How a Small Farm ivas managed. 259 



thousand quarts to the acre. The Wilson gave the largest quantity in pro- 

 portion to the land occupied. The average price of all the fruit was twenty 

 cents ; making eight hundred dollars per acre, or four thousand eight hun- 

 dred dollars for the si.x acres exclusively devoted to this crop ; which, added 

 to the sum of two thousand dollars received for the same fruit grown among 

 the pear-trees, made the nice large sum of sixt}'-eight hundred dollars : a 

 profitable crop surely, one will say ; and we cannot deny it, though there 

 was a great deal of work connected with it, and a large outlay for manure, 

 boxes in which to put the fruit, and other things. No sooner was the 

 crop well gathered than we put in the plough and turned the beds over, 

 and set out cabbages on the land. We had determined not to attempt to 

 raise but one crop of strawberries on the same vines : it costs a good deal 

 to keep the old beds free of weeds if they are left, and they often so kill 

 out in winter as to be of no value. The raspberries gave a rrioderate crop; 

 which sold well, as most market-gardeners seem to have neglected them of 

 late. The blackberry-bushes that had been covered gave fair results ; though 

 none of us enjoyed the picking of the fruit, on account of the thorns : those 

 that were left up during the winter produced scarcely a perfect berry, and 

 the crop was a failure. The grape-vines were carefully looked after and 

 made fine growth, except the Delawares, which mildewed, and failed to 

 ripen the wood well. A few bunches of fruit were allowed to set on some 

 of the vines ; for we, like all beginners, were anxious to eat of the fruit of 

 our own vines. 



The second season passed, and we prepared for winter very much as we 

 had done before. Our trees and plants had done as well as we could rea- 

 sonably expect. All our land had been used to the best advantage, as we 

 thought ; and we had no reason to complain of the crops. The third year 

 found us with fewer acres devoted to strawberries : and it proved to be for- 

 tunate that it was so ; for the severe drought cut short the crop, so that, even 

 though the fruit brought a high price, the proceeds were quite small. But 

 what was unfavorable for this fruit was favorable for grapes : and so we 

 allowed our vines, though only four years old, to set a large crop of fruit, 

 which ripened up well, and sold for twenty cents a pound on an average in 

 Boston market ; some single vines yielding twenty pounds of fruit. The 

 raspberries and blackberries were a rather poor crop for the same reason 



