Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1888-01-19
our social needs,
And we think prize is waiting for the one who
shall invent
| Means for making life treasure by removing
| discomfort.
HORTICULTURE.
BY Asros sonxIrr. Lancaster.

HORTICULTURE.
BY ANTON ScHxIrr, Lancaster.
Mr.. PRESIDENT, LADIES AND GENT
notwithstanding to an invitation TO
prepare a paper on Horticulture for
your Institute which l accepted, | am
here to fulfill my promise, and hope
you will not be disappointed in not
hearing what you perhaps expected |
have come here more for the purpose
of talking to you as an old neighbor
and friend than as an Instructor, for |
believe | cannot teach you much. 1t
seems to me that l can read the minds
of some of the audience. your cattle
kings, your pork-bar0nS. or your dairy
queens, AS if could hear them say, ''oh
bosh! What IS the use Of spending so
much valuable time on that subject?
We have no time to fool away on
raising small fruit. We do not UNDER
stand anything about it; we have tried
it many times but always failed We
will not spend any more time or money
on raising smallfruit Nov dom a great
many of you think SO? | presume you
you do, and compare my subject and
myself to your Institute as side-show
To a circus, but you all know very we'll
that to live on beef, pork, butter and
cheese alone, will not do. 1t will not
fill your bill-of-fare To your ten hundred
and ninety-fve (095) meals during
the year, Eyes, and this year you will
sit down to nearly eleven hundred
meals You want something else,
you want bread, eggs, vegetables and last
but not least you want fruit, and plenty
of it at every meal. Should l be able
10 convince you that you have plenty OF
time, that you understand something
about it and that you can succeed in
raising all the fruit you want if you
me much pleasure. | will not commit
myself to tell you to start an apple
orchard, because you all know better
than to do SO A few5trees of Duchess,
retofsky, Whitney No. 20, Hyslop and
Transendants is all would recommend.
In favorable locations, some other
varieties may do well. but as far as
know the less we experiment to raise
apples the better we are off. Never
buy or plant pear, grated plum OF
mulberry trees, as your time and money
will surely be lost. 1t is claimed bv
| nursery men that they have hardy
cherry-trees suitable for this climate,
but doubt it very much. The EARLY
Richmond cherry will live long enough
10 pay for its cultivation and no less
than dozen or more trees should bt
planted; one, or few trees, will be
only an aggravation. If they bear any
cherries the birds will take them with.
out asking your permission, and will
leave none for you. Plant all kinds OF
small fruit to your hearts content.
believe there is no better place in the
world-in this latifude-to raise all
kinds of small fruit than Grant county
providing good culture and protection
in winter is given. For all kinds o.
small fruit the soil or land should be
brought to a high state of cultivation
year or more before planting. Give
plenty of manure, plant potatoes oil
some other root crop, cultivate thor
Oughly and destroy all weeds La
the Fall, after the crop is removed, pillow
or spade, as deep as possible. Ii you
have a sub-soil pillow use it by al
means. 1t will pay you. In the spring
| pulverize and your ground is read,
for planting. Never plant in UMPIRE
pa red soil; you will fail nine time
out of ten. Plant strawberries AS EARL
as the ground is fit. For matted
rows plant rows four feet apart. from
eight to ten inches in the row; cultivate
freely and keep free from weeds. Al
soon as the rows have matted two fee
wide, keep the runners from catching
either by cutting or running the cult
vator through frequently. As soon a
the ground is frozen, cover with leaves
or clean straw that is free from fou
seeds, course swamp hay is very good
Uncover in the spring as soon as thu
ground is dry enough to step on il
leave the covering between the rows Il
serve as mulch and keep the berries
from getting soiled by splashing rains
If weeds appear, pull them out by hand
no cuItivatIng shouid be done until tn,
crop is off, then cultivate and treat al
before and you can have u good straw
berry-bed, for three or four years. IL
cultivate strawberries in hills, plan
two feet apart each way; cultivate anC
keep all runners cut; cover and treat q:
before stated. Top dressing with iin'
well rotted manure before covering ir
The fall should always be done. Plan
Raspberries ~ rows from five to sil
feet apart, and four feet apart in tn,
row. Do not plant too shallow; they
are inclined to work up, or in otheI
words, will form their crown too neal
the surface of the ground. Cultivate
and keep free from weeds, leaving two
or three canes grow. Pinch them back
when they get three feet high. In The
fall lay them down and cover will
earth. During the wiDt get your
stakes prepared; they should be about
five feet long,-split out of good OAK
timber are the best-they will last the
longest. 10 the spring as soon as it i:
dry enough uncover them. Take q
fork, push under the canes lift them
and shake gently, SO as to not break
| them, and free them from the soil.
Drive the stakes in exact rows; tie up
the canes with soft Irvine; cultivate and
keep free from weeds. Keep from
three to five young canes growing to
each hill. Pinch black raspberry canes
back when three feet high. Red ones
when four feet high. 1t Is very good to
put solhe mulch around the hills, to
keep moisture, and the berries from get
ting soiled. After the crop is removed
cut out the old canes Cultivate and
treat as before.
Plant blackberries in rows not less
than six feet apart, treat the same as
raspberries. Pinch canes back when
from to feet high.
GRAPES. Plant in rows from six to