Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1867-08-23
AGRICULTURAL.
WHAT SHALL WE PLANT TO sECURI
HN VNCREAEE


AGRICULTURAL.
WHAT SHALL WE PLANT TO SECURE
AN INCREASE
Essay Read before the Meramec horticultural
Society by John 8. seymO1r-EGreka
What shall we plant to secure an in
come is a question which has COM
mauded the attention of all tillers OF the
soil from the earliest ages to the present
time, vet is q question that may be easily
answered. We say plant almost any
article IN demand, 50 that you plant 1t
well. By planting well, l mean that
everything should be planted in the ell
mate and soil in which it succeeds best.
That which succeeds best on lewland,
plant on lowland; so on clay or sandy
soils. But / shall confine myself to the
planting Of fruits, and shall take
THE STRAWBERRY
first, as that Is the surest and earliest
paving of all fruits, although it does not
pay so large profits as grapes and some
other fruits, yet, it is the fruit for the
new beginner to commence with.
There are many men who commence
growing fruit and get discouraged because
il does not pay as soon as they expected,
NAV leave the business, others get care
less and neglect what they have planted.
TheFe is nothing that stimulates 8 man
more than to see the fruit be planted pay,
and with the strawberry you get full
crop the next year after planting. The
same cannot be said of any other fruit.
PLANTING.
The ground you intend to plant with
] Il. v,fa faH uyff
crop the wear before, that will leave It
clear Of stalks or large roots-lste pOts-
| toes 1 think the best. Care should be
taken that no weeds go to seed. The
ground should be plOwed in the fall ten
/ to twelve inches deep; plow again in the
| spring six or seven inches deep. By that
means you will leave much of the seed oi
weeds too deep to germinate. Plant as
early in the spring as the ground is n
good working order, but by no means
| plow when the ground is too wet bettel
plant month later.
When your ground is plOwed take 9
| log about six inches in diameter, hitch
chain near each end, then hitch the team
to the middle OF the chain and go ovel
the ground the opposite way to thst II
which it was plowed, which will breaH
all the Jumps that are on the surface anC
level the ground then take s cultivatol
and 90 over it, setting it so that the teeth
will 90 about six inches deep, which vii
briDg the lumps to the surface; then g
over again with the drag log, then witt
the eultivatOr, till YOU have 1t tine anl
mellow to the depth of six inches, using
the drag last, as the strawberry loves
firm soil.
Some plant by oline," +" but ! prefer lay
ing it of in rows with the eultivator
taking out all the teeth except the from
one. Make the rows three and hal
feet apart, and let the plants be eighteel
inches apart in the row, If they are good
strong plants; if not, plant them litti
closer In about ten days after plating
F 90 through with the cultivstor as close
the row as you can without thrown
the soil on them. Keep the rows clea
, with the hoe and by hand Weedlne
Don't let the weeds get the start Of yOu
If YOU do, your straw berry patch is done
The cultivatOr should be used every te
; days or two weeks till the 18th Of Augu;
or the lst of September. After that
prefer to let the weeds grow for mulct
1 have tried keeping them perfectl
, clean until frost comes, and then mUlcf
: ing with straw; but have had the be'
: crops where l let the weeds grow the ls
q fer part of the summer. l cannot a.
r count for it, except that the roots Of th
weeds decompose in the ground at II
: time the fruit is just ripening, not Onl
> preventing the soil from baking, ol
4 keeping It light, moist and mellow
r the surface.
PICKING AND MARKETING.
For marketing the fruit invented
] a EV
= that have never changed it for az
o other style. They are made Of Whi
e pine, the sides end bottoms are thre
> sixteeuths of an inch thick, ends Hv
p sixteeuths; seven and half inches Ion
e three and a half wide, and three inch
3 deep. These are packed in cases holdiE
IS nom thirty to sixty boxes. After q
It first tier Of boxes is put in, sticks thre
}, fourths Of an inch square and as long
r the inside of the case should be la
,e across the ends of the boxes to preve
J. mashiDg the trgit. The bottoms Of q
"a boxes are only three inches wide, whl'
3, leaves a space on each side tbrout
n which the air can circulate among O
D, berries.
Each "pieker" should be provid
!, with a tray holding from eight to twel
ir boxes. also a small piece OF board shaT
" enad at one end with their name writ
Y an IL the "pieker" should stick it d0V
Of at the end of the row be commences
Of nick. and not change II until his row
q done. This will prevent many pieces
ce rows being left unpieked and much co
er fusion among the pickers.
ht Each picker should, on commeneir
he take box out of his tray and MI
le keeping bis tray and empty boxes abe
IS. Of him. When they are all filled ia
be the tray, and going back, gather the
or ali an. Garry them to the fruit roo
al which should, Of course, be clean, d
s. and airy The fruit in the boxes shot
be rounded up three. quarters OF an Inc
"a thev will settle some before they
~. 10 market, and the top ones should
an placed with the calyx down, which L
"a proves the looks very much.
ed As to varieties for market, Wllsol
i Albany is ahead Of all, especially for I
he west.
ed Phere Is no variety of fruit in whi
e. there has been 80 much lmprovemt
Al during the last ten years IA tne 81. To
Iy market as the strawberry. Hhat w
y first class berries ten years ago, would
= third or fourth class now Then most
ne the strawberries were brought to mari
~ in old rusty oyster cans. ] see none
Dd them now.
ed The price has been steadily advaneil
an Five years ago II growers got nfty
al sixty cents gallon, they did well. \
M they ReE from seventy TO ninety cents
for Last season tasge was slapped n
r a from Eureka alone about 4aOoO gallo
,sa which sold at an average OF eoout elsl
To cents per gallon, amounting to over SSt
a. Tho snaeA they came from was ab
ed eight acres.
nv This yesr, il we have as good croI
air we did last year, the amount sent fr
of Eureka will not fall much short of s
is gallons, which will be naore than
lge ever shipped from any tswn in AissoI
OF THE BLACKBERRY
Of is the next earliest paying fruit from
IN time IL IL planted. II your plants are
ith ont early and receive good culture,
es, will get q half crop the year after pls
ny inp. and q full crop the next year. l
ter nsTe ths ground about the same as
ck, stTawberries. II you have pile Of !
our | nure that YOU don't kuOY what to
ov- with. nut it on, as the blackberry Ii
hin GOOD food, and is apt to give you s
eri- looks if they don't get it. Lay of
ath rows nine feet apart, with large plC
of mt the plants four feet apart in r
cad Fhe frst year row of corn or pOta
tile can be planted between the rows, a
will which they will occupy the whole grou
nal They should have good cultivation
red fret three years, using small plow,
lrse cultivstor and the hoe. After the
ng- wear the canes should be topped W
its fhey get four feet high. The wi
nruning should be done between the
6f January and the first Of March.
ical soRs think blaekberries cannot
can raised without q thick mulch.
'ker tried mulchiDg, and without. In
he seasons mulching is beneficial, but in
,ent seasons l have had Just as good c
he without it, In marketing, use
div same boxes as for strawberries.
nth Ten years ago, when / sent the
Iitv. Lawton's to st. Louis that were
,ted marketed there got 81 20 per gs
Il. In