fruits has its place and we seem to want one about as much as 



