68 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER 



AUG. 30, 1S13. II 



CULTIVATION OF THE STRAWBERRY. 



The cultivation of the strawbrrry, near a good 

 market, is a pmlitable business, as this delicious 

 fruit readily sells at a fair price. Wo have lately 

 visited the farm and garden at the House of Indus- 

 try, in South HostdU, belonging to the city of fios- 

 ton, and under the superintendence of Capt. Dan- 

 iel Chandler, who is ainoncr ijic best cultivators, in 

 the various branches of anfriculture and horticul- 

 ture, in the country. Anions; the various things 

 that flourish remarkably well under his wise man- 

 agement, we noticed particularly his method of 

 cultivating the strawberry, as it was done with 

 much economy as to labor and manure, and attend- 

 ed with c.TCollent success. 



He prefers a good soil for this plant, of a sandy 

 loam, rather moist, but not wet, though a wot soil 

 will answer by throwing it up in ridges about 

 three feet apart, with drains between the ridges of 

 about two feet in width, which serve also as paths. 

 These drains may be 8, 12, 15, or 20 inches deep, 

 according to the wetness of tlie soil. A very dry 

 Boil will not answer for this fruit, as it will some- 

 times occasion a failure in a very dry time. 



The land should be made fine and mellow by a 

 previous tilled crop, if it be not already so, and it 

 should be made rich with compost, or line mellow 

 manure before setting the plants. When Capt. 

 Chandler has occasion to set new plantations, he 

 attends to it immediately after the crop is taken 

 off, but if this work be done in August or the first 

 of September, if it be dry and warm, the new plants 

 will give a good crop the next season, but the 

 sooner this is done after the crop is off the better. 



He sets his new plantations in this way. The 

 land being first properly prepared, trenches are 

 made about four feet apart ; then plants are taken 

 upon the shovel, with a large shovelful of soil in 

 connection, and placed in the trenches. These 

 rows of plants will soon throw out runners in ev- 

 ery direction and cover the whole ground. The 

 next spring, these old plants that have been set in 

 the trenches, are turned in with a spade, and these 

 places are used as walks till the crop comes off. 

 Then the plants are turned in on each side the 

 paths and the paths made loose and mellow, leav- 

 ing a row of plants, a foot or more wide, in the 

 centre, from which the space between will be sup- 

 plied with new plants in the same manner as prac- 

 ticed the previous year. 



In this way the land is used alternately for beds 

 and for paths, and also the land made ricli and 

 light by turning in the plants and roots, and the 

 cultivation is mostly done without working among 

 plants ; and the land is supplied with a new set of 

 plants without any trouble in transplanting, and 

 by this mode of cultivation, a very little manure is 

 sufficient, after the soil is once well prepared. 

 Before cold weather, a small dressing of light mel- 

 low horse manure is put around the plants to pro- 

 tect them in the winter, and this is worked into the 

 soil in the spring. 



We believe that this is the best mode that can 

 be practiced. Capt. Chandler has pursued it a 

 number of years, and he thinks that by this mode 

 of returning the plants to the soil, which is the 

 best manure, it may be followed to advantage a 

 long course of years, perhaps for ages. Tiiis sea- 

 son was unfavorable to the strawberry, on account 

 of the drought, yet he sold from about two and a 

 half acres, GOO dollars worth, and he supposes the 

 produce would have been about twice as large had 

 the season been favorable. 



Capt. Chandler prefers the Early Virginia for a 

 main crop ; next to this, the Wfjod. 'i'his last 

 does the best of any kind in shady places. Hov- 

 oy's is of an excellent quality, and a good bearer — 

 a better bearer than any other large variety. He 

 has not yet made many experiments with it, but ho 

 has a very favorable opinion of it from the experi- 

 ence he has had. He says that the Royal Scarlet 

 is a shy bearer, and the quality not good ; and he 

 does not think favorably of Keen's Seedling. — 

 Bost. Cult. 



INOCULATING CHEESE. 



What will the ingenuity of man not contrive? 

 A method has been discovered of inoculating cheese ; 

 or, in other words, of transporting the character of 

 an old cheese into a new one. The rather curious 

 idea is brought forward in a communication to the 

 Agricultural .lournal, by John Robinson, Esq., Sec- 

 retary of the Royal Society of Edinburg. "If it 

 be required," says he, "to conmiunicate to a cheese 

 the flavor and appearance of an old one, it may be 

 done by the insertion in the new cheese of propor- 

 tions of the old one containing the blue mould. 

 The little scoop which is used in samples ofcheese, 

 is a ready means of performing the operation by 

 changing ten or a dozen of rolls which it extracts, 

 and placing them to disseminate the germ of the 

 blue mould all over the cheese. 



" A new Stilton cheese treated in this way, and 

 well covered up from the air a few weeks, be- 

 comes thoroughly impregnated with the mould, and 

 generally with a flavor not to be distinguished 

 from the old one. I have sometimes treated half 

 a Lancaster cheese in this way, have left the other 

 half^n its natural state and have been much amus- 

 ed with the remarks of our friends on the striking 

 superiority of the English cheese over the Scutch 

 one." 



