594 JOHNSON COUNTY, NEBRASKA. 



eif'hteen feet apart, and the last thirty feet, but I think twenty- 

 five feet is the proper distance for a prairie country. 



I phmted pears, peaches, and cherries. My pears are too 

 young to bear, but do well in this country. I have had great 

 success with peaches and cherries. I planted all kinds of 

 small fruit, which I always mulch, to keep the ground moist 

 and fertilize it. Cultivating disturbs the roots. 



GRAPES. 



I am growing the Concord grape, this variety being the most 

 jjrofitable for farmers to raise in this latitude, because it is 

 hard}^ does not require covering in Winter, and bears well. 

 I made the rows six feet wide, and planted eight feet apart in 

 the row. I set posts and stretched two lines of fence wire to 

 train the vines on. I trim in Winter, and pinch the ends of 

 the runners during the growing season. This is a good coun- 

 try for grapes, because the atmosphere is pure and dry, conse- 

 quently they are not so liable to mildew and rot. 



BERRIES. 



Am succeeding with currants and gooseberries, the former 

 of which will not do well without mulching. I always have a 

 bed of strawberries sufficient for home consumption. Some- 

 times I plant in rows three feet apart, and cultivate between. 

 In the Spring of 1878, I planted a bed in rows eighteen inches 

 apart, kept them clean the first year, then let them run together, 

 and the second season we had a good crop. I cover these with 

 straw late in the Fall. Many farmers neglect small fruit alto- 

 gether, which should not be, for they are valuable for the table, 

 and pay well for the labor expended. 



To be successful in farming, I find it necessary to lay well 

 matured plans for a following season's operations, and execute 

 them according to the best of my ability. I am compelled 

 sometimes to make slight changes, but on the whole, I aim to 

 carry them out. 



I run a grain and stock farm, selling my wheat, which is 

 shipped to Chicago and St. Louis. I feed all my corn, oats, 

 rye, and hay, designing to increase my stock, because it pays 



