1890. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



219 



t-ulti\ atr tlu'ir tnvii tlow^T^'y Vory lew rliiltireii 

 lire iniTsu to this kind of work: it is umuscnu'lU 

 to them, ami, as you aiv uwai'c. most hi-althy 

 ivfivalion. Many a voiy ilciicatc lioy ami Kii'l. 

 r\vi\ on tho I'ai'ixi, havr. tiy tlic lit^iit \voi'k in the 

 jjanU'ii. wliii'li kept tltfin eiiiployod in the open 

 air. l)»H'ii nui-scil ui> into strong and lu'althy men 

 antl women. Tlie eity has jrreat allui^'ment.s for 

 tin- farm boy. I am by no means opposetl to liis 

 i-omiiiK to town, for we need our l>ineolus, tJai"- 

 lielcis and Itusks to man the ship of state, and we 

 look to the farm for them; but we eannot afford 

 to deplete the farm, .so we must offer every iii- 

 dueement to keeji the boys at home. Try to 

 luake yi^ur homes the pride of your ehiUlren so 

 that though theyjfooii a visit to town, they may 

 see, at least, few homes more attraetive than 

 their own. liabor is not an e.xpensive item, be- 

 cause the work of making' the improvements Citn 

 be done at odd times when farm work is not 

 pressing. Trees, shrubs and hardy tiowers, which 

 are no further e.\^>ense than the first cost, are 

 now very cheap. The future care of the lawn 

 involves \'ery little labor, as light running lawn 

 mowers, which the boys even consider as play- 

 thiiigs, do the work of cutting the grass rapidly, 

 and leave the lawn looking smooth and trim. 



Within recent years the value of decorative 

 horticulture has attracted the attention of sev- 

 eral of the great railroad companies of this 

 country, particularly those operating roads in 

 the east. They employ it extensively about all 

 the larger depots along the lines. Thoroughly 

 capable landscai* gardeners are permanently 

 employed to direct all the operations. All the 

 available ground in the vicinity of the depots is 

 judiciously and carefully laid out, and tastefully 

 planted with trees, shrubs and ttowers; and the 

 grass Is always kept short and green. 



Materials. There is no lack of materials to use 

 in decorative horticulture Trees, shrubs and 

 flowering plants of suitable kinds are in abund- 

 ance, and sufficient for the purpose, even though 

 our rather severe climate precludes the culture 

 of many beautiful sorts. Kut the kinds we have 

 are already so numerous, and the desire to use 

 them all is so strong and tempting, that much 

 wisdom and self-denial are required to choose 

 only a sufficient number of the most appropriate 

 sorts for the locatiou and space they are to oc- 

 cupy. The general tendency is to overcrowd. 

 It is so hard to satisfy ourselves with one tree 

 when one is sufficient for the purpose, and our 

 judgment even tells us so. The love of flowers 

 has that tendency even more strongly. While 

 their culture is always commendable, great care 

 must be exercised in selecting them, and giving 

 them their appropriate place. The flower garden 

 or border is the proper place for a large and gen- 

 eral assortment— a bed or two perhaps being 

 sufficient to tastefully embellish the lawn. 



Money in Small Fruits 



{Extract of paper by J. H. Hale, read bejore Wiscon 

 sin farmers' Institute.) 



It is really only within the pa.st ten years 

 that a 1 the small towns and villages of the 

 country have begun to have anything like a 

 fair supply, while there are yet hundreds of 

 towns and villages that are not one-half 

 supplied, and those that appear to be well 

 furnished now would use many more if 

 better fruit were offered and in a more at- 

 tractive style. So there is a chance yet for 

 new beginners, if they are willing to live 

 up to the requirements and demands of the 

 times. However, before attempting the 

 business it is well to know that not all cul- 

 tivators of berries have found money in 

 small fruits. In fact there have been some 

 very serious failures. 



Beqairements for Success The requisites for 

 success are : 



1. A love of fruits for their own sake; a 

 pleasure in their culture. 



2. A soil fairly well adapted to them. 



3. Good local markets, or convenient access 

 to railway lines which center in market towns 



4. Extra laboi-ers, near enoiigh at hand to be 

 called on, in case of emergency, in cultivating 

 and gathering the fruits promptly and econom- 

 ically when ripe. 



Having made sure of these things, if one is 

 starting in business, care should be taken not to 

 plan for planting more than can be cared for in 

 the most thorough manner, or sold to good ad- 

 vantage. 



