Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1881-08-03
Strawberries.

be encouraged to enlarge our plantations of
this berry were it not for the difficulty of
getting good and steady help in gathering
the crop. But we would urge all farmers
living near villages or railroad station, TO
try strawberries and other small fruits as a
means of increasing their money income.
1t is true that strawberry time and haying
come together, but small bed of one-fourth
to one-haf an acre can be managed by the
women and children of many families, and |
the one or two hundred dollars it will bring |
in will be useful in most any family. The
only varieties we would recommend to begin
ners are the Wilson and the Crescent. At |
ter succeeding with these, the easiest to
grow, experiment, if you desire, with novel
ties expecting TO find one out of hundred
worth something.
Mr.. Chamberlain, one of the best writers
in the Country Gentleman, speaking of Bel
mont county, Ohio, which is much like Yer
mont in its general character, says: al
chanced to ride with Chicago fruit COM
mission merchant, who was there in person
managing the daily shipments of the famous
GAINESVILLE Strawberries. He fills an express
car on the SWITCH and the afternoon express
switches it on and whrls it off across two
states and part of third to the Chicago
market before daylight the next morning.
And this brings me at last to my subject
adaptations in agriculture. Plainly, Bel
mont county is not adapted to corn. Its
landscapes are exquisite. AS we drank in
the varied beauty of hill and valley and for
est and orchard, my Chicago friend said
"If you could put these hills near Chicago,
the whole city would go wild over the see
merry. But" he added, pointing at a small,
steep angular and stony cornfeld we were
passing, cit would make an Illinois farmer
sick to think of raising corn in that way"
To what then are these hilly Ohio river
counties adapted BY what kinds of agri-
culture or horticulture can the people make
a liviugY They cannot live on the scenery
alone, beautiful aud healthful as it is. The
people of GAINESVILLE seem to have solved
the problem in part at least. For one thing,
soil aud climate produce the finest berries
and other fruit. My Chicago friend had
been in all the berry regions Of the south
and west and north buying, and he said be-
yond question the GAINESVILLE or Belmont
county Strawberries are the finest in the
whole west. They sell highest in the Chi
cago Market some fine Cumberland Tri-
jumps bringing this year $500 per bushel in
June, and netting $3.50 to the producer
above express and commission. OF course
this was exceptional, but 81 per bushel, net,
was not remarkable, even for Wilson's. Not
the soil and climate alone are responsible
for the fneness of the Barnesville berries,
but it is largely owing to the careful, pains
taking character of the people. Many of
them are Quakers, and the air from the hills
has made them healthy and active, and they
take all the pains in the world with their
berries, and with all they do. The absolute
freedom of the berries from sand and grit
caused general remark in Chicago, from the
contrast with those arriving abou t the same
time from the sandy Michigan berry re-
|
this freedom from grit, like all other good
things, is "given by the gods only in answer
to labor" The Barnesville berry fields are
thoroughly and carefully mulched with
straw or sorghum bagasse.
Belmont county, too, like Vermont, is
adapted to the raising of horses and of fine
wooled sheep The rough hillsides, that can
be plowed only with difficulty, aud that are
apt to gully, furnish excellent pasture, and
also keep the hoofs of the sheep dry and
, polished, so that hoof rot is almost unknown
The care of sheep and colts, too, takes little
, labor, and give the necessary time to tend
large plats of berries The heathful climate
, makes healthy children abound, and thil
. gives plenty of cheap pickers. The president
of the horticultural society, a man not fifty
years old, has eleven children, all living, ant
has never employed DOCTOR Another
member has ten, and one of the ten picket
( seventy-six quarts of Strawberries the da,
y before the festival Why shouldn't Barnes
k vile raise berries Like Vermont, too
: these hilly counties are adapted TO the pre-
. duction Of fine grade butter, and the wonde
4 is that not more of it is made. The grass i
Q sweet, the water is pure and plenty and tn
g climate is good.
h 1t has been our opinion for good Will
II that Vermont ought to ship large quantitie
of strawberries to the cities south of us
Our berries come in just as theirs are goin
! and will prolong the season two weeks, us
j carrying it along up to the time of earl
~ apples and peaches. The prices are Away
10 better at the end of the season than durin
n the "grand rush of the main crop. II th
Al express companies will help us (and the
, promise TOY Vermont may as well sell
II couple of hundred thousand dollars worth {
q berries every season as not. We shall |
IL glad to reply, so far as we can, to any il
u quiries about berry growing, and what v
Is cannot tell no doubt other readers will
u Let us have the experience of those WI
o. have already tried it.