Clarksville chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 186?-1872, 1870-05-21

4 correspondent Of the Rural Amer

. =" % . H
4 correspondent Of the Rural Amer
lean says: 81 sigH nN
\ Each year sees great increase In
the number of acres of small fruits
under cultivation, and the fact that
( Notwithstanding this, the price Of NIL
Kinds Is increasing instead of dimin-
ishlng-a fact well uttested-shows
chat the demand Is increasing faster
than the supply, and that there Is
opportunity f0rprofitable Investment
IN the pleasant business of small fruit
culture. The principal small fruits
are strawberries, currants, gooseber-
ries, raspberries, blackberries and
grapes and though there Is OCCASION
ally disappointed cultivator, who
comes out In q complaining article to
prove that some or all do not pay, the
hundreds. OF prosperous men engaged
in the business, and the figures they
can and do give, show the falsity Of
these sorerheads' complaints. With
out mentioning the extraordinary
crops sometimes obtained, such as
making clear profit of $500 from an
acre of Strawberries, or 5000 from one
fourth OF an acre OF grapes, the aver
age yield under proper cultivation Is
more remunerative than that of any
field crop. 1t is true the expense at
the start Is greater, and the cost Of
cultivation much more, but after all
this Is paid, the cultivator Of small
, fruits will be rewarded by clear
profit several times as great. N
A crop of oats is much more easily
raised than q crop of Strawberries,
hut clear profit of twenty dollars
per acre on oats, after all the expen-
ses of cultivation, Is not often real
izcdy while ft is not uncommon to
clear 500 per acre on Strawberries.
Indeed this would be small profit to
realize from an acre of stra wberries
properly cultivated, for If grown I'm
hills eighteen inches apart each way
there will be 1880 plants on an acre,
which, when they arrive at a good
bearing state, should produce at least
n third of a quart II piece, or 6,453
quarts per acre. AT 10 cents per
quart-a low price-the receipts
would be S645, and very handsome
prefit would remain after paying all
expenses. II will not certainly do to
calculate upon n yearly receipt of
that amount from every acre of
Strawberries set out, but something
near 1t may be Insured by proper cul-
ture. .ss. ~. .ol
Other small fruits may not bring
quite as large returns, but are more
easily cultivated, so that the expense
is less. haspberries set out four feet
each way, two canes perhill, making
5,400 canes per acre, will yield as
much rs $500 quarts the first season,
and SO on increasing. These, If the
variety Is good, will not bring less
than ten cents per quart, and more,
probably fifteen; sometimes thirty
or forty cents is obtained for them.
At the lowest figure the receipts
would be $3.50 per acre. Currants set
four feet apart each way. making q
722 bushes per acre, should yield,
when In full bearing, more than a
pound pei bush, worth Mt least ten
cents per pound, or 1912 per acre.
Gooseberries sell for from five dollars
to eight dollars per bushel, and will
yield 100 bushels per acre under ia
vOrable circumstances-a return of at
least $500 per acre.
1t Is not to be denied that in order
to start u plantation of small fruit of
any kinda considerable expenditure
of capital will be required, both for
the purchase of vines and for prop
crly manuring, cultivating, and tend
ing them before they begin to bear,
and that for the first two or three
years no returns will he received for
all this outlay; but those having the
capital TO start with, and faith
enough in the business to stick to it,
will not fail to secure large inter-
est on their Investment.