February, 1919 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
69 
we have sand and peat in profu- 
sion, we will be very discreet 
about using peat for anything but 
that for which we think peat is 
adapted, that is for dyke sides and 
fertilization of our vines — when 
the peat bed varies in thickness 
above the foundation sand. We 
have learned that as time passes 
the thicker areas of peat settle 
more than the spots where the 
peat is thin over the foundation, 
leaving us with high spots and 
valleys. 
This, of course, means an un- 
duly large volume of water for 
flooding, as well as the extra time 
consumed when frost is impend- 
ing. 
We will endeavor to obtain very 
nearly perfect levels, even at high 
cost with sand and not peat, and 
then we will put the peat on in a 
uniform thickness.. 
Our meandering creek bed, if 
filled at all, will be filled with 
sand up to the plateau level, for 
a peat filling of such a hole shows 
forever after in settlement and 
weeds and grass and trouble and 
sorrow. 
We will obtain fresh cut vines 
and these will most certainly be of 
the proven best cultivated variety, 
especially as to size of berry, keep- 
ing quality and fecundity. We 
have paid many times over for 
the most costly vines obtainable, 
in replanting dried out and sickly 
specimens in remilling and accept- 
ing cut prices for poor berries and 
in less than the top price for lit- 
tle pie berries. 
We will arrange for good roads 
surrounding each section — for a 
man at rakers’ wages in water 
with hip boots is hardly a profit- 
•itue investment for long hauls. 
Our flumes will go down to a 
foundation that can be trusted or 
will have double and tight sheet 
piling at both ends driven clear to 
China, and will extend under the 
wing walls as well. 
Because we have learned how 
comfortable it is to be able to see 
the condition of our flumes they 
will be open, and the flume boards 
will be interchangeable. These 
flumes will be of large capacity, of 
sufficient width to permit flooding 
an acre in one half hour without 
too much current. 
We will keep to our established 
policy of spring flooding, to draw 
the frost gradually from the 
ground and gain the vital quick 
start when we finally turn things 
over to Old Sol and we will re- 
sand at least every 3 or 4 years. 
We will keep everlastingly and 
everlastingly after the willows 
and bad grasses, pulling and dig- 
ging and keeping all adjacent 
areas well mown to prevent seed- 
ing. 
We will continue with our well 
proven net picking — always hav- 
ing quantities and quantities of 
drying crates for the berries im- 
mediately they are removed from 
the bog and never storing or bar- 
relling a single berry until that 
berry is bone dry as to its skin. 
We will, during the critical pe- 
riod, keep Big Ben and the ther- 
ometers, the weather reports, the 
oil lantern and flume board hook 
right on the job and no pleasure 
or trouble or pain, or anything 
whatever in heaven or the other 
place or in the waters beneath will 
prevent the flood going on when 
the flood is needed — and going off 
in the morning before the sun gets 
hot. 
We can’t get anything for 
nothing anywhere, especially from 
Dame Nature. I am willing to 
pay, but at times have despaired, 
but I will say for 1918 that the 
abundance of big, red, sound cran- 
berries, which threatened to en- 
gulf our fruit house and over- 
whelm our transportation facili- 
ties, was a fitting and complete 
reward for all the trouble. 
Resolution that the State Senate 
Did Not Adopt. 
A state senator who visited the 
fruit show the first day of the con- 
vention was determined that the 
senate, as a body, should be in- 
formed of what was going on and 
requested an officer of the society 
to write out a resolution which he 
would introduce. 
The resolution was written and 
handed to the senator, but was not 
introduced, nor was any excuse 
offered for failure to do so. Here 
follows the resolution : 
Whereas, we all know that God 
might have made better apples 
than those now on exhibit by the 
fruit growers of Wisconsin, but 
he never did, and 
Whereas, members of the State 
Horticultural Society now in con- 
vention assembled have brought 
together for our benefit this col- 
lection of beautiful Wisconsin 
grown apples and have also, wise- 
ly and with much forethought, 
provided for us a demonstration 
in grafting and have extended to 
us an invitation to view the 
apples. 
Be it resolved, that the senate 
accept this invitation. 
Save all wood ashes for use on 
the garden and fruit plantation 
next year. 
Wash the ferns and leaves of 
house plants once in a while to 
rid them of scale and other insect 
growths. 
