Worcester daily spy. [volume] (Worcester [Mass.]) 1850-1888, 1871-08-30
small Fruits.

| EdltOT SpB. Some OF your readers may be in
| terested in reading a few clippings from my
note book in relation to our experience with
small fruits. We commenced the cultivation of
small fruits in Worcester in 1867 by setting forty
two varieties Of strawberries, which were all the
varieties worth cultiyating at that time. The
Golden Seeded, Wilson's Albany, Downers Pro-
life, RusselPs Prolific and Jucunda proving the
best for us to cultivate, we set but few of the
other old varieties after the first year.
We have taken the new kinds as they have
been introduced-C. Downing, Napoleon ILL.,,
Nicase, Nicanor, Cofax, Peaks Emperor,
Barnes Mammoth, Boyden's 80, Kentucky,
President Wilder, &c. Even lover of the
business would be wearied with history of all
the new varieties we have tried; and still they
come every year by the score at least, the most
of them highly recommended from the parties
who send them out.
believe in growing seedlings, as that is the
only way we can improve, or even keep good
the old varieties; for it is fact we need not try
TO deny, there is time when even strawberry
plants will exhaust their vitality but it would be
better if propagators would try their seedlings
the public.
There are two things, at least, TO be consid.
cred in judging of and talking about strawberry
plants and berries. First, are they fit for field
cultivation? This is the test. For it means are
they early or late, vigorous and productive.
The berries cooring early and before ripe like
Wilson's Albany, so they may be picked, shipped
and eaten while hard, or late, glossy,
rye and dry, LUCINDA, so they will
attract attention and be good after
having been kept over night when
ripe. Second, are they large, good favored and
comparatively productive, desirable for garden
culturer2
On our grounds the LUCINDA proves the most
profitable and G. Downing next. The Downing
does not yield so many quarts as Wilson's, but
they are larger and good deal better, so say
our customers, and we get from five to ten cents
quart more for them than for Wilson's. OF
the new kinds President Wilder for early, and
Kentucky for late, are all that we find desirable
to grow in quantities. For garden cultivation,
Golden Seeded, c. Downing, Jucunda, Ken
lucky, Boyden's 30, and if a person has room,
Triomphe de Gaud and Lennig's White would
be desirable. The two las named are nice but
shy bearers with me. If one wants an early
pistillate variety, the Fillmore is desirable.
There are many good varieties that are pistillate,
that is, the flowers are not perfect, so they
need to have plants bearing perfect Or
staminate flowers set near them, or they will not
produce berries. We cannot afford to grow this
kind of plants. The new berry, the Col. Cheny,
has this disadvantage. There are few cult
Yators who grow the Lady of the Lake and other
pstillate varieties, but most growers prefer per-
feet Towering plants, every blossom being both
staminate and pistlate.
We have fruited twenty seedlings of our own
the past season but one of which is worth
mentioning, and we shall set largely of that. 1t
will be known for the present as Kinney's 10.
and II Its record as two year old is as good as
| its baby record you will hear more of it, We
have twenty distinct seedlings growing this
| year, and some of the plants look we'll.
As we cultivate strawberries for profit.
you may feel interested to hear a re-
port from our day book. From about
one acre of land set mostly with Jucun.
da, C. Downing, Kentucky and Boyden's 80, we
sold 1000 quarts, averaging 81 cents per quart
| or s1220. We made three pickings, selling al
| So, IS and IS cents per quart, and few quarts
sold as high as 100 each. We had few hun
dred quarts Of common berries that had to sell
low at % to 85 cents per quart. We cultivate
IN hills and make our distance apart according
TO varieties, giving c. Downing p feet by II
while Jucunda gets 9 feet by 2, and others
IN ike proportion, according to size of top. In
future article Twill continue our experience,
telling you Of raspberries, black berries, grapes,
q. +. J. KINNEY
Worcester Aug. 2sth, 1871.