Strawberries. *>f the \'ariotis fruits, .siti-aw- 

 bcrncs will rccci\i' tirst attention, as it is from 

 thciu that the quickest returns may bccxpcctfil, 

 .\ny good Corn or Wheat land will priHluce line 

 StrawlH'rrics, but to secure the best results, it 

 must be very rich in natural fertility, or made 

 so l)y the application of mamn-c in some foj-m. 

 My own cxprricncc has been that any soil ric-h in 

 organic matti-r, or fertilized with stable uiuintre 

 or t'ommcrcial fertilizers rich in nitrogenous 

 matter produces too mnuh foliage growth for 

 the most profitable returns in fruit ; and my best 

 crops have come from a sandy or loamy soil, 

 where commercial fertilizers had been used con- 

 taining a large percentage of phosphoric acid 

 anil potash, but lacking in nitrogen. 



Preparing the Oround, Land that has been in 

 cultivation for a year or two previous is best. 

 I'low this as deeply as possible early in the 

 spring ; then harrow it over and over again until 

 a perfect seed-bed is formed. An extra day or 

 two spent by a man and team in a thorough 

 preparation of tlie land, will usually show itself 

 in ease of cultivation later in the season. 



Setting the Plants. When the ground is thor- 

 oughly prepared, with a corn-marker, check off 

 rows three feet apart, and set the plants from 

 twelve to twenty inches apart in the row, ac- 

 cording to the vigor of the variety. If pistillate 

 or imperfect flowering varieties are used, plant 

 every third row with some strong, perfect flow- 

 ering variety that blooms at the same time. Too 

 many make the mistake of planting a greater 

 number of rows of pistillat«s before adding the 

 l>erfect bloomers to fertilize them, and also make 

 the selection of varieties without regard to the 

 time of blossoming. 



Cnltivating, ('ut off all blossoms or fruit 

 stalks as fast as they appear, and as soon as 

 growth is well started, begin the summer culti- 

 vation, which should be kept up once in two or 

 three weeks all through the season, until weed 

 growth is stopped by freezing in the fall. ()n my 

 own plantations the last hoeing is usually done 

 in October. 



The Narrow Bow System. I am satisfied that 

 this is on the whole the most profitable. Ry this 

 method, each of the springset plants is allowed 

 to root a few of its first runners, along near the 

 line of the row, after which all the runners are 

 cut off as fast as they appear. The advantages of 

 this plan are that more of the work of cultiva- 

 tion can be done by horse-power, as in hill 

 culture, and yet there are always young 

 plants enough to form one continuous row, even 

 if a few do get destroyed in any way. There is 

 abundant room for sun-light and air to reach all 

 the berries when ripening, which assures larger, 

 better colored and higher flavored berries than 

 can- be grown in matted rows; also firmer fruit 

 that stands transportation much better, and sells 

 for higher prices. 



There is another advantage in this plan. It 

 costs but little to clean out a bed of this sort 

 after fruiting, and so renew it for another sea- 

 son's crop at little expense, while in matted row 

 culture it is seldom profitable to continue a bed 

 in fruiting more than one year. 



Importance of Moisture Many a field of 

 Strawberries that has received fairly good care 

 during the whole year, has failed to produce 

 proHtable results, simply for the want of suffi- 

 cient moisture, just at the fruiting season. 

 Therefore, where it is possible, without too great 

 cost, irrigation should be provided, if the highest 

 results are to be obtained. Where the markets 

 are large enough to readily handle year after 

 year, the product of five or more acres from one 

 farm, I am satisfied that an investment of from 

 one to twf) thousand dollars for irrigation pur- 

 poses would pay handsomely. I urge at least a 

 thorough preparation of the soil for planting, 

 and frequent cultivation that the plants may 

 root deeply and thus be able to withstand drouth, 

 which comes so often when we least expect it. 



Oathering and Marketins. In gathering and 

 marketing the crop there should be one picker 

 for each thirty or forty iiuarts ;of the daily pro- 

 duct, and a suiJCrintendent to every fifteen or 

 twenty pickers, to assign them their rows and 

 inspect their work from time to time; to see 

 that they keep to their rows and do not trample 

 on the vines. Pick the fruit clean and grade it 

 according to the demands of the market to be 

 supplied. Upon the thoroughness of this super- 

 intendent's work will depend, in a large measure, 

 the success of the business. 



