The Port Gibson reveille. (Port Gibson, Miss.) 185?-1857, 1854-05-03
The Strawberry.

king beds OF this dellciOusIrult, II may prove
timely to advert to some points in its culti-
yaiion.
II Is hardly 70 be questioned that our soil
and climate, If not the most favorable for the
production Of the strawberry at least offer no
obstacle 10 raising it in perfection, If the
proner course be pursued.
The universal language OF The "fruit books
is TO the effect, that large and ghly-iaycred
fruit cannot be raised Ia crogcied JcRs. II
- also alleged, by some authorities, that the
plant il liable to degenerate in a few years, If
thus cultivated. Yet this is the almost uni
versal mode Of managing strawberry bed IN
this part Of the country. In consequence,
several cultivators, to our knowledge. are
obliged to console themselves for the meagre
produce of small berries now secured. by the
recollection Of past glories. In such case,
the only remedy is to extermirate every plant,
and secure new and vigorous variety, (of
which there are great many maintaining
its excellence BY better treatment Plant ia
rows two feet part--certainly not less than
one foot and a.half Set the plants one foot
apart in the row. or nine inches at the least
Do not let them get nearer than this This
will need to be hoed out, and all summer
chopped OF pulled of, some four or FIVE times,
during the season.
Another indispensable requisite for large
and pure fruit is reyy deep soil so say
the books. And if this is necessary in the
Northern and Eastern States. wherc most of
these books we're written. it must he even
more essential here, where we suffer from
such severe droughts Cultivators in the
South give the same directions as to depth Of
soil. II is best to trench the ground. 1t
NAV be we'll enough to describe the most con-
venient method Of doing this. If space for
ty feet square is TO be made into strawberry
bed, stake it off on each side into spaces Of
four feet. a line run around four Of these
stakes, will enclose a space four feet By f'rty,
and will be a guide in the operation. Mea.
sure spade length along this narrow bed,
and throw out the first spale-depth Of
earth from the little square thus marked =
Then dig down another spade-depth into the
clear clay, throwing this earth out into a sep
arate heap. Now measure another spade
length along your narrow bed, and dig two
spades deep, throwing the earth into the cav
ity already made of course it will just fill
it, the top soil going to the bottom, and an
entire spade depth Of clay forming the new
surface. Manure and leaehed ashes may be
freely mingled with this clay, and il should
afterwards be dug over in order to incoipor-
ate the manure more thoroughly. Proceed
thus to the end Of the narrow bed, and then
return in reverse order along the next strip
four feet wide. When arrived at the extreme
corner Of the square. a cavity will be left,
which must be filled by wheeling there the
first earth thrown out. For the raising Of
any fruit, and for the cultivation Of many
vegetables, the labor Of .'trenching " would
be amply repaid in the increased abundance
and improved quality Of the product. The
idea Of securing perpetual crop Of strawber-
ries. however, Ivy thus deepening the soil
will not be realized. To accomplish this, re-
quircs also deep mulching and perpetual wa.
tering. There need be no apprehension OF
the plants not growing well in the clay, nor
Of their being overstimulated by the manure.
il the ground is trenched as abnvc described.
Il would be easy to dissipate all doubt by the
inspection of plants in this place exhibiting
wonderful thrihiness. and full Of buds just
bursting int0 bloom, that we're treated exact.
~ 10 this manner a year ago last January =
Ifthe ground as not tyeached, yOu must
not use any manure.
Another requisite to successful culture Of
the strawberry, is to have a regard to the
botanical character otthe flower. as staminate,
or pistiate. The necessity Of this is now too
well established to be successfully questioned
Strawberry-beds in this place have been cul-
tivated several years, blooming profusely. but
never bearing berry. On examination. not
a staminate plant could be found; this ex-
planned all
Il promotes the preservation of moisture,
to cover the ground between the rows two or
three, OF four inches deep with leaves. chips
tan.bsrk, straw, or even carpenters shayings
The ground Is thus shaded from our bot suns
and kept cool while the fruit will be free from
dirt. II copious watering. twice every week,
wien it does not rain, is added to this process
Of muiching," the crop may be prolonged
through fthe whole summer. Mr.. Peabody,
Of Columbus. Ga, secures, by these means, a
continued crop until September or later
And so may we.-CorreS. Holly Springs
(MiSs.) Times.