The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1872-05-14
strawberry Culture

strawberry culture
1t was my privilege few days since
to attend meeting of the Massachusetts,
Horticultural Society, where the above
topic was the subject of discussion. The
meeting was opened by the reading of an
original essay on the subject by Mr.. j.
B. Moore of Concord, very large grow.
er Of this fruit for Boston market and
after the reading of the essay remarks
were made on the subject by several gen.
tlemen present.
Mr.. Moores essay was remarkably
concise, practical and valuable. | wish
all interested could read it in full, and
hope the Society will publish it in their
Transactions.
He said the best soil for strawberries
is deep loan of sandy or gravelly ma.
ture, but not too dry or leachy any soil
will grow them that is not very wet or
very dry but to have them in perfection
a good generous loan, well MANFRED, and
thoroughly prepared is needed. The
land should be titled at least one season
before hand with some hoed crop, care.
fully kept from weeds, which, if allowed
to 60 to seed, will increase the expense of
the strawberry crop. In the fall pillow
the land, and during winter prepare
compost of peat and manure at the rate
oflO cords per acre, to be we'll worked
over before planting time. The compost
should be spread in April and plowed in,
the land well narrowed and smoothed and
the beds so arranged that no surface wa
ter can stand in puddes. A line is drawn
across the field, the spade is placed
against the line, driven down six inches,
and the earth thrown out sidewise all one
way. The plants, with the roots pruned
and kept damp in wet moss in basket,
are set in this trench by hand, carefully
placing the crown of the plant on level
with the surface if to deep they rot-if
too high they don't thrive. The ground
is filled in with hoe after setting the
plants the plants placed II inches apart
for most kinds; the Agriculturist needs
IA inches; the rows 4 feet apart. The
eultivator is Iun through the space be.
tween the rows and the hoe used between
the plants until they begin to run, when
two plans are followed-one for raising
plants, the other for large and fine fruit.
When plants are the object, all the run.
ners are allowed to grow, some care be.
ing used to distribute them evenly over
the bed, and when they begin to strike.
the hoe must be hung up and wedding
done by hand. Where it is desired to
raise the largest possible amount of fine
fruit, however to strong runners only are
allowed to grow on each plant, and these
are placed in II inches at each side oil
the original plant, making bed of 3
rows; after these plants strike, the run.
ner is cut connecting it with the old plant
and all other runners cut as fast as they
appear the wedding is done mostly with
small hoe. Some varieties will not beal
this method-the Scarlet Runners and
the Hovey Seeding for instance should OF
allowed to run; but the Wilson, Tri
omphe, LUCINDA, Agriculturist, the mos
large kinds, do much better in this meth
cd. After the first frosts of October tn,
bed should be well covered with litter, tn,
object being not to keep out the frost blu
to shade the plants from the sun and pre-
vent constant freezing and thawing. TIL,
litter should be secured by bean-poles o
other brush from blowing off it may b
removed April Is to May LIST, the bed
cleaned Of any weeds, the paths Gu! clear
and when the fruit begins to set, mulcl
Of cut hay or straw thrown between tn
plants to keep the fruit from the dirt
The picking needs great attention t
secure uniformly neat appearance and as
sortment Of the fruit, and much of tn
profit of the business depends upon syste
matte arrangement of this part of the al
fair. After picking, if the bed is in
healthy condition, the leaves are move
off close, raked and burned to destroy in
sects-a pillow run through the paths, tn
paths smoothed, and the earth betwee
the plants stirred with pronged hoe AN
little Peruvian guano sprinkled owe
the ground before rain. This seem
like harsh treatment, and has been muc
criticised, but is good practice. Th
plants soon start with great vigor an
make few runners but strong stool, an
the second crop is generally better an
surer than the first. Mr.. Moore ha
practiced this plan for a number of year
and commends it with confidence say
his third crop is generally as good as tn
frst-the second better /; intends to try
bed this year for fourth crop. He hi
no doubt that by keeping the plants i
hills, as above described, the expense
planting new bed is good deal mol
than the cleaning of an old one, and tn
crop full as good as from the old be-
The Wilson is the great market sort
the Triomphe and the LUCINDA are bot
good for big berries; but the Presidel
Wilder is good berry, but not heay
bearer.
Mr.. Moore was followed by Presidel
Wilder, Mr.. Hovey, W. c. Strong, an
others, who gave some additional inform
alton. Ashes and potash were common,
ed for mixing with compost also the Vi
Of irrigation during the fruiting seasol
Mr. H0vey said an English stTs1iD1|