FRUITS AND VEGETABLES h\ UISCONS/N. 



339 



among the members of this society for their informa- 

 tion and benefit. 



In purchasing, each grower could demand a guarantee 

 that the plants or trees actually furnished were directly 

 descended from the certified stock. This plan makes it 

 incumbent on the grower to study claims and use 

 judgment. It demands from the seller or the originator 

 information which should certainly be within his reach. 

 People make affidavits only in case personal interests 

 warrant or necessities force them to this step. How, 

 then, can sellers be induced to register ? For pressure 

 and for interest, as well, let members of this society re- 

 fuse to purchase, and let Experiment Stations refuse to 

 test unlisted stock. 



It requires several years time to determine by actual 

 test whether a variety is true to name and up to its 



guarantee. During this time sellers may have disap- 

 peared. The longer the time which elapses before trees 

 or plants produce, the greater the losses in case of 

 fraud, and the heavier the possible damages. This 

 alone should lead men to deal with responsible firms. 



It is unpleasant for an individual to bring suit, and' 

 involves expense and annoyance. Let this society 

 attend to that matter. In case of apparent fraud, let 

 it appoint a prosecuting committee and stand the ex- 

 penses of a test case brought in the name of an indi- 

 vidual loser. It should do this, for the benefit which 

 would follow a victory would accrue to all who are en- 

 gaged in the fruit industry. 



A. T. Neale, 

 J. W. Kerr, 

 James S. Harris, 



FRUITS AND VEGETABLES IN WISCONSIN. 



HAVE failed to find any state 

 where the wide-awake, enterpris- 

 ing and progressive farmer oi gar- 

 dener lives better or more com- 

 fortably than in Wisconsin. Even 

 as far north as we are, 442°, we 

 can grow good crops of almost 

 every fruit or vegetable that is grown in the gardens 

 about New York city. For instance, last spring we 

 started the plows on the 22d of March, commenced 

 selling spring-grown onions (bunches) April 15, pie- 

 plant the 20th, asparagus 23d, radishes May 13, 

 spring-sown spinage 15th. 



The first sowing of peas began to bloom May 17, and 

 with favorable weather are fit for market sometime 

 between the 5th and the loth of June. Strawberries 

 come on about the same time. I have twice picked peas 

 for market upon the 5th of June, and twice picked ripe 

 strawberries upon the 6th of June. Generally, we ex- 

 pect to pick our first ripe berries from the loth to the 

 14th of June, and our first peas about the same time. 

 We expect to have our first heavy fall frost from the 6th 

 to the i2th of October. Twice during the thirty years 

 that I have been gardening here I have had all tender 

 vegetation killed in September ; two or three times frost 

 did no damage until the latter part of October. 



All of our northern varieties of grapes, that are not 

 later than the Concord in ripening, do well. I have 

 never seen finer Delawares than some of those grown in 

 this part of the state. 



The revolution in small fruit growing in northeastern 

 Wisconsin within the last twenty years has been re- 

 markable. Twenty years ago there were almost none 

 of the small fruits grown in this part of the state, except 

 strawberries, and not a sufficient quantity of them to 

 supply the demand at home, and the lumber and iron 

 district north of us. Now, I believe that the value of 

 the small fruits grown in northeastern Wisconsin, com- 



mencing with strawberries and ending with grapes, will 

 run into hundreds of thousands of dollars annually 



Not only are the home and the northern markets sup- 

 plied, but fruits are shipped both south and west, in 

 some cases as far west as Dakota. The culture of rasp- 

 berries and blackberries has been confined almost en- 

 tirely to the last ten years. Previous to that time, the 

 wild ones grew in immense quantities where the forests 

 had been cut off and the land left uncultivated, but now 

 wild raspberries have almost entirely disappeared, and 

 blackberries will soon follow suit. 



The Wilson is still my favorite strawberry ; the Cres- 

 cent comes next. With me the Manchester is the only 

 one of the very many newer varieties that has ever given 

 indication of excelling. Hereafter I think that some- 

 thing better than a mere catalogue reputation will be 

 necessary to induce me to invest in the new varieties 



If I could have but one raspberry, I should not hesitate 

 to take the Cuthbert in preference to any that I have 

 seen or tested. With the Marlboro or Hansel for an 

 early red, the Cuthbert for late, the Souhegan for the 

 early black cap, and the Gregg for late, it seems to me 

 that we have an almost perfect assortment of raspberries 

 for the season. There is no break between the straw- 

 berry and raspberry season. Last season we had both 

 upon our table together for a number of days. The 

 Cuthberts being late and long continued bearers, will 

 last until the blackberry season comes on. The Ancient 

 Briton is taking the lead of all other varieties of black- 

 berries in this part of the state ; they are somewhat 

 later than either Stone's Hardy or the Snyder, but are 

 fine large berries and great bearers ; like all other va- 

 rieties, they need winter protection in our long cold 

 winters. This great bugbear of winter protection is a 

 cheap, safe and an almost certain guarantee of good 

 crops of all of our small fruits, currants excepted I 

 believe that I have never yet seen a fruit bud of the 

 currant killed by a hard winter. 



J. M. Smith. 



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