ll ferment and make
excellent vinegar.--Missouri College of Agriculture.

Thirty Years in Raspberries.

GUST JOHNSON, RETIRED FRUIT GROWER, MINNEAPOLIS.

Of the growing of fruit, it may well be said, "Experience is a good
teacher, but a dear school."

When I began fruit growing, some thirty years ago, I did not begin it
merely as an experiment. I was interested in every branch of the work
and, being very much in earnest about it, I felt confident of success.

Thinking that the failures and drawbacks sometimes experienced could be
easily overcome by a thorough understanding of the work at hand, I began
by getting all the information possible. I found that great books such
as by Downing, Thomas, etc., were more suitable for the advanced fruit
grower, but I studied all the pamphlets and books obtainable during the
winter months and put this knowledge into practice during the summer. Of
course I could not put into practice all I had obtained from this
reading, but I remembered distinctly the advice to all amateur fruit
growers to start out slowly. This was particularly suited to my case,
for the land was covered with timber, some of which I grubbed each
summer, gradually adding acres as I cleared the land.

My first venture was in planting raspberries, planting potatoes between
the rows the first year. One delusion I had was in planting as many
different and untested varieties as I could afford to buy and not
confining myself to those that had been tried and had proven
satisfactory. Fortunately for me, the high cost of plants at this time
did not warrant my buying as many different varieties as I desired, and
I had to be contented with fewer plants. From the most promising of
these, I saved all the plants possible.

I had an idea that I could do better by sending to some of the Eastern
states for my plants, but here again I was mistaken, for the plants
often did not arrive until late in May, and by the time they had reached
their destination were practically all dried out. The warm weather then
coming on, I lost the greater part of them, although I had carefully
hoed and tended them in the hope that they would finally revive. Here I
might also mention that the express charges added considerably to the
cost of these already expensive plants.

As a beginner I put much unnecessary labor on these plants. While I do
not wish to leave the impression that hoeing and caring for them is not
all right, still there sh