The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1884-05-01
Culture Of Matercresses.

OuAJuAC VI W abCA
Watercress, nasturtium off cinale, is
well known for its sharp, pungent, but
agreeable favor, and for its uses as a
healthy vegetable for the early spring
and summer use. 1t contains, like most
of the other varieties of the cruoifere
family, as mustard, cabbage, &C., con-
siderable sulphur, and is therefore cool
ing and laxative in its effect upon the
system. Eaten in the form of a sand
WITCH between thin slices of bread and
butter, it was one of the Injuries of my
early life, and have always managed
to secure a liberal supply ever since,
and would not willingly be without it.
AS a market crop it is one of the
most saleable and profitable four
quart basketful selling now in New
York for seventy-iYe cents at whole
sale, and retailing at fifty cents for
quart. AS it is a perennial crop, and
once planted viii take care of itself for
years, and increase and spread very
rapidly, and as no insects or diseases
trouble it, its culture is easy and mex
pensive. 1t is an aquatic plant, but
grows only in clear, running water,
having a sandy bottom. A springy
swamp with such bottom makes an
excellent place for plants ton. If the
swamp is surrounded with high ground,
from which springs break out at the
foot, it makes an exceedingly favorable
locat; on.
A description of plantation made il
such a piece of ground, viii give a very
fair idea of what is required for success
in this culture. The meadow is full of
springs. The high ground at the edge
OF it slopes down 20feet to the meadow.
At the foot of the slope is a large spring
basin, II feet ,wide and "a feet long,
which supplies copiOus stream of
water that never freezes. This stream
is carried in ditch, fourfeet wide, along
the bank for about 400 feet, and then
across the meadow for about /, 200 feet;
it is then turned at right angles, in the
same direction as the first one, and car
ried about l 800 feet down to a s ream
which bounds the meadow. The fall is
about three feet in the whole distance
At the first, the basin only was planted,
by dropping in q few cuttings of the
stems of the plants. in balls of mud, to
the bottom, where they quickly took
root and soon spread all over it. The
plants seed in July and August, and as
the seed floats down the stream. it is
| soon sown through its whole length, as
is now the case with this plantation
The bitches, however, should be made
six feet wide, if the water is sufficient
to keep in motion through them, or at
any rate not less than four ct. At
the foot of the bitches there should be
a flood gate, to close the stream and
back up the water in the winter in or
| der to cover the cress and keep it from
freezing at the lower end of the bed.
| At the head of it, it would be advisable
| to board up the sides of the bitches,
making the space 81 feet, and covering
| it with hot-bed sash in the cold wealth
CT, thus forcing the growth when it is
naturally stopped, and securing a
bright, clear leaf, which would sell at
| high prices at the holiday season.
| The crop is gathered rs follows: A
| plank is thrown across the bitches as
| near the surface as possible. For obvi
| Gus reasons it will not do to wade in the
| bitches to gather the crop. The leaves
| are gathered in a bunch with the fin
| gers of the left hand, and the stems are
| cut off with a sharp knife, three or four
! inches below. The cut cress is placed
| carefully in a basket on end until q
smooth, even layer is made at the bot
| tom of it. The baskets are narrow and
| deep conical ones, made OF splints,
| about IL deep, and seven inches wide
at the top, or the baskets are placed in
crates for shipping. The cress quickly
| throws out new branches and fresh
leaves. and may be cut two or three
| times in the season, in time to permit
the seeding in July.
The protection of sash in the winter
| will of course very much hasten the
! growth, and will be equivalent to two
| extra cuttings. Frost browns the leaves
| and spoils the crop for sale, so that
when sash is not used flooding is very
desirable. With some sash at the head,
say for 200 or 800 feet. and the lower
/ part of the ditch flooded, the grower
| could have a constant supply through
| out the whole season. / have known
two square feet of surface to fill a
! basket, when the cress had been kept
| covered with water, and the water
! lowered before cutting; and the baskets
| sold for 30 cents each on the ground,
| the purchaser cutting for himself
The lowest price I have known has
| been 20 cents per basket. At this rate,
! loo feet of bed, four feet wide, should
realize 800, and at the highest price
/ 81, $50 for each cutting. As all sorts OF
/ animals, from ducks to COWS, are greed
| ilv fond of water cress, it viii not do to
/ pasture a meadow, or permit geese or
| ducks to trespass upon It in the season.
| A flock of ducks may be turned in with
/ adv antage after seeding, as they viii
clear out the snails and other animals
/ which will sometimes gather on the
! plants. Trout may also be reared IN
the bitches, with additional profit. The
small turtles found in bitches of this
! kind devour the snails and keep the
! cress clean, and are to be encouraged.
| AS the beds are so easily made. and the
crop so easily grown AID gathered, its
culture might be greatly increased, al
though the price might fall to 10 cents
a basket, for at this figure there is no
other crop 10 be grown that will pay SO
well. The only requisites are the
ground and a near market.-Gag Cou1l-