The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1868-05-18
BERRIES s

!. - rs-,t sBERR LES. s4se -
The vigilant Dispatch correspondent at
Petersburg tells US that a fruit-grow car
ried to Norfolk the produce Of o gooseberry
patch, expecting to realize from the crop
about $3.50 but meeting with a. New York
buyer, he was ut once offered $500 for the
bulk, and carried home sum large enough
to purchase small farm, all derived from
an apparently outside, unconsidered triae.
It, is. to be. wished that. "S" will gather
more incidents, and rs many details of each
as are essential ;sforif 30 modest specially
as few gooseberry bushes will produce as
much money as fifteen orStwenty acres of
wheat, surely there is no farmer in Virginia
so prejudiced or destitute Of enterprise that
he will not select one or more of these spe-
cial crops to experiment upon, being
governed in his choice by his peculiar faci
ities, taste, locality, or market. It will
open to. him new scenes of interest, and he
cannot fail of some pecuniary profit, though
it may not chance to be with that particular
fruit Whichin this instance filled the pocket
of the Norfolk grower. 81 q s;,si2 ...,..,..l
&c s 'rWas not able to furnish us with the
details of cultivation, but being familiar
with the culture, the writer will suggest the
probabilities, which he is sure will not be
widely dstray. The beginning Of, this goose
berry patch was the purchase say Of j 500
cuttings (scions) which cost ffteento twenty
dollars per thousand Of the kind-Hough-
toms Seeding, q hardy, green fruit, of large
size. They were nurseried in beds in rows
a foot apart, and thes same distance in the
row; second spring, orcharded in four-foot
spaces, and occupied about three-ffths of
an acre; kept clean, and in fall cleared
of root shoots, and top shoots .pruned down
half; third year fruited, and yielded half o
peck each tree; fourth year, same treat
ment, and yield o peck each. tree. First
marketing was one hundred and fifty
bushels, and sold at four dollars per bushel,
bringing $500; and as many bushels would
be left for later maturity and second
marketing. If sold the third year, it took
all the trees, and If the fourth, it took but
half to yield this return ! and in either
case the original cost was the same-thatis,
twenty-five dollars for cuttings and forty
FIVE dollars for gathering, leaving o net
profit on the crop of $530-at the rate of
about 81 900 per acre. But this is not
oil the neighbors have not been needless
observers and if. the gooseberry has
not become an established crop in the
vicinity, they all want cuttings and the
grower will for some years to come
make more from his waste, prunings
than sShe. does from his fruit, and thus,
from o single acre, withoutsa cent expended
after. the purchase of the cuttings, except
for gathering, and with entire independence
of negro labor, he will realize more money
than many q Virginia planter does from
one thousand acres. 1T is this large income
from seeds, scions, or roots, which are
eagerly sought after on the successful in
production Of o new crop that is the special
reward of the pioneer of2a locality. He
has monopoly which cannot. be interfered
with till after q calculated time, and that
time will be long enough to make his for
tune. A new grape, and potato, and to-
mato, and strawberry, and even cabbage,
has been the source of fortunes to many.
Where the introducer of the Lawton black
berry made 81 900 by sales Of fruit, he
made -$l00, 600 by the sales of roots for pro-
The third speciality named by this writer
in his introduction was fruit-orchards, and
of fruits, the berries are a large and lucra-
tive class. They are important IN about
the following order. Strawberry, black
berry, currant, gooseberry, cranberry, rasp-
berry, and mulberry. The strawberry crop
far, exceeds in value the sum of all the rest
and the fruit is eagerly bought not only in
great cities, but in every. town large enough
to include in its population a portion OF
non producers. Earliest in the market, the
most delicious, and most easily raised OF
all the berries, the demand only fails with
exhaustion of supply; and it is no extraya-
giant estimate to state the amount divided
among growers and dealers withinRa radius
of 500 miles of New York at forty mil
lions of dollars in the season. The condi-
tions Of it's profitable culture are access,to
market and early production. These re-
tquisites in exact combination exist no
where more fayorably than near Norfolk;
iand first offerings thence not unfrequently
bring price equivalent to o rate of 5000
to "a 600 an acre but to the grower under
ordinary circumstances the profits average
not more than $500 to $3.50 per acre, being
sixty to seventy bushels at fifteen to twenty
cents per quart; and much more certain and
profitable sspecialties may be selected by
the farmer than this or any Of the berries
for field crops, n .,xI 81 57g9g,ss. u
aFhe gooaeberry and cranberry, unlike the
rest, may be transported any distance with
ont injury !; the former, also, may be con.
yerted into wine or vinegar, both OF excel
lent quality, and the latter will keep many
months, and fetches the highest price in
winter. Instances are not uncommon OF
an otherwise worthless swamp being cleared
of brush and rushes and planted with cram
berries, yielding q crop annually worth
81, 500 to 81 900 per acre. sal !.
| The blackberry, though now staple crop,
and second in value, was never till about
twelve years since q cultivated fruit. In
the village Of New Rochelle, near New
York, wildablackberry vine had got per,
manent footing in fence row, and had long
been known to the children round for .lts
plentiful and juicy berries. About that
time Mr.. LaWton purchased the place, and
gaYe root 'front.' chance in his garden.
The result Raa fame and fortune to himself,
and the addition to our cultivated fruits OF
the Lawton blackberry The red currant
cannot proftaSly be grown in this Latitude;
in the North it is certain and profitable
crop, and may be marketed, when converted
into either wine OF jelly, as prohtabiy as IN
fruit. -----.-------
The raspberry is delicious, but precari-'
Qua. The purple berry israre and yaiua-
bic as saSable fruit In Europe, but has 81 no
footing Jet in our markets. + s:ssr T5IEFa
4 A good and well filled garden is neces-
ssry part OF every farm. it is o store