1859. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



167 



and they alone, should be allowed to compete for 

 the superiority. 



3d. Let there be a State Society, -which should 

 consist of delegates chosen by the county socie- 

 ties, which should arrang»;the whole general sys- 

 tem for the management of the town and county 

 societies, which should receive the entire bounty 

 of the State, and expend it for premiums, and in 

 other ways, for the advance of agriculture, and 

 which should admit to its exhibitions as compe- 

 titors for premiums only those who had received 

 diplomas or certificates of excellence from the 

 county societies. w. C. 



Clinton, Mass. 



SIXTH LBGISLATIVE AQRICULTUBAL 



MEETIJ^3G. 



'Reported by John C. Moore, for the N. E. Farmer.] 



Subject for Discussion — Fruits, and Tiow 

 to raise them. 



The meeting on Monday evening, in the State 

 House, was pretty numerously attended, as the 

 series has heretofore been this season. This may 

 be accounted for by the eminently practical man- 

 ner in which the discussions are conducted, and 

 the coufinement of the observations to the sub- 

 ■ect under debate. Hon. SiMOK Brown, of Con- 

 cord, occupied the chair. 



The President stated that the subject of grow- 

 ing apples, pears and grapes had been heretofore 

 discussed, and the Committee had desired that 

 some attention should be given to the smaller 

 fruits. The Strawberry was one of the most im- 

 portant of these. The kinds grown were nurrer- 

 ous ; but not above a dozen were desirable to 

 cultivate — in fact, not so many. Among the bet- 

 ter sorts for cultivation here were the Hovey's 

 Seedling, Early Virginia, Jenny Lind, Brigldon 

 Pine, Jenny's Seedling, Walker's Seedling and 

 the Wood. The last of the varieties mentioned 

 was one which ought to be better known; for, 

 ■without disparaging any of the others, it was 

 among the best ; a free grower, produced its 

 fruit on long stems, and continued to furnish it 

 during five or six weeks after the first supply ri- 

 pened. It was an excellent fruit for family use, 

 and to that it would have to be principally con- 

 fined, as it would not safely carry to market, it 

 was so easily damaged. It was nearer in flavor 

 to the wild strawberry than any he knew — in- 

 deed, no more palatable table fruit could be 

 found. It was easily produced ; as much so as 

 were potatoes, and required only such richness of 

 soil as would be required to raise corn, at the 

 rate of sixty bushels per acre. A deep, moist, 

 black loam, in the experience of the speaker, was 

 the best soil for the culture of this strawberry ; 

 but some said a yellow loam would suit — a fact 

 he had no practical opportunity of knowing. A 

 general condition of succ;-.--sful cultivation would 

 be found in having the laud rich and moist. As 



proving this question, Mr. Peabody, of Georgia, 

 had raised the strawberry in great perfection, 

 and the secret thereof was the plentiful supply 

 of water he famished the vines. The Secretary 

 of the Belmont (Mass.) Club had furnished the 

 Chairman with certain statistics, which he partly 

 quoted. These showed, in one instance, that 

 3000 boxes had been raised on one acre, which, 

 at 25 cents per box, would realize $750. The 

 manure per acre, cost $150; picking, $150 ; cul- 

 tivation, 8150, and marketing, $150 ; leaving a 

 profit of $200. But even this was held to be 

 but moderate profit, as market-gardeners in that 

 neighborhood were in the habit of realizing a 

 larger acreable return for their laboi*. Another 

 party estimated the number of boxes of straw- 

 berries at 4000 from aii acre, which, at 25 cents 

 a box, would give $1000. His estimate was 

 $400 for cultivation and marketing, and the con- 

 sequent profit would be $600 ! A good crop 

 might amount to 4000 boxes the first year, and 

 2000 the second one. As to planting the straw- 

 berry, the best time to do it was the spring — aa 

 early as the late frosts would permit. The rows 

 should be three feet apart, and the plants in the 

 rows one foot separate. Between the rows beets 

 might be planted, the cultivation of which would 

 keep the strawberries clean of weeds. After the 

 beets were harvested, the strawberry vines would 

 run and cover the spaces between the rovvs, before 

 winter came on. Being well weeded next spring, 

 they would produce fruit plentifully next sum- 

 mer. Some thought it questionable management 

 to let 'the strawberry plants remain over for 

 another year, on account of the trouble and ex- 

 pense of weeding and the diminished produce, 

 and it was better to turn them under. Mr. Brown 

 was of opinion that such should be the rule, so 

 far as mnrketing purposes were included ; but 

 where family wants were merely to be supplied, 

 he believed it would be well to put up with a lit- 

 tle extra labor in weeding, when the plants could 

 be saved, and be reasonably productive, even for 

 four years. Experience had shown him that this 

 could be done and the vines bear moderately 

 well. For his own part, however, he would re- 

 commend that the vines should be planted in 

 rows two feet apart, the hills a foot distant in 

 the rows, leaving a space of three feet between 

 the rows to allow room for weeding. When the 

 proper time came, (the close of the second year's 

 be;ning,) the weeding path should be spaded, the 

 best runners planted and the old rows turned 

 under. 



Raspberries. — Mr. Brown next made reference 



to raspberries, the varieties of which, he said, 



were less numerous than the strawberry. Wild 



description.* might be cultivated with much profit 



jin gardens, as they were hardy and less liable to 



