The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1879-09-24
Strawberry Culture in Mississippi.
For The CLARION. !
BY II. L. M'KAY,
Aadis1a Sutton, Madison Co., Mss.

FOR lHE CLARION.
Probably no State in the Union has great
or diversity of SOIL or soils better suited t.
the health, growth and perfection of no
only most Of the larger fruits but alsC
equally well adapted to the more tender anC
delicate smaller fruits.
That we may give a brief, but necessarily
j imperfect sketch Of these Soils we will di
vide the State into three sections, by two
parallel lines running east and west, across
il. In the northwest of the Northern Sec
ton we have the rich alluvial and loamy
bottoms Of the Mississippi and It's tributa-
ries, with their adjacent high, rolling Lands
of sandy loans underaid with red and vel
low clay, merging into the undulating and
more compact, Tctentive table lands of the
centre. In the northeast, the rich, black
limy prairies. Coming TO the middle, OF
marty belt, i'll the east we find the gener-
Gus, quick sandy loans of the rolling and
better grades Of pine land; reaching the
centre along the c., st. l.. d n O. r. r..
the compact, retentive, marty table lands OF
loan underlaid with close, marty red and
yellow clay, rich in vegetable and fruit
growing elements. Hence the great value
Ofdeep culture. On the west; and extending
in many places to the banks of the Missis
sippi, the rich limy hills and loamy bottoms
Entering the Southern section, on the west
the rich aluvial and sandy loans passing
W IIlC CCliLit anu 5OulItdSl, the generous
sandy, quick, but thinner pine lands of the
State.
From this brief sketch, the intelligent anC
practical fruit-grower, will readily perceive
that our lands are we'll suited to nearly the
whole list of large fruits, and also to a very
large and important class of small fruits
What is here said of Mississippi is doubtless
true of most of our Southern States
Coming directly To the fruit of our choice
thu str al vvb
to speak, we will say in general terms that
Mississippi is its former home. To verify
this statement we need only hear the pio-
neers of our State tell of the luxuriant and
delicious wild strawberries of bv-gone wears.
and how they were accustomed to have great
water buckets full of the typical berry
brought in from the fields and prairies. Ii
she has been the favored home Of the typical
berry, may she not, by the skillful touch of
art, become the Eden and Paradise of i'm
proved varieties and culture? We believe
this will prove true, especially of the COM
pact, retentIve, marty, clay, table lands of
central Mississippi, where we believe finer
berries and larger crops can be made on a
cheaper basis than elsewhere in the State.
From such land, with only very limit
ed and nominal amount of any fertilizer,
we have, in two seasons out of five gath
cred an average of one hundred bushels OF
fine berries for forty days, with rain fall
of less than One-half inch during the forty
days. This was done in row culture, three
feet apart, and stools one foot apart in the
rows but the culture was thorough and
re,y deep, and the opening part of the sea
sons very propitious. 1t is, however, due
that we should state that we oftener aver
age under sixty than we reach one hundred
bushels. 1t is Il further fact that the berry
season is always much longer here than in
higher ATTITUDES, often continuing from six.
tv TO ninety days. This season we made
our first shipment of Wilson's Albany, to
Chicago, on the 9th OF April, and our las
shipment of the same variety, to Vicksburg
on the 10th of July, and had good berrie.
for home use until the Goth of July.
While we hold that the close, marty, CLAW
table lands of central Mississippi, give the
best results in strawberry culture, we, by
no means underrate the other lands of the
State and South, nearly all of which. so fal
as tested, give very satisfactory results; es
pecially is this true of the Ioamy, CLAW soil
above Us, and the sandy loans below, but
on all the less compact lands it is more diff
cult to hold good stands, and the frnit ha.
less solidity, and will not hold upon and re
tain its color on as long shipments as fruit
of stronger color and more solidity.
For field culture and market purposes
we greatly prefer planting in rows, with
ample space between for liberal use Of the
plow and sub-soiler-Our distance being us
ually from three TO three and one-half feet
the latter distance being preferred
Having selected good, medium, clean, old
land, if practicable, sloping to the south or
Southeast, we pillow thoroughly aud deeply,
throwing into beds about four inches above
the general level running rows in such di-
reCtiOn rs to give good drainage; then with
a small harrow smooth. off the tops of the
beds and set the plants twelve to fourteen
inches above the general level, running rows
IN such direction as to give good drainage ;
then with a small harrow smooth off the
tops of the beds and set the plants twelve or
fourteen inches apart in the centre of these
beds. For this latitude we do not like eth
er solid, or what is termed bed culture, even
IN the garden for home use unless the land
Is very limited, as 1t Is much more difficult
to preserve the stand, more expensive. and
the berries not - fine to the end of the sea-
son. To make berries cheap and at the same
time fine, they must be planted so that the
pillow and sub-soiler can be freely used. The
planting season in this latitude extends
from the first of October To the last of March.
whenever the land can be found in good or
der, but for safety, we prefer October and
November for early and February and
March for later paintings. When we have
liberal rains and our plants near by, we can
plant as early as September, and as late as
April. All of the paintings in this latitude
will make some berries the following season
the earlier more, the later less: but none
of them anything near a full crop, and the
berries growing close to the ground are both
sappy and trashy and not valuable for ship
ping, but will do well for home use or the
local markets.
By the 10th or Goth of May, all of these
new settings should be plowed and hoed,
and at the earliest time practicable,
thoroughly sub-soiled.
Culture with the pillow and hoe should
continue until the first to the middle of
July, when the crab grass should be allowed
TO come up and grow for covering in win
Yer ana 10 give protection to the berry from
DIRT and sand during the fruiting season.
Plants well cared for until the middle of
July, generally have sufficient size and
strength to resist damage or overthrow from
the grass likely to grow after this time /.
and the crab grass not being a deeper rooter,
or continuing its growth of root or ton
longer than the early frosts, does not ma
terialiy interfere with the continued growth
of the stools, even should their growth be
temporarily checked by the growing grass.
As soon as its growing season is ended, the
stools and plants will renew their growth
under the protecting influence of this grass
against the approaching winter, and be has
tened by its warming influence, in early
spring.
Thus, by skillfully utilizing one of the
great natural productions of the land and
season, we bridge over two to two and one
half months of the work and make the tenn
porarlly disturbing natural production the
festorer OF its own damages-still leaving
ltln the right place until the right time to