1870. 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



143 



and comparisons will apply to all the other 

 small fruits, as compared with the more 

 weighty crops. These are some of the rea- 

 sons that have presented themselves to my 

 mind for growing small fruits for market and 

 home consumption. 



In the cultivation of the strawberry, I would 

 select a good, strong soil, rather moist than 

 dry ; but if quite wet I should want it under- 

 drained. With us it would be sandy loam, as 

 that is the nature of most of our soils. Many 

 growers prefer a mixture of clay, but a good 

 sandy loam i^ a good soil for strawberries. 

 It should be old ground that has been culti- 

 vated with some hoed crop one or two years, 

 and should be free from weeds and foul 

 grasses. As a rule, strawberries should never 

 be planted on sod ground, as on such they 

 are very liable to be destroyed by the large 

 white grub. The soil should be well enriched 

 with manure, somewhat decomposed, and a 

 portion of it should be near the surface, for 

 the purpose of giving the plants a quick start. 

 The soil should be thoroughly worked both 

 with the plough and harrow. If there is dan- 

 ger of water standing on the surface, either in 

 summer or winter, it should be ploughed into 

 beds, leaving the dead furrows open for sur- 

 face drains. 



Having prepared the soil and made it per- 

 fectly fine, the next thing is to prepare the 

 plants. Let this also be done well ; be sure 

 and have good plants; cut off all the runners 

 and dead leaves, and about one-third in length 

 cf the roots. If the runners are left on, many 

 of the plants will be pulled out of the ground 

 with the hoe. When the plants are ready for 

 setting, see to it that they are not exposed to 

 the drying winds before planting. Set the 

 plants in straight rows, and of a uniform 

 width, as early in t>he season as possible afcer 

 the soil is dry and ingood-condition, say last 

 of April or early in May, so that the plants 

 may become established before dry, hot 

 ■weather. The next thing is to cut away all 

 the blossoms as soon as they make their ap- 

 pearance, or the plants will bear fruit and be- 

 come exhausted the first season. The after 

 cultivation is simply to keep the ground loose, 

 and entirely free from weeds, not only in 

 summer but through the fall, even to snow 

 time. 



To secure a good crop, it is necessary 

 that a large portion of the labor for its growth 

 should be performed the first year. About 

 the first of December, the bed should be cov- 

 ered with coaise hay or straw, rather thin, but 

 evenly, to protect the plants in winter; this 

 completes the first year's work, and it is now 

 too late to remedy any defects, from bad cul- 

 tivation, bad plants, or want of manure. If 

 the grower has unfortunately allowed anything 

 of the kind to happen, he must take the con- 

 sequences, which will be a less crop of poorer 

 fruit. 



In the spring, as soon as the ground be- 



comes settled, the hay should be raked from 

 the bed, the spaces or paths between the rows 

 worked over, and the whole bed thoroughly 

 cleaned from grass and weeds, and some time 

 in May the paths and all vacant spaces cov- 

 ered with hay to keep the fruit clean. This 

 constitutes the labor until the time of picking, 

 which should be carefully and cleanly done, 

 and without bruising the fruit. 



Afcer gathering the crop, the question of a 

 second crop from the same bed, is to be con- 

 sidered. If the plants have been cultivated 

 in rows, or hills, and the runners kept cut off, 

 then I would keep it over the second year ; 

 but if in the matted bed system, I would 

 plough them up immediately afcer the fruit is 

 all picked, and sow with turnips or oats. If 

 a bed is to be kept over the second year, it 

 will be very much improved by mowing the 

 foliage off clean to the ground, as soon as you 

 have finished picking the fruit. 



Kaspberries. 



Raspberries require a strong, rich and 

 rather moist soil, to succeed best, and should 

 be planted in rows from six to seven feet 

 apart, and three feet in the rows. When 

 planted, the canes should be cut away nearly 

 to the ground, so as to prevent their bearing 

 !he first year. Late in the fall, the tops 

 should be bent over to the ground and cov- 

 ered with soil taken from between the rows. 

 Almost every variety would winter-kill unless 

 protected in the winter. In the spring, as 

 soon as the frost is out of the ground, the 

 canes should be uncovered and tied to stakes 

 or a wire. I find a wire as large as a tele- 

 graph wire, fastened to posts and stretched 

 directly over the middle of the row, about 

 three feet above the ground, the best. Have 

 the canes tied to the wire with a matting 

 string, and spread evenly on the same. Do 

 not save too many canes, or at least more than 

 the roots can support vigorously, if so, the 

 result may be poorer fruit and weaker plants. 

 The ground between the rows should be 

 worked over in the spring, and kept level, 

 and, if possible, mulched with cheap hay. I 

 use the same hay that has been used on the 

 strawberries for that purpose. Raspberries 

 are very sensitive to the drought, and mulch- 

 ing often saves the crop. With good care 

 and manuring, the bushes will continue to 

 bear a number of years. 



Currants. 



The currant is another small fruit and is 

 a general favorite, as it can be used in so 

 many ways, and continues in bearing so long 

 a time. It is also easily grown, but to grow 

 it in its greatest perfection, the soil must be 

 rich, and well cultivated, and a portion of the 

 old wood cut out every year. 



There are two insects that trouble the cur- 

 rant very much in some localities. I mean 

 the borer that works into the centre ol a 



