258 How a Small Farm was managed. 



On the approach of winter, the strawberries, after they had been carefully 

 weeded out, were covered with coarse, strawy horse-manure ; care being used 

 that it was not put on so thickly as to smother the vines. The raspberries 

 were all laid down, and covered with earth ; the grape-vines likewise : a part 

 of the blackberries were treated in the same way, and those did well ; but 

 those that were left up winter-killed, so that they gave but little fruit the 

 next season. From our experience year by year, we are of the opinion that 

 it is far better to lay down the canes, and cover them in winter. All our 

 land was ploughed so as to cover up and destroy all the weeds that live 

 through the winter and start early in spring. The winter was devoted to 

 carting manure, and the care of the hot-beds where lettuce was so success- 

 fully grown. Early in spring, we headed in our pear-trees where they had 

 made excessive growth or a straggling branch. As soon as the season was 

 well opened, — say by the loth of April, — we raked off the manure from the 

 strawberry-beds, placing it around the pear-trees, where it answered an ex- 

 cellent purpose as a mulch. Soon after, the blackbeny and raspberry 

 bushes were lifted and tied up to the stakes or wires. The land among the 

 trees was ploughed as well as that among the grapes ; though we run lightly 

 through the latter, for fear of destroying the roots that had come near the 

 surface. We also run the plough lightly over the asparagus-bed, lifted our 

 grape-vines, and got every thing ready for the growing season. Before the 

 strawberries began to bloom, they were carefully weeded out ; the walks 

 having been cut out and the plants used for new plantations so far as 

 needed, and the surplus sold at remunerative prices. Each year, manure 

 was used in the same liberal manner as at first ; we having started with 

 the belief, that, if we could not succeed under such a system, we could not 

 at all. We pass over the spring work, and find ourselves busy the last of 

 June in picking and marketing the abundant crop of strawberries that kind 

 Nature gave us. We had planted for market-purposes principally, and had 

 set those sorts that would give us the largest number of quarts. The 

 Brighton Pine ripened first ; soon to be followed by the Wilson, a very pro- 

 ductive and profitable variety, but a very poor one to eat. Near the very 

 last of June came along the Hovey Seedling, large, handsome, productive 

 when rightly treated, profitable and good. The yield, though not up to 

 that claimed by the Belmont growers, was good ; being a little over four 



