The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1886-06-23

ing In all to 2S quarts, Methodist
measure. I sold % qts- for 30 cents
each; qt for 25 cts; 6 OTIS for 20
cts. each, and 4 OTIS for Is cts. each
in all 49, OTIS for $3.50, or one
half my berries. AS my bed is 1850
of an acre, at the same rates, the
yield on an acre would be over 200
bushels. and half the berries would
bring the handsome sum of 500. I
gave away 6 OTIS and enjoyed the
rest on my own table. uia 9aI s->.
Five quarts of the berries sold
measured 81 inches in circumference;
five other quarts were good sized
berries and the rest of the 134 OTIS
were ordinary. This for Monroe
market, which has been glutted with
berries at and 10 cts. What would
not such berries bring in city mar
ket, handled as mine were? In sell
ling, | used the little wooden trays
Of the grocer, lining them with straw
berry leaves, that projected above
and around the fruit in very tempt
ing manner. ...-e ...... ...-f....
Being on rented place, without
any intention of remaining, the run
ners were pulled off as gathered
the berries, and / am still pulling
them off; otherwise, I would have
saved "sets for enlarging my bed
another season. [ = have planted an
early maturing corn in every other
middle to protect the plants from
the heat Of the coming months.
" A REMEDY FOR CUT-woRMs.
Plenty Of plants, red pepper and
patience The first must be prepared
in the hot-bed; the second gathered
from the vegetable garden the pre-
vious season, and the last is abund-
antly supplied from the same source
whence Job obtained his. No pat
ent on this.
A patch of ground was roughly
broken up with the plow early in
the spring, turning up in great clods.
Mr.. H. broke these ciods and leveled
the ground, preparatory to planting;
but before this was accomplished
the "big rain" came and the land all
ran together, seemingly worse than
before 1t was left in this condition
awaiting "a season" and in the mean
team heavy coating of weeds grew
up and took possession. Mr.. II.
again went at this patch, cutting
down all the weeds with his hoe,
but, on attempting to dig with his
mattock, found the ground coming
up in hard flakes. In disgust he left
it the second time to await "a sea-
son." The month of April proving
dry, and the ground being needed
for cabbage plants, the old gentle
man went with his rake and mat
took, about a week after the weeds
had been cut down, intending to dig
and break the clods. What was his
surprise, after raking away the weeds
and making his first lick, to find
that his mattock sunk up to the han
die in mellow bed of soil. The old
gentleman, who is great gardener,
was so agreeably surprised at this
result that he smilingly related the
fact to the writer while each of us
hung on to his respective side Of our
division fence. He readily agreed
to my explanation Of the matter,
which was that growing weeds rap
idly take up and evaporate water
from the soil; but, as soon as cut
down, they act as a mulch and ar
rest evaporation, thus rendering the
soil beneath them mellow and fria-
Bile. The lesson to be learned from
this individual fact is, that where
we have land covered with a growth
of weeds which proves too hard to
plow,. instead of waiting for "a sea
son" NOW the weeds and leave them
lying for few days, when, no doubt,
surface blowing can be given,
which, in few days more, can be
followed by any desired deptll.
On the same principle those far
mers who are so often complaining
of want of "a season. for, such a
piece of land or for such crop,
would find it profitable, in more re-
spects than one, to sharpen and
harden the plow points and 60 ahead
by making "a season, = with well pul-
verized dry dirt. Land that has not
been broken in some time might adj