SMALL FRUITS. 193 



very well, but on going over the second time he picked about 

 twenty crates (twenty-four quarts) from his two-thirds of an 

 acre of sandy land, and only three or four from the three acres 

 of black loam. The result has been the same on many lots of 

 similar land — great loss to the grower who attempted it. And 

 it is patent now to all, that the plant requires so much water 

 that our ordinary prairie soil can not supply it. Another point 

 is equally well established : That, to insure success, a thorough 

 course of cultivation as in other crops and heavy manuring dur- 

 ing that time, is very necessary. 



I Avill give my mode of treatment, and the results, on a 

 small lot of about half an acre. The land is a light sand, 

 rather wet, but has no standing water. It had been cultivated 

 as a vegetable garden for several years, and heavily manured. , 

 It was plowed and harrowed smoothly in May, the plants set 

 in rows four feet apart and about one foot apart in the row. I 

 cultivated between the rows as often as every week or ten 

 days, and hoed between the plants in the row until the plants 

 put out runners and new plants to root. Then I let it grow. 



Soon as the ground was frozen two or three inches deep, I 

 spread on coarse slough grass at the rate of four tons an acre, 

 which laid on until the frost was out in the Spring. I then 

 raked off the hay, and stacked for the next year. Just before 

 the blossoms appeared, I cultivated and hoed thoroughly, and 

 let it lie till the crop was picked. 



In harvesting it is very essential that all the ripe ones 

 should be taken off at each picking, as ripe fruit left on the 

 vines becomes over-ripe in two days, and besides being 

 a loss of so much fruit, is a damage to that which is marketable. 

 My first picking amounted to forty-eight quarts (two crates) ; 

 the second day after I took off ten crates, the next day, Satur- 

 day, four crates ; Monday twenty-five crates. The crop 

 amounted to one hundred and ten crates, worth that year about 

 $500, which I thought was pretty good for half an acre. 



After the first year all one can do is to pull the large weeds 

 as they mature. This lot produced four crops, averaging from 

 one hundred to one hundred and twenty cases per crop. It is 

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