Bristol news. [volume] (Bristol, Va. & Tenn.) 1867-189?, 1871-11-17
Protecting Str wber'ies

- vi Asif 4 W. !s' HtttHe
at Midway, desired 20 know the best
method. Of protec ing Strawberries in
winter. The Strawberry crop has
come to be so important that the
question of protection is worthy of a
ca.eful consideration. A friend o!
ours. more than forty I.iles from BOs-
ton. sold his crop this yer on Ie,:
than acre and a quarter, for touI tee.
hundred dollars in the Boston mn
ket. Another farme II ndr y
quaintancc took twcHty tol- hu.G
dollars for his crop the pa suzanne!
aud Others received sum- sL-gI seem
enormous when the small e>t"nt -:
their beds is taken into Cud-ldgra.
zion. We know of no farm crop
which has paid 30 we'll the pass sea
son. and there is. probably. n ont
which pays so well var at;e year:
with the exception possibly q. -. Pc.
We know of no one no has goGc jn--
To either Of these crops with enter
prise and intelligence AMI failed -
The labor they require. tuouoh pre-
~ constant at certain SEASONS OF rho
year. is light and agreeable, AID tine
market always ready Ia TAKE all
can get at remuneratire prices. Wait
is there that pays better!
We have always taken the ground
that if farmer in New England
wants to make money he m st adopt
some speciality and stick Ia it, not t.,
the exclusion of other crops which
my be needed for home c3hsump
ton, but relying upon it for his mon
ey returns. Making a specially Of
some one or two crops, he become
complete master Of the business they
involve, studies the market, and
knows more of them than he Posi-
bly, could il they formed only small
part Of a great miscellaneous farm
crop. a farmer may live Il long from
year to year. and perhaps make both
ends meet. in the Oh lshioned way
with little corn, few POTATOES.
some grass and few roots. a fes
COWS and the other things incident
to general farming, but after-ali. cv-
cry year shows more and mare clear
", that it is special farmin" thai,
pays. Il need not be strawberries or
grapes or cranberrieS. Dairying
sheep husbandry, stock raising. mar
krt-gardening. anything almost that
becomes the obj-ct Of special pride
nnd attention on the part Of the far
mer. will pay. and pay generally in
proportion to the ability and in K
ment applied to it. But il a farmer.
instead of adopting this course. dos
4 little of everything. the chances
are that he will have little of any
thing. to sell. and the result is that
he will find himself at the end of the
year. little better OF than he was ut
the beginning.
But now as To the question of Win
ter protection Tor Strawberries The
object is not % prevent the ground
from fire, zing. but 10 avoid subject
ing the vines TO the constant change,
of winter. freezing and thar-ing alter.
nltely. II We were sure the ground
would be we'll covered with snow all
Winter. we could get along without
artificial protection. Now almost
any non conducting .ubstpnce which
would answer for mllching in summer
will serve as covering fm the vines
ia Winter. care being taken not 10
make the covering so thick as Ia
SIN 9TH IT the vines. Coarse Strawy
manure is good aud so is salt hay and
old meadow-Lay and straw. The
undergraduates most conmonl,
rsc coarse hay which they rake off
in the Spring. aud stack up for anoth.
er Winters use. Bat unless care is
used, with this substance. il viii add
grass and weed-Secd To the bed. and
make a great deal of work which
might be avoided. This is no obj-c.
tihn where strawberries are grown on
the annual system. as the pants are
all turned under. weeds aud all, as
sooa as the crop is of. but on any
other system it is serious objection.
To avoid this many use leaves.
spent tan. corn stalks. chopped straw
or prunc bOushS. We iaclineto think
leaves are about the be>t covering
4, be had, and where there are woods
near at hand they are easily enough
obtained. Pine leaves or pine nee
dies, aS they are called. arc most OK
ccIlcnt. Tf other leaves like those of
the ok and other deciduoas tree, ar.
nsetl. they are sure tobIow off unless
held in their place by pine or hem
lock branches. We know of moth ng
better than a uniform covering of two
or three inches deep of pine leaves,
Al EsRH IN