The Cadiz Democratic sentinel. [volume] (Cadiz, Ohio) 1854-1864, 1860-04-18
sssa. Ne Nssthwe.,srn ChFissisn Advees.s.
Ssnall Fruit Culture.


ssaaII Fruit Culture.
From Numerous articles that appear from
tims 10 tine In the newspapers, a. well .s rom
observation. itnay be insrred that quiet rev
siusiOn il going on in our country in the matter
sf fruit growing. Formerly apples, pears and
plutas were the staples. and strawberries, rasp-
berries. hlackbsrriss, &c, were the sccidsu,s.
Recently, hard winters. insects, and various
krms o. decay have rendered wort ,.lless the bes
psar and apple orchards Of iormer times; the
sureuliO has destroyed TIE plums and peaches,
and tsOn blight and other causes they have Le.
come very uncertain crop.
Partly As compensation srr such losses, and
partly BY the devslOpmsnttOf finer quail ties OF
berries, the attention Of producers and amateurs
has Of late been turned to, ths cultivation oi
those delicate small fruits which are OF so much
quicker growth and more certain production.
Formerly a'amily supply Of fruit was stored
away in barrels, subject to decay; now il is put
up In cans herusticslly sealed. and is ready at
short notice for removal to q sew country or q
voyage ct sea. - .
Il IS high time that persons having either
large sr small portions ofsoii to cultivate should
give attention to this subject, for simple as the
growing ofstrswberries, rsspberries, &C., may
seem. 1t viii be found to require thought, in
asruction aud practice in order to succeed well
in the task. Whatever may have been done in
this branch Of horticulture heretofore, various
new and superior species have been produced
within the last few years, aud experiments up.
on soils and climates have not besu without in
struetive results.
Ny present purpose, however, is not to enter
into treaties upon this subject, but rather to
mention an example Of large success in the de.
partment referred to, which had the pleas,
urs OF observing last summer. 1t was on q visit
to Pittsburgh that made an excursion across
the Monongahela river to the gardens ofMr. j,
Kpox, sitaated on one OF the high hills Of South
Pittsburgh. The only misfortune connected
with my visit consisted in it's having been "be-
tween times" The strawberries had nearly
all disappeared, and the other fruits had not ri
pened. In fact this year the plantation had
suffered from the severe and memorable frost
Of the 4th Of June, which had caught the rasp-
berries and blackberries in the hight Of bloom.
Nevertheless, what saw convinced me that
il was no lucky accident by which Mr.. Knox
has attained his celebrity as the leading fruit
grower Of Western Pennsylvania, and as per-
haps, the grower Of the finest straw berries in
the United States. .
Some persons have argued that there must be
something peculiarly favorable in the soil near
Pittsburgh for small fruit culture; but this idea
is refuted by the fact that apart from the
grounds referred to, nothing remarkable finds
its way to the markets of the Iron City. The
hest Strawberries Of other growers about equal
the second and third classes Of Mr.. Knox while
his first class berries have sometimes been Gag
srly taken ct dollar quart.
Had the soil argument contained the expla.
nation, others would doubtless have attained
equal success in the production OF this lucious
fruit. 1t is found, however that around Pitts
burgh, as elsewhere. ordinary culture produces
only ordinary berries,
What, them ere the conditions OF Mr.. Knoxs
success? The following appear to be the prin-
eipal:
I. Great care in the selection Of varieties, and
the cultivation Of none but The best.
g. Similar care in preserving the purity of the
several choice varieties.
3. A perfect cultivation; consisting Of partic
nsrs not easy to be learned in single visit, and
certainly not possible OF explanation in an arti-
Gle like the present. It deserves mention, how
ever, that Mr. Knox invariably recommends
the planting out ofstrawberries in the spring
In the course of his experiments Mr.. Knox has
tested one hundred different varieties OF straw.
berries, twenty. FIVE of which he considers good;
but to Wilson's Albany seeding he conceeds
the palm Of superiority for productveness. To
that variety, therefore, he devotes his strength
both for fruit growing and for the production
Of plants.
He also gives great attention to the New Ro-
chslls blackberry, Of which he cherishes the
largest expectations. Unfortunately his crop Of
the latter was cut off this year by the frost, but
nothing daunted he perseveres in the cultivation
more actively than ever 1t is greatly to be
feared that many spurious plants or common
blsckberries bave been sold through the West
ern country for the New Rochelle, or Lawton,
and that hence some prejudice has been created
against it.
II may be set down as agood rule in purch-
ssing garden stock and especially in the line Of
small fruits, to buy only Of reliable PARTIES
Should any reader be emulous in this depart.
ment. he could hardly do better than to com.
municsts, II practicable with Mr.. Knox himself
who, as learned, is prepared to supply plants
TO oil applicants.
Cook Co., IN AsRIcoLA.
trWe see 1t stated almost every day, in
newspapers, in Helper and John Brown books,