Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1895-03-07
SMALL FRUIT CULTURE.
MIR. President and Fellow Members:

| that Garden Culture has been attached to my
duty. In the State Horticultural Society report
| this subject is given to several members IN
| stead of but one, and it ought to have been
| handled by some person more able to do 1t JUS
tice than am.
| In this paper Will commence with the two
old, old fruits that are first set out by the old
1 or young farmer when he commences to make
| a home, and that Is currents and gooseberres.
There is no other fruit responds so largely to
careful culture as the current and gooseberry
and none so productive under systematic neg
lect You may leave them to grass and weeds
and still gather a fair crop.
| little history OF the current give credit to
to the State Horticultural Society report OF 1881,
page 81. The red current is a native OF the
| south part of Europe, some parts OF Asia and
also of North America, and has been in cult
walton for hundreds OF years, the fruit being
largely used for desert purposes, making Of
\ pies, jelles and for the manufacturing of wine.
The town of Dion, France, alone having thirty
manufactures and making 1000 gallons of wine
in 1857, from the black current alone which
whole sale at three dollars per gallon, thus
becoming one OF the most important industries
| of that country.
cuttings. In the summer after the leaves have
| fallen take the best young sprouts, cut them
about ten inches long put them in sand
| and keep them in the cellar until spring, or set
them in the fall as soon as they are cut first,
making the ground mellow and rich. Set them
IN rows about one foot apart and six inches in
the row covering all but the top bud, covering
with mulch before winter comes. In the spring
ala
growth. The second year after they have
grown in bed set them out in rows four feet
apart each way keeping them clean mulching
with ashes (wood or coal), pruning out the old
wood for three or four years, leaving the young
sprouts to bear fruit If you expect to succeed in
raising currents. Clean culture and manuring
must be your motto. AS to varieties the VIC
tory Prince Albert and the white grape are re-
liable and the long bunch Holland for late fruit.
In the culture of gooseberries it is nearly the
same as in the currents. They are easily grown
from layings or cuttings, clean culture and rich
soil is indispensable to success. The old Hough-
ton is the stand by, while Industry, Downing
and Smyth are losing favor, they are tender
and shy bearers. These acid fruits are wonder
full healthy and our wives have learned how to
prepare them for the table in many delicious
ways, and when was a boy there was nothing
to compare with my mothers jar of current
sauce.
Raspberries: There is no need of our farmer
brothers doing without this most delicious fruit
for little experience and work. AS to varie-
ties the old Dolittle Black Cap and Mammoth
Cluster are hard to beat for productiveness and
flavor. The Gregg, so far as my experience
goes, | would not give it garden room The
Older originated near Independence, Iowa, is
considered by some, the best black cap grown
for amateur and market gardner. Prof Budd
says it is the best black cap we have in hardi-
ness Of care and quality of fruit and the surest
bearer we have ever tried. There are many
other varieties that have their friends, but
when we know of a few good varieties let the
amateur and those planting for fun have the
new varieties. AS for the red varieties the
Turner stands at the head of the list 1t sprouts
badly but pillow and cut them out as you would
weeds. The Cuthbert is another good variety,
large, firm berry, canes strong grower, but
shy bearer. Set red raSpberries four to five feet
apart in the rows, give them clean culture prun.
ing in the spring to about three feet high
BackberrieS area fruit that is as easy grown
as corn. l have not had any experience with
any but the the Snyder, except the Uucle Tom
which was to grow up i'll trees as large as your
arm and the same stalk to bear fruit three and
four years nOn-Sprouting, but they proved to be
little inferior SpreaGerS and worthless berries.
That is what got by listening to the slick talk
of the tree peddler. My first experience with
the Snyder sold $l02.95 worth of fruit in one
year from twenty-three rods of ground. In the
culture of blackberreS they should be set three
feet apart in the row and six feet between the
rows, keeping the bushes cut back in the latter
part OF the summer so the wood will ripen as
the best results in fruit are on low bushes, the
nearer the ground the better the fruit will repen
if on high ground the fruit will dry up in the
sun. TO have the best success with blackbcr-
ries they should be laid down and covered with
earth through the winter. With little labor
and care there is no reason why every farmer
should not have all the fruit of this kind his
family could use through the fruiting season,
and also have enough to can for winter use.
We have soil and climate that combined with
good cultivation and intelligence will produce
as good fruit as can be grown anywhere, but
brain must go along with muscle in order to
succeed.
Strawberries like all other fruit will thrive on
ground that will raise good corn, only make it
fall before you intend setting your plants in the
spring. Plow the ground about ten inches and
in the spring pulverize and harrow it smooth
Mark out the ground with light hand marker
or use line, for straight rows are desirable.
Set the plants fifteen to twenty inches apart in
rows and rows three and a half to four feet
apart, using only young plants. To tell young
plants from old ones, the roots of the young
plants are white, while if old the roots are black
and look dead. Always do your planting in the
spring. Plants set in August and September
almost invariably prove failure in our climate
Give your strawberry patch clean culture. If
you don't expect to keep it clean, and let it get
filled with weeds, you may as well pillow it up
and start again. Don't set out a bed of straw
berries and expect it will furnish you with ber-
res the rest OF your life. You ought to set a
bed every two years at most while some set
new bed every year and have young plants of
their own to set out. AS to varieties Do not
accept every ones hobby as locality has great
deal to do with your success. If Pistillate yare-
| ties such as Crescent or Warfeld are planted
| don't forget that stamnate varieties such as
| Captain Jack, Berderwood or Parker Earl must
be planted in adjoining rows to mix with them.
Don try the much advertised high priced plants