Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1905-02-22
Small Fruit for the Farmers Table,
and its Cultivation.


In giving me this subject it must
be understood that this means a
garden for the practical farmer.
And by good selection Of varieties
and good care, can have plenty OF
fruit ON the table the year around.
This farmers fruit garden l want to
select near your house where the
wife and children can see it. You
want it ten rods long and five rods
wide. This ground can not be too
rich or too finely pulverized. To
prepare the ground, deep fall plow-
ing and replowing in the spring is
far better than only one blowing in
the spring. After he tground has
been pulverized and thoroughly har-
rowed, then mark out six rows four
feet apart for strawberries have them
planted twenty inches in the row.
In the first row 1 would plant one
hundred Crescent; in the second row
plant one hundred Bederwood in the
third and fourth rows plant Crescent,
in the fifth row plant LOvett, and in
the sixth row plant Warfield. These
four varieties of strawberries are Sc
lected from hundreds of varieties, and
for years have been thoroughly tested
and tried and found perfectly hardy,
good bearers of fine fruit for home
use. We neary all know that by
fruit agents there have been varieties
recommended to us, far better apg
those / have named, and been sellin-
at one dollar per plant, but my than
vice is to keep your money in your
pocket until you know what you are
buying. All strawberry plans are
staminate or pistillae, male or female,
and pistillate varieties must have
staminate varieties planted side by
side. Many have failed to raise good
crops because they do not understand
this law of nature. You will notice
that in the first row are Crescent in
the third and fourth rows are Crescent
also, in the sixth row are Warfield,
those are pistillates, in the second row
are Bederwood and in the fifth row are
Lovett, those are staminate varieties.
In planting out strawberries you
should always use new strong plants
for setting, never let the roots be ex-
posed to the sun or wind. Let one
man insert spade in the ground to
a depth of six inches and lean for
ward to open the hole while a man
or boy takes the plants and spreads
the roots out in fan shape and inserts
in the hole. Have the dirt well
packed about the roots, just even with
the top of the ground, neither above
or below. ! think the best time for
planting out strawberries is in the
early spring. Not too early but just
as soon as the ground becomes warm
and can be worked up nicely, it
should be so that the plants will be-
gin to grow at once. The important
part of raising strawberries success
fnlly is to keep the ground loose and
free from weeds. This is very easily
said but no so easily done, but it
must be done. Soon after planting
go over the rows with two horse
eight shovel corn cultivator and then
go over the rows with hoe every
week wet or dry. The runners
should be trained to fill the space be-
tween the hills and half way to the
middle of the row. When winter sets
in and the ground is frozen so that it
will bear up team and wagon, cover
with old straw or still better wild
slough hay. When growth commences
in the spring rake the mulch off the
plants leaving it between the rows it
w Ill ht6U tlOWu bllO WCCho llOAu OiiS
moisture and keep the fruit clean when
it rains. By following this direc-
tion you will succeed in having good
crop. The strawberry is the first fruit
to reach the table and will last fOI
about one month. They can be eaten
three times a day and be ever grateful
and tempting to the appetite. A plant
of such general adoption, fruit with
such a fine flavor and so universally
relished, ought to find its way into
every garden ON the farm. In the
next two rows l would plant rasp-
berries. Mark out the rows six feet
apart and plant them three feet apart
in the row, and about six inches
deep. / would plant one row of Older
and one of Kansas. The raspberries
must be cultivated and mulched with
coarse manure; this will keep the
ground moist and clean. When the
new shoots are eighteen or twenty
inches high pinch back. This will
cause lateral branches to grow, which
in August or September should be set
in the ground for new plants, and by
so doing the canes are found not sc
liable to be injured by hard frost dur
ing the winter. The latter should in
the spring be cut back to fourteen OF
fifteen inches in length. Now I would
mark out two rows six feet apart fOI
currants and gooseberries, plant them
three feet apart in the row. OF cur
rants / would plant Red Dutch OIL
Victoria OF gooseberries plant the
Downing. The currants and goose
berries must be cultivated and kept
free from weeds. For the last years
we have been troubled with the cur
rant worms. These can easily be kept
off by dissolving one ounce Of white
hellebore in three gallons of water
and apply with sprinkler two OF
three times in the spring; this will
generally keep them off. Now, my
farmer friends this is your fruit gar.
den, of small fruit, and by taking good
care of this garden, you can have fresh
fruit on the. table for over two months,
and if you buy sugar your good wife
will can the berries and you will have
plenty of fruit on the table the yeal
round.
ISAAC JOHNSON.
The Boys and Giris'on the Farm. Car
They Receive Sufficient Educa.