Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1861-03-29
SMALL FRUITS.

OHe IiuHuTeu acTes III ITull-r uly
Acres IN Straw berries"
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 pay it visit.
We were so much pleased and astonished
at what we saw, that we feel prompted
to give our readers somewhat extended
description of it. This extensive and
highly cultivated farm is credit to
Pittsburgh, and Mr.. Knox deserves most
honorable mention for the enterprise
and perseverance which has induced him
to increase year by year his planta tions
of ''small fruits" until now they are,
beyond any peradventure, 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 Birmingham, and
about mile and a half distant from the
city. The farm comprises one hundred
and twenty five acres, fully one hundred
of which is in close and unintermittent
cultivation; the rest is occupied by veg
etable gardens, dwellings, out-houses,
woods, &c. The mansion, which is
posted nearly in the center of the ground,
is plain, but roomy and comfortable
structure, Of two stories, and surrounded
by broad porch. 1t looks very much
like one of these commodious planters
houses, which are so often met with in
the Cotton States. This farm of one
hundred acres is quite equiyalent-so
careful is the mode of culture and such
the economy of space and growths-to
farm double the size. AS an instance of
how economy Of space and time is re
garded, We saw in one division a thrifty
young peash orchard. of some ten acres
extent, the trees of which were not ex-
pected to produce forfour years. Toturn
this soil and time to profit until the trees
commenced to yield their golden fruit
age, Mr.. Knox had planted out between
each row of trees, line of Black Cap
raspberries, which would be profitable
for fruit and plants for four years and
between each row of trees at righ angles
to the other rows, a line Of straw berries,
from which he expected three crops of
fruit and plants, so that while the trees
were unproduetive, the other crops would
be highly remunerative, and when the
trees commenced bearing and needed all
the soils nourishment, the ''small fruit"
plantationswoul have served their ends.
and would be ready for roofing up.
The entire farm is divided about thus:
fifty acres in strawberries, ten in rasp-
berries; ten in blackberies, seventeen in
peaches, ten in apples, and three in very
select varieties of the grape, chiefly the
Concord, Delaware and Diana, raised
principally for fruit and propagation
We need not dwell on the apple or
peach orchards-although Mr.. Knox is
one of the best and most successful
pomologists, and has as choice a selec-
tion as any in the country-nor on the
graperies, or their peculiar mode of cul-
ture; nor on the large and highly profit
able patches, of choice currant, goose
berry, and giant rhubarb, cultivated for
the market. These, while they engage
close attention and most approved cul-
ture, are not Mr.. Knoxs speciahiss; but
let us rather regard and describe the
Strawberry, Raspberry and Blackberry
divisions of the grounds. We should
first promise, however, that Mr.. Knox
business is two-fold-to cultivate these
berries for market, and to propagate
plants for sale. In both of these
branches he has been already highly
successful. His plants Of every variety
of these three berries have been trans
mitted, carefully packed, to every State
south and west of us, while his berries
have found a ready market, and at the
highest prices, not onl ly at home but
abroad.
STRAWBERRY PLANTATIONS,
comprising fully fifty acres, forty of
which were planted out this spring
They are divided into specimen, ti.uiting
and propagating beds. In the specimen
bed there is grown a single row of the
different varieties cultivated-and each
kept perfectly distinct by the constant
removal Of runners. The propagation
beds are for the production of new
plants by their parent plants being al
lowed to make runners, and strike out
roots. The different varieties are grown
so remote from each other, and are
numbered and registered with such care
as to preclude all possibility of any ad-
mixture of sorts. The fruit beds are,
as mentioned above, planted and eulti-
waited in rows, no runner being allowed
to extend or root itself. This is garden
culture introduced into the field.
THE RASPBERRY DEPARTMENT
Is as yet somewhat small, when COM
pared with his strawberry patch, but
very large when considered by itself
He has ten acres very densely planted
with over twenty varieties.
THE NEW ROCHELLE BLACKBERRY.
The black berry patches will immedi-
ately attract the attention, and will
command the marked admiration of ev-
cry visitor to Mr.. Knox's farm. The
blackberry is fruit which has been in
culture but very few years, but so
hioHS anu oO CACCllCAp nave ptCu tuc
varieties already produced, and so enor-
nous and profitable has bsen their
yield, that it is destined to become
great and indispensable favorite with
the amateur and the professional fruitist.
Mr. K has about ten acres of them in
cultivation, but is rapidly increasing his
plantations. The three chief varieties
are the New Rochelle, the Dorchester,
and the Thornless, but he esteems the
Rochelle the best. This berry can be
devoted to SO many profitable purposes
that it will be found difficult to over
stock the market for many years to
come. Its medicinal qualities are by no
means it's least recommendation. Du-
ring the hot season no fruit is so grateful
to the taste or so beneficial in its inhn