STRAWBERRIES — PEACH ORCHARD. HI 



cut off by the rolling coulter placed on the side of the cultiva- 

 tor. By putting the plants in squares the work can be done 

 mostly by horse power, thereby reducing tlie cost of labor, and 

 it is better than the old method of hoeing all the time, as too 

 many plants are injured with the hoe. In the different straw- 

 berry beds I find the Charles Downing, Wilson, Crescent Seed- 

 ling, Monarch of the West, and the Endicott Seedling No. 2, a 

 very large, juicy berry, of which I am the originator. In my 

 experimental bed I have a dozen different varieties, of which a 

 seedling found in the northern part of this State by A. B. 

 Robinson promises to be one of the favorites. 



The crop is generally good. The fruit is sold in Chicago 

 and the Northwest. 



THE PEACH ORCHAKD 



contains 350 trees just coming into bearing. The trees are all 

 healthy. There being no peach crop this year the trees were 

 pruned back very close, only leaving the short stubs 

 of the main branches, which at present make a fine appear- 

 ance, the limbs having made a rapid growth after the cutting. 

 The curculio is watched very closely, the trees being bugged 

 every morning, and the insects that are caught are at once de- 

 stroyed. The varieties are Amsdell's June, Hale's Early, Pick- 

 ett's Late, Early Crawford, of the larger proportion, with sev- 

 eral other kinds of less importance. The fruit is gathered by 

 hand, as is all the product of the place, and great care is taken 

 to preserve none but the perfect fruit. 



SWEET POTATOES. 



This crop is raised every year in the peach orchard, 

 mainly for the cultivation of the young trees. I think there 

 is no vegetable crop equal to the sweet potato for thoroughly 

 cultivating the soil, as it requires frequent working, shallow 

 and not deep ; and then in the hot season of August the ground 

 is shaded by the vines, which keeps it moist and cool. 

 The plants are set in hills 2i feet each way, one plant being 

 set in each hill. The planting season is from the first of May 

 to the fifteenth of June. The cultivation is done by horse 



