Mexico weekly ledger., 1898-03-17

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ular is that they begin ripening sew
eral days earlier than the earliest
blackberries and they are 80 fine and
delicious. / am not sure, but do not
think they are quite so hardy as our
hardest blackberries, but wouldadvise
every man who is planting fruit to set
a few Lucretia dewberries if he has
some good soil to plant in. The best
way, I think, to handle them would be
to plant them near a fence, or, better
still, to have them in straight rows
with posts set about 10 or II feet
apart and about Z or 8 feet high and
have about three or four strans of
No. 10 or IL wire on the posts. Then
have one vine to each post and one
between each post; then tie them up
well until they get started and they
will fasten themselves to each other
and to the posts and wire, SO they can
get plenty Of air and sunlight. They
ought to be well cultivated and kept
clean ii possible, for nothing succeeds
in grass and weeds, and, unless you
want to make new plants, do not allow
the runners to get to the ground, as
the tips will take root and grow. 1
would prune them to about four or
five good strong runners, owing to the
strength of the vine. In this way you
can pillow them on both sides and in
December I would throw some half
rotted straw or leaves or some stable
bedding around the vines and let it
lay all winter and in the spring work
1t into the soil around the vines. One
of my neighbors told me a few days
| ago that he had q nice lot of Lucretia
dewberry vines and they were just
laying on the ground; said he did not
cultivate them any, but said in berry
season the berries were SO large that
they would climb out on top of the
grass and all he had to do was just
walk along and pull them off the vines.
/ will try and watch his vines when
the season comes and then will see
| what success he has without cultiva-
ton. I sold a friend of mine % dew
berry plants with a bill of other
things. He had them set along an
old fence. He was very anxious to
have them grow and nursed them
carefully every day. 1 went out one
day to see how his stock was doing.
You can imagine my surprise when I
found that he had every hill covered
up with an inch board about a foot
square. Z asked him what that was
for and he said he had been watering
them and wanted the board to hold
the moisture. 1 asked him why he
did not get a rock and put on them,
as it was heavier and cheaper. He
did not save any of them; said they
were dead to start on. Guess he was
trying to bring them TO life by pour
ing on water. (But didn't.) So / next
sold him one hundred and set them
along a woven wire fence. He kept
them clean and last season they grew
fine (do not think he lost but a few, if
any.) saw in a catalogue the other
day where W. F. Allen, Jr., of Sails
bury, Md, gathered from four acres
or about 5000 living hills, II, 800 quarts
of Lucretia dewberries, at 15e per
quart. This would amount to 81, TAO, or
$435 per acre. II these be facts I
think it would tempt most everyone
to try a few to 9 if they would sue
coed.
I could write on this subject,
but feel that I have already imposed
too long on your good nature, so will
stop and give you a chance to get the
opinions of some that are better posted
than mvaaIf-