Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1879-05-02


How few farmers, comparatively, raise
strawberries even for their own table. when
no other fruit Is more easily raised OF more
healthful. They ripeu before other fruits
and at a time when the housewife is anxious
ly iuquiring Of herself what she can possibly
get for dinner that viii be a change from pie
plant and dried-apple pie. A strawberry bed
one rod in width and four rods in length
planted with two varieties, will produce all
the berries family Of eight persons eau pos
slbly use for at least a month The time and
trouble of their cultivation is less than that
Of raising patch Of potatoes Of equal size
| am sorry that so many farmers limit their
gardening to a few rods of early potatoes,
half-a-dozen hills of cucumbers and an onion
bed, and in defense of their shiftlessness say
that they have no time to cultivate more ex-
tensive garden. Such men are, Of course
working 70 earn little money to provide
food, clothing and comforts for their families.
What could add more TO the comfort, health
and happiness of any family than we'll
stocked fruit and vegetable garden:
/ have raised strawberries several years.
and my little experience may be of service to
some who are thinking of planting strawber-
ries this spring. About nine years ago pur-
chased strawberry plants said TO be Wilson :
planted bed one rod in width by three rods
IN length, setting the plants one foot apart,
i'll rows two feet apart. Ispent hours and
even days in hOeing and cutting of runners
and blossoms, and notwithstanding this they
were nearly solid mass Of vines in the fall
They were then carefully covered with coarse
straw manure which was mostly removed in
the spring. | noticed that the blossoms were
small aud not very numerous. but waited i'm
patiently for large crop of fruit which new
er came. On the whole piece picked few
quarts Of very small, sour berries | left
them another year, thinking that the second
year they would be all right, but the next
year they were smaller and fewer still. AZ
forwards l got some genuine Wilson's, and
they proved satisfactory In the spring of
1877, | set three-quarters of an acre of Viii
sons, and sent to Poughkeepsie tor two thou
sand mixed plants of Monarch of the West,
Col. Cheney, Downing and Seth Boyden. !
set the plants in rows three and a half feet
apart and about two feet apart in the row.
Never put Strawberries on land infested
with quack, but take hand that is sure of a
good crop Of wheat which will be sure to
produce good crop Of strawberries. Set as
early in spring possible, and cultivate as
soon as any weeds appear; hoe three or -four
times. As soon as the runners start turn
them towards the row. 1t is waste of time
to cut runners or blossoms Towards fall
narrow up the cultivator so as to leave about
half the ground covered with matted rows
but never let them run entirely together
Cover with straw or coarse hay, as soon al
the ground Is frozen. find swhle grass the
best, as it contains no foul seeds In spring
us soon rs all danger of freezing is over, rake
it partially of between the rows, and They
need no farther attention until they com.
mence 10 ripen.
The yield from my two thousand mixed
plants was little over fourteen hundred
quarts, aud their extra size aud quality help
cd me 10 wholesale my Wilson's along witt
them at ten cents per quart, while other grow
rrs were selling them at wholesale at five
cents per quart. So found it more profita
BILE 10 purchase plants Of reliable parties Fol
beginners, think Monarch of the West anC
Wilson are as good as any varieties am &C
quanted with. Any one having baud SHOULD
plant strawberries of some kind, even if only
few have no plants to sell, and nevel
have sold any, but have given them away t.
any one that would come and dig them -
4. r. Bronson, IN Country Gentlemdn.