The Saline County journal. [volume] (Salina, Kan.) 1871-1893, 1892-04-21
SMALL FRUIT CULTURE.

SMALL FRUIT CULTURE.
In a paper read at a Farmers In.
stitute in Ohio by f. l.. Rosser, he
says that the prominence Of small
fruit culture as a branch OF horti.
culture, is becoming more apparent
every day. The use Of small fruits
as a household fare il steadily on
the increase, and to those who ask
why, the reply is, that by means oil
IL "life is prolonged, strength IL
maintained, and health secured"
The culture OF the amateur and com.
mercial grower is practically the
same. In the choice OF varieties,
there msy lie this difference, the
commercial grower selects varieties
for profit; the amateur chooses
varieties that are not sufficiently
productive for profit, but simply be-
cause the fruit is extra nice or extra
i'm quality. The strawberry IL the
first fruit of the season, and gener-
ally ranks first in discussion. II
combines the advantages Of beauty
and flavor with the human, desire
for fruit after prolonged absence
therefrom; and 1t seems possible
that the convenient use Of the straw
berry and other small fruits would
be imperfectly supplied by any Of
the larger fruits.
Select those varieties that are sue
cessfully and prOfitably grown In
your own locality. In the absence Of
such q guide. choose those varieties
that are profitably grown over the
greatest extent OF territory. New
varieties should be tested In q small
way, and their value determined be-
fore planting largely. Crescent,
Haverlaud, Bubach, Weldron's
Seeding are pistillates, and their
relative value to the commercial
grower aud amateur is Indicated by
the order i'm which they are named.
Enhance, Pearl, and Candy are
stamina'es. and their relative value
a producers and pollenizers 10 in
dictated by the order in which they
are named. Every third or fourth
row must he planted with a stamin-
ate variety to fertilize the pistillates.
Soil that will produce good corn or
potatoes. will bring a good crop Of
fruit, but the yield OF fruit on any
soil will be Increased IL a good coat
of manure is plowed under In the
fall, replowed in the Spring, hat
rowed and the plants set; or pillow
the land in the Spring, dress IL lib
orally with thoroughly decomposed
barn-yaTd manure, ashes, or any
commercial fertilizer, mixed with
the soil by cultivating or narrowing
and the plants set and thoroughly
decompOsed barn-yard manure,
ashes, or commercial fertilizer APP
piled and worked into the soil while
cultivating the plants.
Plant in rows three feet apart and
sixteen inches in the row, keep fl
all runners, aud you have hill cult
ure, or plant in rows four feet apart
and fifteen tn twenty inches In the
row; permit plants to grow to suit
your fancy, remove the rest, and you
have the compromise row; or plant
I'm rows five feet apart and fifteen to
twenty inches in the row, permit all
runners to take root, ana you have
the matted row. 1t is best to remove
all runners until about July 1, 30
that the parent plant will become
more stocky and send out stronger
plants after which either row may
be formed. Plant as early In the
spring as the ground can be worked.
IL Is immaterial which row is formed
but IL Is rery material that cultiva-
ton be SO frequent that stirring the
ground will destroy the weeds, ana
not neglected until weeds must be
pulled by hand. In November or
December, after the ground 10 frozen
Strawberries should be covered with |
straw, marsh hay, or corn |
80 much to keep them |
warm as to prevent alternate thaw-
ing and freezing of the ground. The |
may be three or four inches |
thick IL removed i'm the spring after |
growth begins. 1t may remain dur |
ing summer, and will aid In keeping |
the fruit clean and retaining moist |
ure; but care must be taken that it |
be so thin that the plants can grow |
through, or injury will be done.
For raspberries, blackberries, cur |
rants or gooseberries the land may
be prepared the same rs for straw
berries. Rsspberries should he
planted in rows six to eight feet
apart, and two to three feet In the
row. When planted in rows eight,
eleven, or fourteen feet apart, one,
two, or three rows OF strawberries
may be planted between. Black
berries may be planted the same as
and both mulched with
out fear Of mulching too thick.
plants should be set In
the Spring, after making some
growth. Raspberries, after about
two feet In height, should have the
lips removed so that laterals will be
Palmer, Tyler, and Souhe-
gan are early varieties. Their value
10 the snail fruit grower Is indicated
BY the order in which they are nam
ID Gregg and Hilbourn are late and
desirable, in the order In which they
are named Lucretia dewberry
bears fine, large fruit, bat whether
{ will be profitable TO grow for mar
zet is not proven.