44 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



ArorST J5, 183g. 



THE STRAWBERRY. 



As the present month and the beginning of Sep- 

 tember, is the best season for making strawberry 

 beds, some remarks as to varieties and tlie mode of 

 culture may not be unacceptable. 



The fruit of the strawberry is almost universally 

 esteemed ; and is prized as well for its delicious 

 • flavor, as for its tendency to promote health, and 

 for its efficacy in mitigating or curing certain dis- 

 eases. The berries are almost wholly soluble in 

 the stomach, and neither there or elsewhere do 

 they undergo the acetous fermentation. They dis- 

 solve the tartareous incrustations of the teeth. 

 They promote perspiration. When used largely, 

 they have given relief to those afflicted with the 

 gout ; and Hoffman states, tliat he has known con- 

 sumptive people cured by them. The principal 

 species and varieties are — 



1. Wood, with oval serrated leaves ; the fruit 

 round and small, and white and green. Native of 

 Britain. 



2. Scarlet, with leaves like the preceding, round- 

 ish and scarlet colored. Native of North America. 

 Varieties ; early scarlet, Wilmot's late, common 

 late, Wilmot's scarlet 



3. Roseheny. A Scotch seedling. The plants 

 have few roundish leaves, larger fruit than the scar- 

 let, and are very prolific. Continues bearing till 

 August. 



4. Downlon. Fruit large, irregular and coxcomb- 

 like ; leaves large ; plants hardy ; and although 

 prolific in Eng'and, has not proved so with us. — 

 We have grown a berry that measured 5 3-4 in- 

 ches. 



5. Carolina, or Bostock. 



6. Miisky or Hautboy ; with oval, rough, javelin 

 edged leaves, the fruit large, of a pale red. 



7. Chili; -with large oval, tliick hairy leaves and 

 large flowers ; the fruit large and veiy firm. A 

 native of Chili. 



8. Keen's Imperial, or JVeic Chili ; a large showy 

 fruit, of great repute in England, but not so much 

 esteemed here. 



9. Pine ; the leaves small and delicate. There 

 are two sorts, the red and the white, or greenish- 

 tinted, of the most rich flavored fruit The Meth- 

 ven Castle belongs to tliis class. South America. 



10. Alpine, or prolific, or monthly ; commonly 

 lasts from June to October; two sorts, white and 

 red. The Alps. 



11. One leaved ; the pulp of the fruit pink col- 

 ored. South America. 



We received twelve kinds of select fruit from 

 the London Horticultural Society in 18'25 ; but con- 

 tinue to cultivate in our garden only the Methven 

 and scarlet, — the latter coming in use ten or four- 

 teen days before the former, — both abinidantly pro- 

 lific. Some of our beds are six years old) and they 

 have produced as abundantly this as in any former 

 year. We ascribe this continued productiveness to 

 our pointing in horn shavings annually between the 

 beds, and strewing upon the latter in autumn tan 

 from the morocco leather factory. The Methven is 

 in bearing about two weeks ; we have had 47 ber- 

 ries that weighed a pound, many that measured 

 over four, and one that measured five and one-quar- 

 ter inches in diameter. Our practice is to clean 

 the alleys and beds before the blossoms show, to 

 leave the runners till the fruiting season is over, 

 and after that to take oft" those that intrude upon 

 the alleys, and to dung and dig these. 



leaves have grown at the joints, although the roots 

 are but imperfectly formed. If planted out in this 

 month, they will give a partial crop the next sea- 

 son, and will be in high perfection tlie second 

 year. 



Mr Keen, near London, who appropriates acres 

 to the growth of this fruit, reconuiiends that the 

 pine be grown in a light loam, though no kind will 

 grow belter in a stiff one. The imperial and scar- 

 lets like a similar soil. The hautboys like a light 

 soil. The wood strawberry is generally raised 

 from seed, and the alpine always. The seed is best 

 sown as soon as the fruit ripens ; the plants to be 

 set in fruit beds the spring following. Our own 

 experience leads us to recommend, that the pines 

 and scarlets be planted in a loose, rich, and pretty 

 moist soil, our climate being dryer than that of 

 Britain, and the strawberry demanding a great sup- 

 ply of moisture when fruiting. 



The mode of planting is generally in beds con- 

 taining two, three, or four rows, with alleys of two 

 feet between them. The soil should be well dug 

 and pulverized, and the situations open and e.xposed 

 to the sun. The larger growing kinds may have 

 intervals of two feet between the rows, and of 18 

 inches between the plants in the rows ; the smaller 

 growing kinds may be planted closer. Keen cuts 

 the runners three times in a season — we cut them 

 but once, and leave then the new plants that take 

 root in the beds, mostly to grow. His culture ijiay 

 be the most perfect, but ours is attended with the 

 least labor, the cost of which is there trivial to 

 what it is here. Keen plants the pines and haut- 

 boys 2 feet by 18 inches apart, and the scarlets 20 

 by 18 inches. He found among the many dift'erent 

 kinds of hautboys, one which had the male blossom 

 on one plant and tlie i>male on another ; and ex- 

 perience soon taught him, that to render them fruit- 

 ful, it was necessary to mix the two kmds in his 

 beds, in the proportion of one male to eight females. 

