The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1871-04-08
Coupon BOndhOlder's Rural "reminiscences.
BY AGRICOLA.
No. 9.

No. 9.
We have seen that our friend Coupon
was an unsuccessful enthusiast in the cul-
tivation of standard fruits, and that his
success was, as a general thing, failure
with his small vine crops, and ordinary
farm affairs, his success was about the same.
lie had heard that strawberries required
very deep, rich, mellon soil, and that
trenching Or ditching was the best way to
prepare the soil; so he procured practical
ditcher(?) from the city, and paid him
enormous wages to prepare his ground for
him, and to plant his plants, procured from
foreign parts, at great expense. He dug
bitches two feet deep and filled them up
with rich earth and manure, planted his
plants, " Hovey's seedling," &C., &c. But
after waiting two or three years, during
which time patience and industry seemed
to reap no reward, the plants looking
dwindling and sickly, he learned, to his
astonishment, that they needed some other
plant to fertilize them. He now raises the
Albany Seeding and Agriculturist on plain
ground, and thinks they pay better, with
less labor.
He had often read in his "fayorite
paper" articles written by old farmer, to
the effect that blackberries were not pro-
fitable crop and were difficult crop to
eradicate; and although he usually followed
the precepts taught by "the paper" he
disregarded this one, and planted out sew
eral thousand of Wilson's Early at 81
per NJ. They never were of any profit to
him, except to force him to till his sblack-
berry lot, vigorously, 4. &C., because "them
roots is hard to git red ov.''
His next effort was in the potato line.
With this he did pretty we'll, for time,
with the exception that his potatoes were
rather juicy, owing, no doubt, to the damp
nature of the soil; but he did not think
this the cause. cit was owing to the
variety running out" so he said. So he
sent to England for some new varieties,
the Regents, Dalmahoys, Pattersons Seed
lings, &C.; and. although the price was
high, he appears to think he received more
than he paid for, for he says he "imported
a new kind of rot with his seedlings
In peas, one spring, he met with a sin
gular misfortune. He read in his sbook'
that if peas were planted eighteen inches
deep they would come up strong, like
bushes, and a single row of vines might be
made to fruit the whole season. He planted
accordingly, and, it is an unpleasant thing
to state, but the peas never "put in an
appearance" Perhaps they took the
downward track and grew to astonish the
Acknowledged celestials."
The peas having failed, he looked for
ward with increasd interest and hope to
his fine patch of cantaloupes. The little
black flea beetle and striped squash bug,
however, threatened to destroy the whole
crop. There were millions of them en-
gagged in the pleasant pastime of skeleton
izing the leaves. Having heard that dry
air-slacked lime or coal oil were good agents
to destroy or drive them away, he concluded
to try coal oil, and sprinkle the plants with
it. The bugs disappeared for time, but
he wishes now he had tried lime first, for
he is fully convinced that rock oil is not
good for tender foliage. Something injured
the vines SO seriously that they nearly all
went into decline. He thinks it was the
petroleum.
Coupon has tried faithfully to cultivate
spring turnips, and tender radishes and
caulifowes out-of doors, but is now salts
fed that the gardeners are correct:-that
these things are not worth doing.
Asparagus, Coupon says, is a marine
plant; that it grows wild on the sea coast,
and likes salt for fertilizer; but fear he
has put too much old fish salt and brine on
his aspara gras bed, for the heads of the
asparagus came up with a curled and cor
rugated aspect, looking more like stunted
sea kale than asparagus, and having a
flavor like rusty mackerel.
Coupons last attempt was to raise early
chickens. He bought Stats and put up a
large CHECKED yard, with chicken house
enclosed He Matched four hundred chick.
ems in the loft of his barn, before he built
his henery and fed them all in doors until
spring. He fastened each hen up on a nest
full of eggs, and attempted to make then
set by force, but some rebellcd and would
not set at all, while some died on the nest
from some mysterious cause. The rat.
killed many small chickens, many died Of
pip, and, finally, when the chickens were
nearly ready for use, some chicken thieves
took ten or twenty pairs of night.
think he thought that that was poo
method of raising chickens, hence hi.
improvement of his henery.
We are inclined to think that if his las
project fails, he will return to his cow
dear native city, his old office and dusty
walks"
Charles Lennox Remond, colored, ha