Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1870-04-19
House, Farm and Garden.
L. ID. r.. COLLINS. Editor.

AOuOCy L dl LII 0uu OdIu Cus
ID. r. COLLINS. Editor.
Cultivation of Small Fruits. Mol.
The taste for gardening is a growing one,
and as it developes itself in one individual
after another, passing from the first stage,
where kitchen vegetables engross the at
tention, it soon reaches to an interest in
the growth of small fruits. Almost every
old garden, indeed, can show a row of cur
rant bushes, smothered in grass, and pro-
viding annually feeble crop of diminutive
fruit But usually, when the desire to Gull
tivate fruit breaks out, these are passed
over as of no account, and strawberries are
most frequently selected to begin with.
Strawberries being decided upon, the
first question is, "what variety is best ?"
The catalogues are examined, with the re-
suit of finding, as rule, that the newest
and costliest kinds are described as the
best, especially "for amateur cultivation"
This is not to be wondered at, perhaps,
considering that nursery men must live, or
at least think they must but most expert
menters find the fact to be exactly the op-
posite. Nearly all the fancy" strawber-
ries require more knowledge than most am
ateurs, especially beginners, possess, to de-
yelope their merits when they have ANY,
They usually demand high culture and
special treatment in order to elicit a crop.
and grown carelessly they are apt to pre-
sent to the expectant cultivator bat beg
carly show in strawberry time
My advice to beginners in strawberry
growing would be to select well tried and
heavy kind. For this section there can be
no doubt that the old and well known
"Wilson's Albany" will give the best sat
isfaction to a beginner It is cheap, a
dollar will buy hundred plants at any
nursery it is hardy, and will endure our
hardest winters without being killed and,
better than all, it will be sure to give a
crop. The next best variety, somewhat
better in quality, indeed, than the Wilson, J
is Russell's Prolific. Going still higher in
quality, you come to the Triomphe de
Gande, or the LUCINDA; but these require
better care, and must have winter protcc-
ton in Vermont
1t is quite customary to plant out straw
berries in the fall, and it is even recon-
mended to do so by many writers But
experience has shown that there is no real
advantage in this. Set in the fall, it is
true that few berries, but no crop. will
be gathered the next season. This is all
that is gained On the other hand fall sci
/ plants must be protected or they are apt
to winter-kill, and it will require much
more labor to keep down the weeds than il
the ground is freshly dug or plowed in the
spring. Strong plants can then be select
ed, and will become perfectly established
before winter sets in.
The land for Strawberries should be en-
riched with well rotted manure. Thai
| from the COW stables is best Ashes anC
bone dust are excellent special fertilizers
Dig or pillow deeply, and pulverize the
ground thoroughly, raking the beds leve
before setting the plants.
Ifyou procure your plants from a nur
sery you must take them IS they come
you select them yourself from an old bed
take only vigorous yoa,g plants; thes,
may be distinguished by their light-colorel
roots. Old plants are entirely WORTHLESS
for setting a new bed. Before setting
shorten the roots to about three inches
and cut off most of the leaves. A. trans
planting -rowel, or wanting that, a marrow
shingle, is a good thing to open the groun,
in planting. Put the roots in perpendcu
lar, and press the dirt firmly to them, leay
ing the plants no higher or lower tina,
they stood before being taken up. If tn
ground is dry, pour little water aroun,
the roots before pressing the earth to them
The best distance for strawberries j
three feet for the rows, and eighteen inch
es or two feet between the plants. Kee,
off all runners until you have gathered
crop. Then you may let the Wilson 0
Russell run into thick rows, in which the,
viii do well for one or two years longer
But Triomphe de Gand and lucinda mus
be kept in hills, and little dirt hoed t
them year by year Unless you keep o.
all the runners from these varieties vo
will not get much fruit The cleaner tn
beds are kept from weeds, the better tn
crop. Though the Wilson, and even tn
Russell, will endure our winters, they vii
bear better crops if covered with a ligh
mulch in the fall. I find pea-straw an ex
celent thing for this purpose, In Apri
before the plants start, this mulch ought t
be raked off, but it may be left betwee
the rows, and before the fruit ripens plac
it around the plants to keep the berrie
from the dirt
I have thus briefly recapitulated tn
main points of strawberry culture, by tn
observance of which success, in ordinar
seasons, is certain. Next week l will sa
few words about Raspberries and Black
berries.
T. II. HosKINs.
Newport, April I, 1870.
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