The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1867-01-24
THE HILL SYSTEM.


two or two and half feet each way or rows
two and half or three feet apart, and one
foot apart in the row, thus giving chance
to do nearly all the work with fine tooth
narrow cultivator or harrow.
Draw cord where the rows are intended
press it to the ground with the back of the
hoe or by walking on it, which leaves a
plain mark to set the plants by, or in extern
sive planting, if the ground is free from sod
or other incumbrAnce, and in good order,
plow out strait burrows the proper distance
apart and the plants set in these as fast as
one person can straighten and drop the roots
by placing the plant against the perpendic-
ular side of the furrow with one hand and
drawing in dirt up to the top of the crown
with the other. To set by the above marks
use dibble made as follows Take hard
wood stick nine inches long, two inches
wide and three quarters of an inch thick, ia
per it down to point at one end, round the
corners smoothly and fasten handle on to
! the end with screw, or what is much bet
ter to work with for extensive planting is a
steel blade dibble, fastened to a wooden
handle. the blade same shape as above de-
/ scrlbed, only being about quarter OF an inch
thick, or good strong steel garden troweI
| will answer. Have the roots well saturated
with water when set Thrust the dibble in
the length OF the roots-working it back
aud forth, so that tine mole will not fill in
wher th2 dibble is withdrawn. Straighten
the roots out and place them III up to the
crown OF the plants running the dibble down
near it and pressing the dirt up closely to
the plant, and filling up the last hole made
by the dibbe when it is withdrawn. If it
is small lot of some valuable high priced
sort and it should be dry, pour little wa
ter in the hole with the roots and fill in
quickly with dirt, and shade for day or
after setting-athough if roots are thor
oughly saturated just before setting, there
will not be any failures to speak of. Keep
well cultivated and hoed and the runners
cut off. The latter can be done with knife
shears, or a. sharp wheel attached to the
side of the cultivator. just before winter
sets in cover the beds slightly with any
coarse litter that is clean of the seeds of foul
stutf-such as corn stalks crushed sorghum
stalks, marsh hay, shavings, saw dust or
tan bark remembering to loosen up the
mulching early in the Spring with fork, as
soon as severe freeZings are over. This can
be left i'll the Spring until after fruiting sea-
son, if the ground should not be too Weedy,
merely loosening up the surface with a fork
hoe, and if if too foul, it is better to give the
plantation one thorough cleaning the last of
April, or just before they blossom. This can
be done by drawing the mulching into every
alternate row, land after cultivating these, draw
1t all into the rows cleaned, and clean out the
balance, after which scatter the mulch evenly
around the plants. It's not the trouble to
mulch the vines that many suppose. All that
is necessary is merely to scatter lightly over
the surface, so that it will be shaded thus pre-
venting heavings and thawings through the
winter The mulch is not only a protection
thus, but it keeps the fruit clean the next sea-
son, and adds largely tothe size and crop of
fruit; still in most sections the mulching is
not strictly necessary as a protection, espec-
tally when grown in hills, for as before stated
the tops act as a protection to the crown.
Another very good protection to the roots
is to draw or pillow dirt up to the plants, leav-
ing trench half way between and drawing
the same away early in the Spring. It is also
necessary to draw little more dirt around the
crown each year after fruiting season, as the
new roots form above the old crown. If, how
ever, plenty of compost is added around the
plants each year after fruiting it answers the
purpose, besides stimulating them into an i'm
mediate luXuriant growth. Plantations kept
In this way, Will average one quart to the hill,
while if even ordinary cultivation is given,
good bearing sorts will average half that
ing in April or May. Is all that is necessary
until after fruiting season. AS soon as they
are through bearing, scatter liberal quanti-
ty ofrotted compost over the surface, spade
or plow between the rows as deep as possible
loosening it up in the rows between the plants
with q fork hoe and cut off all runners that
are starting, and the entire top Of the plant close
to the crO10n The latter is a very essential
point, for if the old top is allowed to remain
on, the plant will remain in a dormant state
for weeks, forming no new roots, while if cut
OF, they start out new roots i'm mediately, and
by Fall form immense fibrous root and
large, luxuriant tops. Keep the ground well
worked, runners cut off, and mulched, as be-
fore described.
THE MATTED OR ALTERNATE ROW SYSTEM.
For garden culture, set one foot in the row,
and rows two feet apart, and for field culture,
rows three and half or four feet apart. Mark
out and set plants as before described
Keep clean with the fork and cultivator. Train
the runners along the rows as they grow out,
and they will soon form thick, matted rows,
about one # to eighteen inches il width. Be-
fore Winter sets in, scatter liberal quantity
ofrotted compost among the vines, thereby
protecting them from freezing, cnriching the
surface, and acting as q tiue mulch among the
vines the coming season. Work among them
thoroughly with the fork and cultivator just
about the time they commence to blossom. As
soon as they are through fruiting, pillow or
spade between the rows, turning the edges of
the rows under, leaving them about six inches
in width Level the ground down and work
the rows out clean, tearing out some of the
plants if they should be matted too thickly
together. Scatter manure among them, keep
clean, and take same care as before described.
After these rows have occupied the same place
for three or four years, the runners can be al
lowed to run from the rows and fill up every
row, allowing all to fruit, and after fruiting
pillow the space occupied by the OLD rows I'M
der, leaving about foot in width of the new
plants; allow these to fruit, and take the same
care as first described. If the ground is well
MANFRED and cleaned they can occupy the
same ground for years. We give a few of the
more popular varieties.
DowNER's PRoLIFIC.-The longer we cult
vate this variety the more extensively we
plant it for marketing. Yielding as it does,
the bulk of its crop early, when fruit sells for
very high prices, and with us, one year after
another, as great bearer as any of our old
tried sorts, and its extreme hardness makes
1t very remunerative sort indeed 1t has re-
ceivcd the highest number of votes in diff
ferent societies as being the most profitable
market sort, and this too, with the Wilson'S
Albany as one of the competitors In rows it
yields as good crops as any sort, but in hills
the crop is enormous and fruit double the size
we are intending to set out large plantation
OF this sort in ills next Spring, so GREATS oul
confidence in its proftableness. Color LIGHT
scarlet; shape nearly round; flavor fair; size
large,and CERTAIN yielder EVERY year Orig
mated in Southern Tennessee, and succeed.
equally well in the most northern or southern
latitude.
GREEN PRoLIFIC-Of all the tried sorts q
our grounds, we are satisfied this will prov,
| most Ia