Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1860-09-04

We gave strawberry article few weeks
ago, but the subject will still bear another.
Now, after the late abundant rains, and the
sooner the better, is the proper season latter
the early spring which is the best of ALL to
plant Strawberries. Let the ground be rich :;
that is to say, rich enough for ordinary garden
crops. Any SOIL from stiff cayev loan. to
friabe, sandy or gravely mould will answer
the purpose. But were we to choose soil of
all others the best, in our own experience, it
should be a naturally rich moist mot wet
cayey loan, with good deal of decayed
vegetable matter among it. By vegetable mat
ter, we mean rotten wood, decayed leaves
weeds, grass, or anything of the sort, in CON
tradistinctiOn to either mineral animal, or fer
mented manures. The strawberry loves a
cool, moist mould to work in. Clay loans
usually have more or less lime in them, and
the vigorous roots Of the plants have to thrust
themselves deep down into it, when they OBJ
tain lime and potash, which are not always
held in lighter soils.
In preparation, thoroughly Gig and puverize
the soil Lay out the rows three feet apart,
and plant foot apart in the rows, of vigorous,
well rooted young plants, thoroughly trimmed
by cutting off with shears or a knife the larger
leaves near the heart OF the plant. If dry
weather, water them almost daily, and shade
them in the sunny heat OF the day by throw
ing over them rhubarb or cabbage leaves until
they show signs OF growth. In this way the
plants will get sufficiently grown by winter,
so that with a little protection, by way of saw.
dust, or spent tan bark, they will yield good
crop the next summer.
We learned a little something last spring
about protecting strawberries through the win.
ter, which is useful to us, and may be to 9TH
ers. We had choice small strawberry patch.
Of Wilson's Albontr bnt
planted, and in the month of October they
were beautifully spread over the ground, with
five large crowns, promising abundantly in
fruit for another year. Adjoining the garsen
where they stood was a small paddock, into
which, one night, for safety, were turned
flock OF two hundred sheep. By accident the
gate between the paddock and garden got
open, and as matter of course in went the
sheep, which, i'll their hunger, ate down every.
thing within reach. After they had been driv-
en- out i'll the morning, surveying the damages
we found our poor strawberry bed entirely
destroyed, as we supposed, not green leaf or
stem visible, and the ground all trod up like
any other sheep pen. In short, our straw
berry plantation was ruin; and so we de-
cided and let it go, as lost In a few days,
however, we discovered sundry of the little
crowns OF the plant, apparently reviying and
by the setting III OF winter they appeared dis
posed to live, if they could. We then set to
work, got a quantity of saw dust and spread
all over the ground, an inch or two deep, COW
ering them thoroughly under, and let it be till
spring. In March, we lifted IL little of the
dust from the plants with dung fork, and
found them green and lively. We let them
remain. AS the season progressed they be
gan to put out strong and vigorous, and when
May arrived, we opened, loosened, and spread
about the litter and the young leaves shot out
amazingly. AT the proper time they bloomed
proiusely, and in June we picked such crop
of fruit as we have seldom on like space of