302 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



July 



field, that the waters may pass off freely; and if 

 hollows or hills intervene, cross drains should be 

 cut, after the lield is ridged, from the loyf places, 

 to carry off the water, in the direction to which 

 the surface inclines. 



2. The breadth of the ridge must depend upon 

 circumstances, and may vary from two to thirty 

 feet. The flatter the surface, and the more tena- 

 cious the soil, the narrower should the ridges be 

 laid. The manner of forming them of different 

 breadth, and of different inclination of surface, 

 will be found amply described in the course of our 

 previous volumes. It is well to remark to those 

 who admire and imitate British husbandry, that 

 ridging is not so essential here as in Great Britain 

 — from the circumstance of our climate being warm 

 and less humid. 



For the Tfeiv England Farmer. 

 STR A WBERRIE S. 



Mr. Farmer : — Perhaps some of your readers 

 would like to know how strawberries are produced 

 in such abundance in this region. Having taken 

 a pedestrian trip among the gardens of Ann Arun- 

 dell Co. one day lust week, I will give you the re- 

 sult of my observations, touching this matter. 



All the land, which I saw devoted to strawber- 

 ries, was of lightish sandy soil. It is prepared, 

 as it would be fur corn, by plowing and manuring 

 fi'eely, with such manure as is brought from the 

 city. The price of manure, in Baltimore, is 02^ 

 cts. a cart load, or about $1,50 per cord. 



The land is prepared and the roots are set in April. 

 They are planted in rows, about five feet apart. 

 The plants, in the rows; 18 inches. The plow and 

 cultivator are run between the rows, disturbing 

 the ground two feet in width, leaving three feet 

 to be occupied by the vines. During the first sea- 

 son, no fruit is expected, but much pains is taken 

 to keep the ground clean of grass and weeds. 

 The second year, they look for fruit, and as long 

 thereafter as the cultivator chooses to keep the 

 ground clean, which I believe, seldom exceeds 

 three or four seasons. 



The kinds cultivated are the "Alpine," "Ho- 

 vey's Seedling," "Pine Apple," and what is here 

 called the "Heart Strawberry." Hovey's seed- 

 ling is not liked, by the cultivator. The berry is 

 large, but in number, few. 



The picking is mostly done by colored hands, 

 free and slave, who, in the season of fruit, make 

 business of picking. 



The regular price, for picking, is one cent and a 

 half a quart. In the best of the season, the most 

 expert hands often pick 200 quarts a day. It is 

 not uncommon to see fifty hands picking in one 

 field. 



For picking, wooden boxes are used, holding a 

 quart each. Tliese are distributed along the rows, 

 by the superintendent, as they will be needed. 

 -The picker fills and leaves them upon the ground. 



Strawberry picking is a gala season, with the 

 negroes. As great numbers of them are as- 

 sembled, on these occasions, they are wont to 

 gather together, at the close of the day, under the 

 protection of some large tree, if they can find no 

 better shelter, — bring out tlie fiddle, and spend 

 much of the night in hopping it on the light fan- 

 tastic toe_ Why not as proper, as the occasion 

 of sheepshearing or cornshacking? 



As in other departments of horticulture, the 

 gardeners go into the strawberry business, on a 

 pretty large scale. A gentleman, by the name of 

 Brian, has one hundred and fifty acres in straw- 

 berries. He picked, I am informed, 200,000 quarts 

 last year, and cleared, on that crop alone, $5000. 

 He produced peaches and garden vegetables in 

 like proportion. 



So abundant are these berries in Baltimore 

 markets, that they are sold very low. They be- 

 gin at 25 cts. per quart, but soon get down to six 

 cts : and the latter part of the season, may be had 

 in any quantity for four cts. 



Why may not these berries be produced, in 

 abundance, in New England ? I believe the cli- 

 mate and soil are both as well adapted to their 

 growth. They grow spontaneously in most parts 

 of every State in_ New England. Not so here. 

 They are seldom seen in the fields. There needs 

 but attention, on the part of gardeners, and good 

 strawberries may be liad in your markets, for less 

 than 25 cts. for a quart basket holding but a pint, 



R. B. H. 



Baliimore, June 8, 1853. 



THE TURNIP CROP. 



These boxes are placed with care in a large chest, 

 perforated with holes, for the free admission of 

 air, and in this way, carried to market, without 

 injury. Large quantities are carried from here to 

 Philadelphia and to New York. 



The time was when little was known of the tur- 

 nip family except from two of its members, the 

 common flat and the long and many rooted French 

 variety. These were raised only for the table. 

 The French was sowed in May and transplanted 

 like the cabbage, and from one-half to two bush- 

 els was a large crop for one family. For the com- 

 mon turnips nothing would answer but a piece of 

 new land well burnt over and proceeded with by 

 the law, 



"Twenty-ftfth of July, 



Sow your turnips, wet or dry." 



Some fifteen years since the Ruta Baga, was in- 

 troduced, and a real "Multicaulis" fever followed. 

 The doctrine became prevalent, that if a man 

 raised a half acre of Ruta Bagas, it Avould be all 

 sufficient to winter two horses, twenty cows, and 

 a hundred sheep, with the usual complement of 

 pigs and poultry. It was found, as a matter of 

 course, that it failed to do this, and not answering 

 these extravagant expectations, it was cast out as 

 a worthless thing. Like some other friends whom 

 arbitrary decisions have banished, it has been re- 

 called, and found truly valuable, as answering all 

 reasonable expectations. Next to the Ruta Baga 

 came the true long white or cow-horn, raised like 

 tlie common flat, and a valuable addition to the 



This 



list. The yellow Aberdeen has been added. 

 ^ may be raised by broadcast sowing, but is much 



where they are counted and entered to his" credit, improved by drilling and hoeing. Recently we 



have some very valuable turnips for table use and 

 for stock, introduced from abroad, under the 

 names of the long yellow, the Grecian, the Sweet, 

 the Spring, the Cabbage, the Swedish, &c. There 

 are among them two or more distinct varieties, al- 



