274 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



at their thirty-first annual Fair, were taken from vines set out in the 

 months of June, July, and August, 1856, in my garden, in the village of 

 Lakeland, Long Island; the land upon -which they were grown is com- 

 monly known as plain lands ; some affect to call these lands "barrens." 

 My garden is situated about one-fourth of a mile north of the Long Island 

 railroad, and about one mile south of a beautiful sheet of water, of nearly 

 three miles in circuit, known as Konkonkoma Lake. In 1855, the land 

 upon which the berries were grown was covered with a dense growth of 

 oak, pine, and scrub oak; in the spring of 1855, the land was "grubbed 

 up," and potatoes planted, yielding a small crop. Becoming the owner of 

 the land in 1856, I had it put in order, removing remaining stubs and 

 raking, and as soon as possible had the vines put down, covering a space 

 of 14,400 square feet, less than a third of an acre, from which I have 

 gathered this year twenty-three bushels, and have yet probably a bushel 

 remaining upon the vines. 



My vines are set in drills thirty inches apart, and are placed in the drills 

 at intervals of from ten to twelve inches. In the year 1856, '57, and the 

 spring of '58, the plants were kept reasonably clean by hand weeding ; 

 sorrel and other foul stuff annoying, and hand weeding being considered 

 unprofitable, recourse was had to other means of eradicating the pests ; the 

 push or scuffle-hoe was used in the fall of 1858, by which much time has 

 been saved, and better results produced, the scuffle removing the weeds 

 and at the same time opening the ground, giving a new impetus to the 

 growth of the vines. Before the scuffle-hoe was used, the vines had nearly 

 covered the ground between the drills, having already rooted in many 

 places as they ran along ; these were uprooted with the scuffle, and the 

 runners cast upon the vines in the drills. When the vines were first 

 planted out, they were about the size of broom straws ; they are now of 

 the size of a pipe-stem, and many of them even larger, and have spread in 

 the drills to a compact mass of from ten to twelve inches in width ; at what 

 point their further spread should be arrested, further observation will de- 

 termine ; it may be the best, policy to have an opening between the drills, 

 to allow room for a frequent disturbance of the ground. 



I have used no manure upon the ground, save ashing about fifteen feet 

 square ; I cannot discover that the ashes have either added to or dimin- 

 ished the productiveness of the vines, each part of the plot being about 

 equally loaded with fruit. 



The vines were taken from swamps and marshy lands within a mile or 

 two of my place, and were generally selected from the outer edges of the 

 localities where found, or from the dryest portions of the land where the 

 plant was found growing wild. 



My land is a sandy yellow loam, the sand quite coarse, giving to the 

 land the appearance of having more sand in its composition than it really 

 has. 



We have to sink our wells fifty-seven feet to procure water, and have no 

 running stream within a mile and a half of my house, so that my vines 



