Delaware gazette. [volume] (Delaware, Ohio) 1855-1886, 1861-04-05
8ttt'al and domestic.
horticultural.
small Fruits.


q A visit to Knox's Small Fruit Farm
One Hundred Acres in Fr1it-Fifty Acres in
| Strawberries"
Having long heard of and desired to see the
" small fruit farm of Rev. j. Knox, we took
advantage the other day of leisure afternoon
to to pay it a visit. We were so much pleas
| ed and astonshed at what we saw that we feel
prompted to give our readers a somewhat ex-
| tended description Of it. This extensive and
highly cultivated farm is credit to Pitts
burgh, and Mr.. Knox deserves most honora-
bic mention for the enterprise and persever-
ance which has induced him to increase year
10y year his plantations Of small fruits" un-
til now they are, beyond any pefadventure
not only the largest and most complete of any
in the west, but Of any in the United States.
A GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF THE Farm.
The small fruit :" farm of Rev j. Knox
is situated on the summit, but somewhat back
from the brow of Coal Hill, nearly above Bir-
mingham, and about il mile and a half distant
from the city. The farm comprises one hun
dred and twenty-five acres. fully one hundred
of which is in close aud unintermittent culti-
vation the rest is occupied by vegetable gar
dens, dwellings, ont-houses, woods, &c, &c
The mansion, which is posed nearly in the cen
tire of the ground is plain, but roomy and
comfortable structure, of two stories and sur
rounded by broad porch 1t looks very
much like oHe of those commodious planter s
houses, which are so often met with in the
cotton states. This farm Of one hundred acEes
is quite eqiva' 'ent-so ctrcful is the mode of
culture and such the economy Of space and
growth-to farm double the size. As an
instance of how economy Of space and time is
regarded, we SOW in one division a thrifty
young peach orchard, of some ten acres ex-
tent, the trees Of which wers notSexpected to
produce for four years. To turn this soil and
time to profit until the trees commenced to
yield their golden fruitage, Mr.. Knox had
planted out between each row Of trees, q line
Of Black Cap raspbcrries, which wou'd be
profitable for fruit and plants for four years,
and between each row of trees at right angles
to the other rows line of strawberrirs, from
which he expected three crops of fruit and
plants, so that while the trees were unprodc-
tive, the other crops would be highly remuner-
ative, and when the trees commenced bearing
and needed all the soils nourisiment, the
." small fruit !" plantations would have served
their ends, and would be ready for roofing up.
The entire farm is divided about thus-ftIy
aci es in Strawberries, ten in raspberrics, ten
in black berries, seventeen in peaches, ten
in apples, and three in very select varieties Of
tue grape. chiefly the Concord, Delaware ard
Diana, raised principally for frait y ID propa.
CATION We need not dive. on the apple and
peach Though Mr.. Knox is one Of
the best and most succcs 5fuI promsloyists, aud
mas as choice selection as any in the country
nor on the graperies, or their peculiar mode
of culture nor on the large and highly prof
liable patches of choice currant, gooscbarry,
aud giant rhubarb, cultivated for the market.
! These, while they engage close attention and
most approved culture, are not MIR. Knox s
spseialltles; but let us rather regard and des-
cribe the Strawberry, Raspberry and Black
berry divisions Of the grounds. We should
| first premise, however, that MIR. Knox's busi-
ness is two fold--to cultivate these berries foi
market and propagate plauts for sale. In
both of these branches he has been already
highly successful. His plants of every varie-
| ty of these berries have been transmitted,
carefully packed, to every State south and
west OF ms, while his berries have found d
ready market, and at the highest prices, not
only at home but abroad.
STRAWBERRY PLANTATIONS,
comprising fully fifty acres, forty Of which
was planted ont this spring. Tiny are divi-
ded into specimen, .frn.ting and propagaftng
beds. In the specimen bed there is grown a
single row of the different varieties cultivated
-and each kept perfectly distinct by the con
slant removal OF runners. Such Il bed is ot
manifest advantage in alfordng visitors oppOr
tunity to examine and compare in close prox
unity the plants aud fruit of large collection
The propagation beds are for the production
Of new plants by thoir parent plants being sh
lowed to make runners and strike out roots
The different varieties are grown SO remote
from each other, and are numbered and regis
tered with such care, as to prelude all possibil
ty of any admiXture of Sorts The fruit bed
are as mentioned above, planted and cultiva
ted in rows no runner being allowed to ex
} tend or root ITSELF This is garden culture in
} troduced into the field. So far as we know
} Mr.. Knox is the only person in the countr,
: who has adopted this expensive aud elaborate
mode of culture on large scale, and his con
clusion is that it will pay better than any 9th
er treatment that one acre thus cultivate'
will produce more than fve treated in the OF
dinary way, and that all judieioos labor spen
on the strawberry will pay at least one bur
dred per cent. Mr.. Knox has in cultivatio
over one hundred varieties, some Of which ar
but of little comparative value for their frui
but which, in a general collection, are yer
important, as allowing persons interested t
: form a correct Judgment with reference t
: them, as we'll as to compare them with Other
of better repute. Hence, old and new, nativ
and foreign, rejected and accepted varieti'
have been procured, but many of them are Oh
q ly kept in the specimen bed.
;, THE VARIOUS Kinds OF STRAWBERRIES.
f The fruit plantations are composed chief
at present, of the following popular varieti,
British Queen, Buist's Prize, Boston Pin
Brighton Pine, Baltimore Scarlet, Burr
New Pine, Compte de Flsndcrs. Hovey
Seeding. Hooker, Honneur de Begique, Je
ny Lind, Kitly's Goliath, Large Early Scarle
Longworth's Prolific, McAvoy's Superio
s. Moyamcncng, Nimrod, Peabody's Seedlin
d, Princess Royal, Scarlet Magnate, Scott
C Seeding, Triomphe de Gand, Trollope's vi
e toria, Vicomptesse Herricart de Theury, al
I'd Wilson's Albany There are about tweut
I'd five varieties, which, for fruit, Mr.. Knox 81
'e he could not get along without, although fro
1t three to six kinds will furnish sufficient varie
ne for family use. He regards the Wilson's 4
ny bany as a very valuable and profitable varie
e and has shown his faith in it by planting f
Oh fifteen acres of it this spring. IN addition
I'd its many other excellencies. it has proved
IT, superior berry for canning, or preserving, a
he was this season in great demand for these pu
'e' poses It's weight, size, solidity, favor a
As color render it popular for this use. 1t
on moreover, eminently productive and higl
IN profitable ns a market fruit. Mr.. Knox