144 



NEW ENGLAND FARRIER. 



March 



branch, and eats its way through the pith 

 some distance, and finally destroying the en- 

 tire branch. He can be kept down by fre- 

 quent attention, cutting out all weak and 

 sickly looking branches, and burning them. 

 The other is the leaf worm, and is more to be 

 feared than the tirst. They come at two or 

 more times in the season, and if not pre- 

 vented, will eat up the entire foliage, which 

 often causes a loss of the crop. They can be 

 destroyed by dusting the leaves when wet 

 with white hellebore, powdered, or by syring- 

 ing with carbohc acid soapsuds. 



Blackberries. 



The high bush blackberry, when grown in 

 perfection and well ripened, is one of our 

 finest small fiuits. This fruit was not culti- 

 vated until about the year 1840. The Dor- 

 chester was the first variety cultivated to any 

 extent, and was brought into notice by the 

 late Capt. Lovett, of Beverly. This variety 

 was soon followed by the Lawton or New 

 Rochelle, Newman's Thornless, and some 

 others, and still later, by the Kittatinny, Wil- 

 son's Early, and other kinds. Both of the 

 last named varieties are thought to be more 

 hardy, and to produce larger fruit than the 

 Dorchester, but probably of no better quality. 



The high blackberry is liable to have its 

 canes killed in our severe winters, unless 

 covered. The canes are stiff and brittle ; 

 some varieties more brittle than others, and 

 are difficult to lay down and cover with earth 

 without breaking them more or less. The 

 riper the wood of any plant in the autumn, 

 the more successfully it can withstand the cold 

 of winter; therefore, it would be better to 

 select a soil that is high, dry and warm, where 

 the canes will ripen thoroughly, and not allow 

 them to be stimulated by high manuring to 

 make a large and late growth. 



Many persons fail to produce satisfactory 

 crops of fruit from planting varieties not nat- 

 urally productive, or not adapted to their 

 particular soil ; for that reason it becomes 

 very important to select the right kinds. 



We want a variety that will grow well, be 

 productive, of large size and regular form : 

 of a bright, handsome color ; of good quality 

 and firm enough to bear transportation with- 

 out injury. It will be impossible to get all 

 these qualities in one fruit, therefore, get as 

 near to it as jou can ; but at any rate, if you 

 are growing for market, see that you have a 

 variety that is productive and marketable. 



A person growing strawberries for market 

 ought to plant two or three varieties coming 

 in at different times in the season, if he can 

 find them adapted to his soil. For profit 

 there is nothing better than the Wilson's Al- 

 bany, — for eating without cooking there is 

 nothing poorer in quality ; still, it is good to 

 yield, to ship and to can. The President 

 Wilder is a very handsome variety, of good 

 quality and promising. Of raspberries Kne- 



vett's Giant and Franconia, are the principal 

 varieties grown for this market. The Clarke 

 and Philadelphia are attracting considerable 

 attention, and are said to be sulBeiently hardy 

 to bear our winters without protection. The 

 two varieties of currants now thought to be 

 the best for general use are the La Versail- 

 laise and Dana's New White Transparent. 

 Both of these have large bunches and berries; 

 the White is tender fleshed, and not quite so 

 acid as the red varieties, and is undoubtedly 

 the best white variety in cultivation. 



Now as to the future, or continued demand 

 for fruit, what will it be ? A friend of mine, 

 one of the best and most skilful growers of 

 strawberries in the State, says that the market 

 of Fall River consumed 2400 boxes of straw- 

 berries in 1861, at an average i;rice of seven- 

 teen cents per box; in 18G8, 11,000 boxes, at 

 an average price of twenty-five cents! The 

 population increased in that period forty per 

 cent ; the consumption of strawberries over 

 three hundred and fifcy per cent ! Some fifty 

 years ago, Mr Barnard, a farmer living on 

 Wellington Hill, then in West Cambridge, 

 now in Belmont, was almost the only grower 

 of strawberries for Boston market, and he 

 scarcely raised two hundred boxes in a year, 

 of the old Wood variety, which was then about 

 the only variety in cultivation. His son is 

 now one of the best growers of this fruit in 

 Belmont, and from the same old place con- 

 tinues to send fine fruit to Boston. Compare 

 this with the consumption now in the same 

 market, when one of the many dealers has 

 sold 10,000 quarts in one day ! 



Perhaps it would interest some of us to 

 know how far we have advanced in raising 

 and selling fruit, as a town. I have the means 

 of knowing very nearly the value of small 

 fruits cultivated and sent to market from Con- 

 cord the present year. The fruit growers 

 have received, afcer all commissions were 

 paid, about $8000,00 for their strawberries, 

 raspberries and blackberries ; the larger por- 

 tion of it for strawberries. This branch of 

 production is increasing very fast. If I were 

 a prophet instead of a Yankee, I would un- 

 dertake to prophecy, but as I am not, I will 

 simply exercise the Yankees right of guessing. 

 Now I guess that within three years our good 

 old town of Concord will send more small 

 fruit to Boston than any other town in the 

 State. It will be creditable and profitable to 

 us to do so. 



There is a certain fascination attending the 

 cultivation of fruits and flowers, and to be 

 successful, it requires a more thorough knowl- 

 edge of cultivation, preparation and adapta- 

 tion of soil to the particular plant, including 

 manuring, than it would require for some 

 other crops. This, with the originating of 

 new varieties, either by hybridization, or the 

 natural variation from seed, is really the poe- 

 tr)j of farming. A high cultivation of the 

 land is absolutely necessary to the successful 



