The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1878-07-10
strawberry Culture aI Madison
Station. Madison County. Miss.

Station. Madison County. Miss.
The following article from the able per oil
Dr. II. Mckay, one of the most successful
small fruit growers in the South, will BE-
read with interest by the fruit growers oil
the West and Northwest, as well by those OF
our own State.
Strawberr culture. in Mississippi, other
than for home use, and an indefinite, badly
shaped local supply, is of recent conception
and more recent execution. Indeed, il was
not generally believed that our Southern
soil and climate were we'll ADAPTED to the
growth and perfection of the mo tender
and delicate small fruits. The first efforts
to grow them on Il liberal scale, for the dis
tant markets, met with more ridcule than
encouragement from even the most intelli-
gent fruit growers and the fruit comm ission
merchants of distant cities.
In 1869, the writer, liberal grower of
| small and large fruits in Southwestern
| Kentucky, selected this locality with def
mite idea and fixed purpose 10 grow small
| fruits, on a large scale for the Northern and
| Western markets. Not until the beginning
of 1873, was he in the right shape TO begin
| to execute this idea and purpose with the
| hope of fairly and fully testing them.
Commencing with Que acre of straw Der
ries of the Wilson variety, badly shaped
and a broken stand, he found even the ber-
rieS from this one acre, too many To be
|
and determined in the eaeiy days of 1873 to
try the shipment of 100 quarts to Chicago.
| The merchant received and sold them, and
returned me as the net profit 81 80 with the
statement that he feared the distance was
| too great to successfully carry a fruit so
delicate and periShabIe. / made the same
| season few other distant shipments, with
about similar results and encouragement.
! In 1874 other shipments were made to
| Chicago and Louisville, and with the eX-
! COZ of a fpyV nSiO RI {
/ no encouraging results were obtained.
| In 1875, having one acre, good stand, in
choice shape, began picking and shipping
| about the 10Th of April, to Chicago. st.
! Louis and Cincinnati, but mainly to Chica-
go, and when l closed my last shipments
which were sent to Vicksburg, about the
middle of June, had gathered and shipped
| 5000 quarts, netting me over $1,000. This
success removed all doubts and sienced all
Sneers, as to the adoption of our soil and
climate and the carrying quality of the ber-
nv, when gathered at the right stage and
properly handled and packed. From a few
acres, probably not over 10, from Milan, in
Tennessee, TO Lake Manshack, La, forty
miles above New Orleans, its culture has
been increased until now it is estimated at
full 500 acres, along the line of the Chicago
St. Louis and New Orleans Railroad. The
writer having increased his to about 30
acres. The net proceeds, however, greatly
diminishing with increased culture, compe-
tition and hardness of the times.
PLANTING AND CULTURE.
My mode of planting and culture is as
sim pie in any part of the North or West,
yet differing in some respects.
Having selected fair medium land with
good yellow, or red clay basis, latter pre-
| ferred, aud if practicable gently sloping to
| the south or southeast-we plough and har-
row thoroughly and throw into ridges or
| beds, as if for cotton or corn; but letting
| the middle of the bed rest upon two deep
sub-soi burrows, and elevated three to five
iuches above the general level, rows being
three to three and half feet wide and run
in such direction to give good drainage.
| Then, the plants are set in the center of
! these beds, from twelve to fifteen inches
| apart and about an inch deeper than they
| had formerly set, as it will be found that
! the ground will settle more than the plant.
| For err N'anting ! prefer October and
| November, for IateI ,ruary and March,
! inclusive, make some berries the following
| spring, generally, 100 to 300 quarts per acre,
! which, however, are not well suited for
market, being more sappy and trashy from
| growing closer to the ground. If we wish
to have the benefit of these berries, we give
them only surface work with sharp hoe,
and commence the regular working after
the crop is gathered. If this crop is disre-
garded and work commenced earlier, the
stools would be stronger and go through our
| warm, dry season better.
| Vino Ter we work early or late, the work
| SlOuIu Continue III on Guln ldnu unIll the
middle of July, if on rich land until the
| first OF August.
We usually give two or three workings
with the pillow, following each time with
the hoe. The sub-soil pillow is run in the
| bottom of the turl pillow turrOW and the
| land thoroughly broken and pulverzed at
| least eight or ten inches deep. The grass
is then allowed to grow for winter protec=
| ton and to keep the berries clean. No fur
Their work except very light surface hoeing
until after the crop is gathered the follow
ing spring.
owing to our long bearing season, often
extending to the 18th of June, we do not
| deem it prudent to cultivate old stools be-
| fore fall unless more rain than usual, To
disturb the old stools in the very hot dry
| weather after an exhaustive crop has been
| picked, endangers the strength and life OF
| the plant. To do other than very light sur
| face work during the fruiting season, gives
us sandy, trashy berries not fit TOR market.
| If the land is rich or highly fertiliZed, to
| keep the weeds and grass down we will
/ have to work when work ought not to be
| done. Hence, we prefer medium to thin
land, and say that rich soil or high fertil-
zing in this latitude are 'sharP tools TO be
| handled with great care by the best skilled.
| His my deliberate and settled conviction that
cheaper and better berries can be made in this
latitude on medium or thin land, than on
rich or highly fertiliZed. A little manure
timely and judiciousiy applied so that the
plants may have the benefit of it during The
| fruitlng season, VIII as rule, give little
better fruit results; but it ought to be so
| applied as to be well near exhausted by the
close of the fruiting season,
The strong points In successful Southern
straw berry culture Will be found Ia plant
ing on medium land and timely and aseen
culture. This Is especially true on the
marty lands of Central Mississippi and
similar localities, where it will be found that
not only straw berries but other small fruits
will flourish and be "a successfully and pro-
| titably raised as upon any other lands on the
continent,
The net profits of this business must de-
pend upon the relative cost of production
and price obtained 1t would be difficult to
find combined better latiCudinal and trans
portation advantages than in this portion OF
Mississippi and confidently assert that the
straw berry under skillful management to
say no hing OF our cheaper lands, can be
grown more proftably in Mississippi than
in more Northern States.
From land that with good culture would
not yield over 20 bushels of corn, or half
bale of cotton, have gathered the same
same season 100 bushels of berries, without
any fertiliZing of any kind, or at any time,
unless we may call deep culture process
of feFtilizing. From my own experience
and observation, l am fully aware that
some of the above ideas are not correct as
applied to Northern and Western straw
berry culture and success, nor even in har-
mony with Southern teaching and practice,
yet hold them as sound tor Central Missis-
sippi and similar localities. Hence our
Northern and Western friends, whose COM
ing we will welcome most cordially, must
not be too fully persuaded of the soundness