A SHORT EXPERIENCE IN RAISING STRAWBERRIES. 



85 



remained in that condition until the month 

 6t July, when it was again dug over the 

 usual depth, trenched, and planted with 

 celery. It produced me a fine crop that 

 fall — I having used freely of wood ashes and 

 salt in its culture. 



The following spring (1847) I transferred 

 my six plants and their progeny to the bed 

 thus prepared, setting two and three roots 

 in a place and three feet apart each way. 

 I had plants sufficient only for one-half of 

 my ground. They immediately commenced 

 growing, and by fall the ground was com- 

 pletely covered with fine healthy vines. 



The balance of the bed I treated as fol- 

 lows : After taking off a crop of spring 

 spinage, I again dug the ground over, and 

 gave it another thorough manuring. In the 

 month of August I obtained from Mr. Saul 

 (of the Highland Nursery, of this place,) 

 sufficient plants of the Black Prince and 

 Swaimtone Seedling, to finish my bed ; set- 

 ting the Swainstone next the Hovey's and 

 finishing with the Black Prince. The 

 drouth was very severe afterwards, and 

 the plants made no runners. They all sur- 

 vived, however, and got sufficiently estab- 

 lished to withstand the winter. 



The following spring my strawberries 

 soon showed their Peeping. The plants last 

 set out grew finely, and threw out runners 

 which during the summer completely cover- 

 ed the whole ground. The other half of 

 the bed soon became a wonder. I never 

 saw such luxuriance in the growth of any- 

 thing. The leaves and fruit stalks grew to 

 an astonishing height, and I was really per- 

 suaded by some of my neighbors who were 

 full of experience (I had none) that I had 

 "overdone the matter," and had manured 

 so heavily that I would get no fruit. I 

 said but little about my experiment, often 

 thinking, however, of the old adage of 

 " bought wit," and the price I supposed I 



had paid for it. But how agreeably was I 

 surprised after " biding my time," that my 

 bed instead of being all vines, as was pre- 

 dicted, matured an enormous crop of fruit, 

 which for quality and size was the admira- 

 tion of all who saw or tasted them. This 

 part of the bed was about ten by twenty 

 feet, and I gathered from it thirty-four 

 quarts of strawberries. Many of the berries 

 measured four and three-quarter and some 

 five inches in circumference. 



Last spring, 1849, my whole bed came in 

 bearing, the plants far outstripping those of 

 my neighbors, in the rapidity of their growth 

 and the prodigious luxuriance of the foli- 

 age. The whole bed soon became one 

 dense mass of blossoms and leaves, delight- 

 ing the eye with their rich luxuriance, and 

 promising a fine return for the care bestow- 

 ed upon them. When the fruit ripened it 

 was really no common spectacle. Standing 

 by the side of the bed, only now and then 

 a berry was visible, so rank was the foliage. 

 My method of showing the uninitiated its 

 hidden beauties, was by taking a smooth 

 pole, sufficiently long to reach across the 

 bed, with which I gently parted the vines, 

 and pressed the foliage down on one side. 

 An exclamation of wonder and admiration 

 was the tribute always paid to its suddenly 

 revealed treasures. The quantity of fruit 

 thus exposed was truly incredible ; I never 

 before saw anything to compare with it. I 

 made an attempt to keep an exact account 

 of the amount which the bed yielded this 

 year, but frequent absence from home pre- 

 vented it. My record, however, shows 

 nearly eighty quarts. They continued bear- 

 ing for three weeks, during which time, as 

 a reward for my labor, I had the satisfaction 

 of gathering the finest flavored strawber- 

 ries in the greatest abundance, not merely 

 a few, but quarts of which were from three 

 to five inches in circumference. 