If this ingenious plan be found really successful 

 on repeated trials by others, Mr Robinson will de- 

 serve our thanks for bringing it forward. The 

 next invention we shall hear of will probably be 

 that of inoculating legs of mutton and turning 

 them into beef. — Maine Far. 



Soap for Killing Borers in Trees. — S. S. Green, 

 Esq., of East Cambridge, has made an experiment 

 with this article. He has in his garden a fine 

 white asli tree, wliich was full of these worms, so 

 fatal to our fruit and ornamental trees. He cov- 

 ered every place on the tree which appeared to be 

 wounded by them, with common hard soap, nicely 

 rubbed into the places where the borer seemed to 

 have entered. During the rains of this week, the 

 soap dissolved and penetrated to the worms, and 

 forced them out by scores, causing their death. 

 We think this the best remedy yet discovered for 

 destroying these nuisances to gardens and orcli- 

 ards. — Olive Branch. 



Cnlbage Lice — The Southern Planter says that 

 Mr J. C. Burton, of Henrico, has for several years 

 been in the liabit of freeing his cabbages not only 

 from lice but from the ravages of the yellow worm, 

 by simply mashing a clod of dirt between his fin- 

 gers, and sprinkling the dust over the cabbages, in 

 the morning, before the dew has been evaporated. 



A letter from England in the N. Y. Com. Adv. 

 s.iys the crops there are very deficient. 



MASS. HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



EXHIBITION OF FRUITS. 



Sahtrday, Aug. 19, 1843. 



There was a very good display of fruits iipo 

 the tables of the Society this morning, contribute 

 by the following gentlemen : 



E. Vose, Esq., Dorchester, exhibited very choic 

 Apples, var. William's Favorite, Red Juneatinc 

 and Early Bough. 



From the President of the Society, very fin 

 specimens of the Washington and Vellow Gag 

 Plums; also. Jargonelle Pears. [Jargonelle o 

 the French catalogues.] 



Mr Lovett, of Beverly, presented the followin; 

 Apples: Early Dutch, very handsome; Earl 

 Bough, Red Astracan, and Early Harvest. The; 

 were all very beautiful specimens, and were 

 credit to the tables as well as to the cultivator. 



From Mrs. Thomas Lewi.s, of Roxbiiry, ver 

 fine Apricots, open culture. 



From Mr .Mien, of Salem, beautiful Peaches 

 var. Royal George. 



From Mr S. Pond, of Caiubridgeport, fine Ital 

 ian Damask Plums. 



From Mr O. Johnson, of Lynn, the Fothering 

 ham Plum, very superior specimens. This plun 

 gives promise of being a valuable variety. Also 

 very large and beautiful Red Astracan and Earlj 

 Bough Apples. 



By Ml J. A. Kenrick, of Newton, the River am 

 William's Apples, and the Royal de Tours Plum 

 All good. 



By Joseph Balch, Esq., the Skinless Pear. This 

 pear needs only to be better known. Though 

 small, yet early — a good bearer, and of sprightly 

 flavor. 



By Mr Z. Hosmer, Red Astracan (?) Apple. 



By Mr G. O. Farmer, of Roxbury, very fine Pur- 

 ple Gage Plums. 



By Mr A. D. Williams, of Roxbury, the Early 

 Bough and William's Favorite Apples. The lat- 

 ter were truly beautiful specimens. 



From Mrs. Bigelow, of Medford, the Early Ann 

 Peach — open cuiture, very good. 



From Mr C. Newhall, of Dorchester, a Pe.ir, un- 

 named. 



From W. Thomas, of Boston, very fine Apricots, 

 and the Washington and Italian Damask Plum. 



Very showy and pretty Apples were exhibited 

 by Mr J. F. Trull. 



From S. Walker, Esq., Roxbury, Pears, viz: 

 Sugar-tops, very good; Green Chissel and Franc- 

 real, also good ; the Gravenstcin, Grave Slije, 

 (what a name!) and the Sabine Apple. 



From the Pumological Gardens, Salem ; Wood- 

 man's Harvest and William's Favorite Apple; Cit- 

 ron do Siereuz and Early Roussellette I'ear, and 

 the Early Orleans Plum, (VVilmot's new.) 



From Warren's Garden, Brighton, specimens of 

 River Apples, Sugar Top Pears, and Seedling 

 Franconia Raspberries. 



It is very gratifying to those who take an into- 

 re.st in the weekly exhibitions of the Society, to 

 notice from time to time, new contributors of the 

 various products of Pomona and Flora ; and as the 

 Society's rooms are open to all who are disposed 

 to contribute, it is iioped that all who take an in- 

 terest in Horticulture, will, in future, as they have 

 specimens, place them upon the tables of llie Soci- 

 ety for exhibition, always remembering that the 

 very best specimens reflect liie most credit upon 

 the producer. For the Committee, 



JAS. L. L. F. WARREN. 



