Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1893-12-29

Ma firm, is complete with ias AZ isaA
enough frni. tr,ts aud plants to supp! ,Se
be,n.. with an ample quantity OF Hun-
garden, whether IN city, village OF e',un"s,
Is complete Without at least osd Oh 1'' =
we'll Il, led ,.psince of berries,
Although perhaps a Little early a fe~
words mon their culture may rot o. mex
pedisnt. To properly set and care ioe :
IA of straw berries is sn exceedingly siiuP'e
snd easy mstser. A moderately rich piece
az lard fire.. from witch grass, sosse' s"a
o,her obnoxious weeds is all that 10 nee
a.sary rs start with. The land should De ~
.bnut the right condi ion for good crop oi
corn. ,.s
Great care should be taken to seeare
yeuny, strong and he althy plants WIN when
"a SET the bed. The p ants should DC ". 10
lows from three and ons-hslf to four ies'
apart, and from one foot to twenty iaeh.s
an,rt in the row. ACCORDING TO whst the W,
r,,tv nav be. The ranker growers snoa'"
b. set farther apart than those OF slower
growth.
Alter the plants are set the space between
the rows should be kept Thoroughly su're1
M and pulverized by running morse cut
tiyator through them rs often as ence IN
every ten DAYS or two weeks, and all traces
of weeds within the rows persistentY re-
moved by hand. In the iali si'sr
the ground hiss frozen the rows should
be covered with light covering OF mesuow
hav. straw. forest leaves or some o'her
suitable litter Us protection to the plants
through the winter. In this great care
should be taken not to get the covering 700
heavy, two inches being deep enough, II
| 5eeper il is liable to smother them. In toe
snriup AS soon as the frost is out OF the
ground, this should be taken from the
plants and placed between the rows whete
il serves the double purpose of Keeping the
soil moist and light and the berries clean
| IL is also an important factor IN Giiipg 10
| keep down the rank growth of weeds tha'
| inevitably puts in an appearance.
There are two systems of cultiVstion'
one styled the chill system and the other
the "matted row system" In the first sys-
TEN the runners or shoots are persistentiv
cut, aud the original plants relied upon Tor
the crop of fruit, it being claimed thas'
| while the berries are fewer in number, the
larger size and better qualits of the fruit
| fully compeusates for this deficiency. In
the second system the runners are allowed
| to grow and make plants, forming matted
row from one to three feet in width. This
| is the system the writer has always followed
| and il has never failed TO produce, At least
| a fair crop of berries of good quality
There are two classes in the varieties OF
straw berries. those that are styled pistillatf
or those having imperfect blossoms, ard The
staminant or those having perfect blossoms
| Nearly all the better varieties OF strawber'
RES belong to the former class, but Ia bt
| sucrss IS fnl in raising these varieties II Ii
| necessary 70 cross-fertilize with some STAN
| ip.nt kind, which is done by setting every
| fourth or fifth row to some variety of that
sort. In choosing varieties THERE are such
| a large number. and 80 many good one'
among them that It would b. impossible "a
make u selection that would not be cfitl'
csed to some extent, but the writer u
choosing for himself would have for M
early crcp either the Crescent Seeding OF
| Havilaod cross-fertiiiztd by the Wilson 81
Chss. Dow ing, ard for n later CROP would
choose the Nit. Vernon, which being stsmi
uant. does well by itself.
| There is no better way for Il smart, on
terprising farm boy 10 pick ur II f." ode
dollars than by raising a small plat If these
| berries Ard as a cash crop for the far
mer they have no quail. q single acre hav
| ing been known 10 net as high as eight hun
dollars. While such extraordinary retnrn'
are rarely received, a single acre OF LAND
| upon a conservative estimate, will yield ont
hundred bushels, which at the low price o!
three dollars per bushel would net, after
ieductipg the cost of raising, gathering anC
marketing, the neat little sum of about two
| hundred dollars. What crop can do better
| o. Il. NJ.