Picking, except for local markets, should not 

 begin till the dew is off in the morning, and 

 should not be continued through the heat of the 



day. If pickers enough can be had to rapidly 

 gather tho croi>, from four o'clock till dark is 

 nnn'h the best time. 



Packing. The packing shed should be a cool, 

 airy place, convenient to the fleld, anil here all 

 the fruit should be brought as fast as gatheiod. 

 A general inspection of the fruit should be given 

 by the person in charge, and it should be packed 

 according to its grade, each \ariety by itself. 

 Baskets or bo.xes should be new and clean, and 

 made of the whitest wood that it is possible to 

 obtain. All should be as rounding full as can be 

 conveniently packed without injury to the fruit. 

 There should lie no inferior fruit put in, and that 

 in the bottom and middle of the package should 

 be just as good, or better, than that on top. 

 Having made sure of this, these should be care- 

 fully jiacked in clean, bright crates oi- boxes of 

 the size required by the markets where the fruit 

 is to be sold. 



Baspberries. Red, black and yellow, require 

 much of the same soil as Strawberries, except 

 that they ma.v be grown with profit on land that 

 is far richer in nitrogeneous matter. 



Planting. Kail is the best time to plant all but 

 the cap varieties. The ground should be as thor- 

 oughly prepared as for Strawberries. I am 

 satisfied that larger, finer and better l>erries can 

 be grown by planting check-rows five or six feet 

 apart, giving the plants more sunlight and air 

 and admittmg of more use of the horse and cul- 

 tivator, thus securing better culture at less cost, 

 while the yield of fruit is fully as large as from 

 the hedge-rows. 



Cultivation. Cultivation should be begin early 

 in the season, and be frequent and thorough 

 through the summer months, so as to stimulate 

 a rapid growth early in the season, gi\'ing ample 

 time for maturity of wood during the fall. 



The new growth should be pinched back when 

 fifteen to eighteen inches high. This will cause a 

 strong growth of lateral branches, which should 

 be allowed to grow at will, leaving all further 

 trimming until early the following spring. 



Winter Protection. Few, if any, of the best va- 

 rieties are hardy enough to endure the winters of 

 Wisconsin without some protection, if you are to 

 make sure of a crop annually. It is therefore 

 best to lay them down and cover with earth at 

 the approach of winter. This can be done at a 

 cost of from five to eight dollars per acre, and is 

 a cheap method of insuring a crop, so far as the 

 extreme frost might affect it. As soon as frost is 

 out, and ground is dry enough in the s|>ring, un- 

 cover and straighten up the plants ; thin out and 

 shorten in the laterals from eight to fifteen 

 inches, as may be required to form a well- 

 balanced bush. 



Thorough cultivation may be given up to 

 blooming time, after which it is not well to stir 

 the soil till after fruiting. 



Gathering and Marketing. The gathering and 

 marketing should be on the same general plan as 

 for the Strawberries, except that pint boxes or 

 baskets should be used in place of quarts for the 

 most delicate varieties. 



Blackberries. These are generally inclined to 

 make too much wood growth, so it is well to 

 select land of moderate fertility. The high-bush 

 varieties may be planted either in spring or fall, 

 the latter being the best; planting the same as 

 the strongest growing Raspberries, while the 

 Dewberries or trailing Blackberries should be 

 planted in the spring in rows ten feet apart, 

 plants three to four feet in the row, and allowed 

 to form a matted bed. Close pruning and winter 

 protection are essential to the highest success in 

 Blackberry culture, as with Raspberries. 



Gooseberries.— Currants.— There is only a limi- 

 ted sale for Gooseberries, but for Currants the 

 demand is still far greater than the supply. 

 Strcmg, rich, fairly moist soil is the best for the 

 latter. They may be planted at any time after 

 their leaves drop in the fall, or very early in the 

 spring, in check-rows, four and one-half to five 

 feet apart. The growth is all made the first two 

 niimths of summer. It is therefore essential that 

 the cultivation be thorough and liberal early in 

 the season, if we desire the best wood growth. 



Pruning.— The flret two years only enough 

 pruning will be required to form a broad open- 

 headed bush, with bearing wood evenly distribu- 

 ted ; but in later years a pinching back of all the 

 new growth when two or three inches long will 

 tend to develop a wonderous formation of fruit 

 spurs and buds. 



General Principles.- The following are general 

 principles that must be lived up to if you are to 

 find the " money in small fruits." 



FiHST.— Thorough culture. 



