1863. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



167 



ing its friends, and it is to be feared, if organized, 

 it will be an apple of discord among learned pro- 

 fessors and influential politicians, while an object 

 of merriment to the practical farmer. 



Oa}< Cliff Cottage. Hortus. 



For the New England Farmer, 

 STRAWBERRY CULTURE. 



Mr. Editor : — .\s the season for making straw- 

 berry beds approaches, perhaps a few suggestions 

 on the subject may be of service to some of your 

 readers. The selection and preparation of the soil 

 is the first thing to be attended to. A deep grav- 

 elly, or sandy loam is considered best, though the 

 strawberry may be grown on almost any soil that 

 is not too wet. The best manures are decomposed 

 vegetable matters composted with wood ashes, 

 lime and salt, at the rate of 30 bushels ashes, 12 

 bush, of lime, and 3 bush, of salt to the acre. 

 The manure should be thoroughly mixed with the 

 soil before the plants are set. Carefully conduct- 

 ed exi)erimcnts have led cultivators to reject ani- 

 mal manures as too heating, if used on soils natu- 

 rally warm. Pardee relates that his first success- 

 ful experiment with the strawberry was on new 

 land, which gave an enormous crop of fruit. In 

 order to get a still lai'ger crop the next year, he 

 forked in rich manure between the rows, and gave 

 them the best of care, and obtained monstrous 

 vines and blossoms, but no fruit. He then 

 trenched a bed three feet deep, made it rich, and 

 set out other plants. Tue result was the same — 

 large vines, but no fruit. He removed a large 

 part of the rich soil, and replaced it with sand, 

 and the bed bore an abundance of the largest ber- 

 ries the next season. The ripening of the crop 

 may be hastened by the protection of a fence or 

 hedge on the cold side, or by making the bed on 

 a southern slope ; or retarded, on a northern slope. 

 They will grow in shade, but sunshine improves 

 the flavor of the berries. 



Soon after the first of May is the best time to 

 transplant, if the ground is in good working order, 

 and the sun not too hot. The soil should be fine- 

 ly pulverized by repeated plowing and harrowing. 

 The rows should be marked off four feet apart. 

 The plants should be taken up carefully with a 

 trowel, and be set as soon as possible, neither al- 

 lowed to dry, nor to remain long in a large mass, 

 for fear of heating. If they are brought from a 

 distance, so as necessarily to shake oif all the dirt 

 from the roots, they should be di]iped in thick 

 muddy water before setting. The ])lants are usu- 

 ally set from eight to twelve inches apart in the 

 row. This should be regulated by the quality of 

 the soil, and by the character of the plants. 

 Where the soil is rich, or if the jjlants are free 

 runners, the longest distance is preferable ; and, 

 if both these conditions come together, a still 

 greater distance would be advisable. The beds 

 must be kejit clean, by the hoe and hand weeding 

 on small beds, or by the horse hoe on larger fields. 

 The full crop is not expected till the next year. 

 When the runners begin to appear, it is well to 

 guide them so as to fill up all the space you wish 

 covered, and if they threaten to set too thickly, 

 the runners may be pinched off. The plants should 

 have room to grow, and not be allowed to stand 

 nearer than eight or ten inches apart. Some leave 

 a path open, for convenience in picking, about 

 eighteen inches in width; others only twelve 



inches. In garden culture, or when it is conven- 

 ient to keep the bed in the same place for a series 

 of years, the rows are sometimes set six feet apart, 

 and the runners allowed to cover one-half the 

 ground, while the other half is kept open till the 

 vines have fruited, when they are allowed to fill 

 the open space, and the first bed is dug up and 

 kept open ; and so alternating as long as it is 

 found desiral)le, always dressing the oj^en space 

 with suitable manure, and keeping it well tilled. 

 But where there is plenty of suital)le land, culti- 

 vators have adopted the ])'ractice of making a new 

 bed every year, taking ofi' but one crop, and then 

 plowing up the old bed. This is considered the 

 most economical method, as it is very difficult to 

 keep an old bed free from weeds, and frf)m be- 

 coming too crowded by the setting of new plants 

 by the runners. 



It is customary to protect the beds by a light 

 covering of straw in the winter, to keep the plants 

 from being lifted out of the ground by the frost. 

 Some use a coarse swamp hay ; and a friend of 

 mine in Belmont prefers sedge from the salt 

 marsh, because it is not so hkely to blow away. 

 Mr- Pardee strongly recommends mulching with 

 tan bark, sawdust or green rowen, over the whole 

 ground, immediately after the setting of the plants. 

 If sawdust is used, it should be spread thinly, or 

 there will be danger of mildew. 



My Belmont friend, mentioned above, whose 

 soil is a strong clayey loam, practices al\erthe fol- 

 lowing manner. He manures lightly with a com- 

 post of horse manure, ploughing it in at the rate 

 of from six to eight cords per acre, (has put on fif- 

 teen cords ;) ploughs and harrows repeatedly till 

 the soil is as fine as an onion bed. As a market 

 fruit, he prefers Hovey's Seedling, and the Brigh- 

 ton Pine. Sets in May, in rows four or five feet 

 apart, twelve or eighteen inches apart in the row, 

 according to the quality of the soil. One row of 

 Brighton Pine, a staminate variety, to six of 

 Hovey's Seedling, a pistillate variety ; taking care 

 not to let them intermingle their runners. While 

 the runners are setting, he goes over the field two 

 or three times to fasten those that may be blown 

 about by the wind. Keeps the bed clear of weeds 

 the first year. Protects in the Aviuter by a mulch 

 of swam]) hay or salt sedge, spread on lightly. In 

 the spring he rakes this off", and cleans out all 

 weeds that may have escajied his care the ])reced- 

 ing summer. Paths are spaded between the beds 

 wide enough to pass through and ])ick the fruit. 

 Nothing more is done to the bed, l)ut wlien the 

 fruit is off', it is ploughed up for other crops. 



I will not attempt, Mr. Editor, to name the best 

 sorts. There are many varieties, mo<jt of them 

 good, and each esteemed best by somebody. I 

 pretend to no sjjecial infallibility either of taste or 

 judgment, and leave the reader to select for him- 

 self, only entreating him to select some sort, and 

 give it a fair chance, and if he does not find it an 

 investment that pays well, in smiles and ])leasant 

 feelings among wife and children, (if he is blessed 

 with such treasures,) then he may set me down 

 for a false prophet. M. P. 



Concord, April 6, 1863. 



CF* The underground railway (Jletropolitan) in 

 London, is a success. It was opened a few weeks 

 ago, and its average number of passengers per 

 week is a quarter of a million. 



