Huntsville gazette., 1884-04-12
The Small Fruit Garden.

A garden, planted to small fruits,
su h as strawberries, raspberries, cur
rants, grapes, etc, of the new, pro-
ductive and delicious varieties, wi
ell to the planter an abundance
OF csh. clean. well-rirened fruit for
the table, and an ample supply for can
ming Besides, he NAV treat his friends
and i'll have surplus Tor the MARI ct
suffic ent to give twice the net profit
per acre of his best wheat crop. BY a
judicious selection of varieties, one
NAV be sure of a continuous supply of
these fruits from the first day of sum-
mer until midwinter.
Most kinds of small fruits have been
grown satisfactorily on near,v every
va iety of soil. The grape has done
wei in Michigan in places where the
land seemed to be almost afioat on a
subterranean lake, and it grows equally
we'll on the Highlands along the Hud-
son, where the thin layer of soil has
been hauled On 10 cover the barren
rock. However, deep, dark, loamy
soil must be considered the best, and an
incline to the southeast or east is pre-
ferable one.
To cultivate advantageously, the
longer the rows the better. Thus q
garden 2C0 feet long by little over
thirty-six feet wide will occupy one
sixth of an acre, and will contain six
rows 200 feet long.
Beginning to plant on the north side
al the fence, let the first row be COM
posed of turants and gooseberries. At
the distance OF six teet. plant a Ow to
e apes. This low, tained nicely to q
wi: e trellis. will in measure shade the
gooseber;ies. and thus keep them cool
and SON ewhat damp, some varieties be-
ing attacked by d y-weather mildew.
70 II feet south Of the grapes pant
row Of st awbc res. The plants may
he kept in hills during the fl st and
second yea 5, but terwa DIS allowed
to occupy a narrow telt three feet
wide Let the next row be given to
iaspherries, six feet from the 3t aw-
be Ties Six feet from the raspberres
give another row to st awEer les. This
can be n anaged with the other strip IN
bringing to perfect productiyeness and
ploughing up in alternate periods, Civ
ing tn ee yea to each row the paying
age of 10th st awberries and lasp-
berries. The last row. six feet distant,
should be given to blackberries.
Plant the raspte ries, currants and
blackhef1ies close, making hedge rows
of them. Three feet apart in the row
viii accomplish this. The roots of
the can be bought for 50. if one does
not invest in the newer high priced
ones. The twenty grapevines can also
be bought for So. and 800 strawberry
plants .or Sl.5o, making in all $3.50
for the roots for the sixth Of an acre
Making allowance for the planting OF
some o: the new kinds, not over so
will be re ,ui ed. A larger quantity of
frait will be obtained each year until
the third or fourth, when all the kinds
will give average yields at full ca
pacity.
After bountiful househald supply of
all these varieties, including 15J quarts
strawberries and five bushels of grapes,
there will remain fifty quarts of straw
be ries, which if sold early will certainly
bring s.. and 100 pounds of grapes,
which will increase the returns to SO,
or $50 ner acre. This. after deducting
expense of cultivating. pruning and
mulching, would still show better re-
turns per acre than wheat But these
figures are gathered fl, m a garden Of
very moderate pretensions, in some
what unfavorablc weather. which had
slack culture. with the accompanying
weeds nearly always found in The farm
er's garden, and subject to insect and
fungus parasites. Indeed, the yie.d,
are reduced forty percent. from tho cob
ta;ned by the writer. But after all, the
greatest profit derivable from this gar
den .s one a. owe estimation IN dollars.
IN. Y. Erdnii72sr.