How a Small Farm was manap;cd. 213 



HOW A SMALL FARM WAS MANAGED. 



There are many men, young and old, who are looking forward to the 

 time when they shall own a farm ; while there are many others who have 

 succeeded in obtaining farms, but are none too well informed as to their 

 management. There has been for years, and still is, a growing interest in 

 fruit-culture, and especially in that branch of the business connected with 

 growing the small fruits. This interest has extended to all parts of the 

 country, East and West. A few years ago, grapes were produced in very 

 limited quantities ; while now there are millions of vines in the country. 

 The same is true of most of the small fruits. It is veiy evident, that, with 

 this state of things, there must be many in the community, who, though 

 they wish to enter upon the business of fruit-growing, yet lack the knowl- 

 edge requisite to insure success. Such persons may possibly gain some 

 information from the description, in detail, of the management of a small 

 fruit-farm in the vicinity of an Eastern city. We shall not forget the vegeta- 

 bles as we pass along ; for every one living on a farm should at least raise 

 enough of these for his own use, if he does not wish to supply the market. 



Selection of Location. — This was one of the most important things to be 

 done, and it required much time and the examination of many farms. 

 Failing to get just such an estate as we had pictured in our imagination, 

 we took that which came the nearest to it. As our principal object was 

 the raising of fruit for the market, we selected what is termed a rather 

 strong, moist soil, with here and there stones and rocks ; the land some- 

 what rolling, with a general inclination to the south-east and south ; the 

 soil a rich, dark loam, with a yellow, gravelly subsoil, and that resting on a 

 hard pan of blue gravel almost approaching clay. One of the very first 

 things to be done was to drain several acres intended for fruit-culture. 

 Trenches were dug two to three feet deep, and about fifteen to twenty 

 inches wide, in which was laid drain-tile to a considerable e.xtent ; while in 

 other drains stones were used such as could be gathered from the land, 

 and so laid as to leave a small channel for the water : over these stone- 

 drains, hay, shavings, small brush, or something of that sort, was laid, to 

 prevent the soil from working down to obstruct the drain. In other cases, 