 Mr Langworthy, of Cincinnati, and Mr Downing, of 

 Newburgh, tliink that the male and female blossoms 

 grow on different plants, in other kinds of straw- 

 berry ; but our limited experience has not enabled 

 us yet to confirm their opin'ons. The duration of 

 most Idnds with Mr Keen, is three years, — the 

 wood strawberry and alpine, two years. The latter 

 bears fruit the first year r.fter sowing. 



The general dependence, in the country, for the 

 strawberry, has been upon those growing wild in 

 the fields ; but independent of the fact, tliat this 

 fruit cannot grow where the farm is well managed, 

 the extra trouble of gathering them in meadows, is 

 more than equivalent to the labor of taking care of 

 them in the garden. 



With regard to manures for strawberry beds, 

 such are to be preferred as are cool, and free from 

 the seeds of weeds. Cow manure is preferable to 

 that of horses. Bone dust and horn shavings are 

 excellent if not applied in too large quantity. A 

 bushel and a half of either should go as far as a 

 load of long dung. For top-dressing the beds in 

 autunm there is nothing better than tan, that from 

 the morocco leather factory being preferable. The 

 tan smothers weeds, keeps the soil moist, the ber- 

 ries clean, and seems, withal, to afford the specific 

 food of the plant It is recnnunended to cover 

 strawberry beds ligMly with straw, in the spring, 

 and burn it off, which destroys the seeds of weeds, 

 &c. We have been cruelly censured for this re- 

 commendation, by one who unwittingly burnt piles 



The strawberry mnftiplies rapidly by suckers or of straw upon his beds, and consequently destroyed 

 Btolens, and may be transplanted as soon aa tlie | his plants. — Cidtivator. 



HINTS FOR THE PREVENTION OF DISOR- 

 DERS IN HORSES. 



Chiefiy taken from Messrs Clarke and JVhite's valua- 

 ble Treatise on Horses. 



STABLES. 



Stables should be lofty, light and airy, and should 

 never contain more than six or eight horses. They 

 are in general kept too close and hot 



Too much clothing also is usually put upon the 

 horses, which thus become so tender, that they catch 

 cold upon every sliglit exposure to a cool air. 



The doors and windows of stables should be 

 thrown open when the horses are out, but care must 

 be taken that a cold current of air does not imme- 

 diately blow upon them when in the stable, partic- 

 ularly if they are heated. 



It is a bad practice to allow horses to stand upon 

 litter in the day time, except they are unwell or 

 fatigued. 



FOOD. 



The quantity and quality of a horse's food should 

 invariably be regulated by tlie exercise and fatigue 

 he has to undergo ; high feeding, with proportionate 

 work, produces half the disorders to which horses 

 are subject. 



Good hay is of much consequence to horses en- 

 gaged in active exercises ; but it should be given 

 in small quantities during the day ; and when ow- 

 ino- to bad weather, the horses cannot be exercised, 

 they sliould be stinted both in their hay and corn; 

 and a bundle or two of clean wheat straw may be 

 put before them. All grain given to horses, would 

 be more nutritive if bruised in a mill and mixed 

 occasionally with chopped straw. Carrots are a 

 most wholesome food, and of all roots, rank next 

 to corn in point of nourishment They are par- 

 ticularly serviceable when a horse's wind is af- 

 fected. 



When liorses are first taken from grass they 

 should be gradually brought to a dry diet by giving 

 them carrots, lucerne, bran mashes, &c. with their 

 hay. After a few days a small quantity of oats 

 may be given, and the feed increased by degrees 

 till they come to their full allowance. They should 

 likewise be p it into a cool stable, and have plenty 

 of walking exercise. If such precautions were at- 

 tended to, a great saving might be made, both of 

 physic, and the horse's constitution. 



WATEH. 



Pond water, if it lie on a clay bottom and be 

 sweet agrees best with horses ; hard water may 

 be improved by tlirowing some chalk or clay into 

 it and exposing it in cisterns to the open air. 



It is proper to let the water, intended for the 

 horses, stand for some hours in pails in the stables 

 before it is used. 



Water should be offered to horses frequently ; 

 they would then never drink large quantities of it 

 at a time, which is particularly hurtful to them 

 when heated by exercise. It is a good and safe 

 plan when travelling, &c. always to mix hot water 

 enough with their cold to take off the chill. 



EXERCISE. 



A horse's exercise should be proportioned to his 

 strength, manner of feeding, and the labor required 

 of him. He ought, however, to have at least two 

 hours of daily exercise. 



Horses should not be ridden fast after having 

 been newly fed and watered. A fiit horse requires 

 a long course of moderate exercise, before he can 

 safely be put to trot, which is violent 



It should be a general rule to ride a horse slowly 



