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1863. 



THE ILLmOIS FAEMEFv. 



Ill 



12. Herbemont — Fred Noe, Harmann, 1862, 



The last figures show the absolute and relative 

 excellence of the wines on a scale of 100. It will 

 be observed that Norton's Virginia seems to have 

 been a decided favorite of the committee, and that 

 Wm. Poeschel had the best, not only of Norton's 

 Virginia, but of Catawba, Herbemont and Con- 

 cord. 



STRAWBERRIES. 



Geo. Booth, Alton, 111. — Have tried Longworth, 

 McAvoy's Superior, and Iowa. Plant in rows four 

 feet apart and let them spread. Kun a Cultivator 

 hetwecn the rows after picking, mulch in the fall 

 with straw, leaves or manure. Prefer manure ex- 

 cept that it brings in seeds of weeds. Like the 

 McAvoy best. Shipped it as far as Fon du Lac in 

 half-bushel boxes without damage. I get these 

 boxes made out of cotton-wood at six cents apiece. 

 They are twenty-four by eighteen inches and three 

 inches deep. Use three-eighth inch stuff for bot- 

 tom and top, and half inch for the rest. The cot- 

 tonv.cod holds nails better than pine and costs 

 less. Have my berries picked by the quait, two 

 cents per quart being the ordinary price. Gath- 

 ered forty bushels the past summer from half an 

 acre, worth, gross, 84 50 per bushel iu Chicago, or 

 about S3 net. 



F. A. Quinette, St. Lous. — The Strav/berry is a 

 more valuable fruit in Southern than Northern lat- 

 itudes, though the contrary is generally believed. 

 First, because an acid fruit is more needed in warm 

 climates ; and secondly, because the season is much 

 longer. A strawberry bearing ten days in "Wiscon- 

 sin, will bear ninety days in Louisiana, provided 

 it succeeds. All fruit must be tried on your own 

 soil. Wilson's Albany is worthless on my soil, 

 which is a light, dry lime soil, while it succeeds 

 with Mr. Colniiin only a few miles distant. Mc- 

 Avoy's Superior is very poor at Boston, but very 

 fine here. 



I commenced a plantation in Louisiana, and 

 tried sixty kinds of strawberries. A German va- 

 riety, whose name I do not know, succeeded best. 

 There we plant in October and November. The 

 vines bear the next year, and then die out. I had 

 six acres of this German variety. We commenced 

 picking the first of March and continued two and 

 a half months or more. I think the strawberry 

 can be made to bear there four months. The lo- 

 cality was just below New Orleans, and just South 

 of 80 degrees. 



Hei-e, I find McAvoy's Superior the best berry. 

 It is tender, but I am near the market, it don't 

 sour. Picking costs five cents per gallon. We 

 pick six weeks In the best seasons. Iowa and Jen- 

 ny Lind are earliest, Hudson Bay the latest. The 

 McAvoy will pick four weeks in a good season. 

 Would plant it for one variety close to market. To 

 ship, would plant Wilson's Albany and Longworth's 

 Prolific. Would plant Wilson's Albany on bot- 

 tom lands, McAvoy's Superior on high ground. 



I cultivate in alternate strips, but have beds nine 

 or ten j'ears old with shallow cultivation. Hoe 

 and thin out plants after the picking season, and 

 leave the rubbish on the ground. Go over them 

 again if necessary. In spring, go through and cut 

 out fifteen inch walks, three feet apart. 

 In preparing ground, I double-plow; after that do 

 not cultivate iu the spring, as it cuts off the roots, 



which I want as near the surface as possible. I 

 manure with lime, ashes and salt. Haul on the 

 ashes in winter with a wagon. I commenced thi.s 

 nine or ten years ago. Took lirue and asher from 

 the lime-kilns, and spread it over the field. The 

 effect on the fruit was immense ; on plants but lit- 

 tle. I nearly cover the ground with lime and ash- 

 es. Put on about two bushels of salt per acre. 

 Have gathered as high as 180 bushels to the acre, 

 but fifty bushels are the average ; ray plants are 

 mostly in my orchard ; the McAvoy docs very well 

 in the shade ; sometimes I plow up the walk after 

 picking, between the beds running through four 

 or five times, and leaving only about a foot wide 

 in %ne centre of each bed for a wa'k the next year. 

 In about a week after plowing, liarrcw down the 

 plowed ground ; mulching causes Mildew in sum- 

 mer p my soil is a clay loam, on limestone bottom; 

 where a large quantity of strawberries are planted 

 no attention need be paid to staminates; when I 

 have staminates I use Iowa May. In planting a 

 bed in a garden would be careful to have stami- 

 nates. The profit of strawberries has not been 

 great the last few years. I have sold §10 80 worth 

 of strawberries from an acre ; would set out plants 

 early in the spring ; don't like fall planting. 



Knox, Pittsburg. — My soil is a light clay lime- 

 stone. I prep.are land according to varieties and 

 time that the plantation is expected to rem n in. 

 For varieties requiring frequent renewal, I plow 

 the ground eight or ten inches deep. For a plan- . 

 tation which is to last ten years, I plow fifteen or 

 eigteen inches deep, and if necessary drain. Stir 

 the ground with the ordinary plow and follow it 

 with a lifter (Mape's Sub Soil, wrought.) Plant 

 the rows 30 inches a part and the plants ten inch- 

 es in the rows. I have changed, however, in this, 

 and am planting three rows eighteen inches apart 

 and then leaving an alley of two and a half ^feet. 

 This gives more room for cultivation. Amongst 

 grapes I put thi-ee rows of strawberries one foot 

 a part between grape rows eight feet apart. In 

 this last case I let the outer rows produce runner? 

 and I have a harvest of plants the first summer. 

 The second crop is of strawberries. The third 

 year the grapes come into bearing and the stravr- 

 berries have paid for making the vineyard. In 

 cultivating for fruit I allow no runners. I think 

 this essential; I pinch theiu off; also the fruit 

 stems the first year. Never stir the ground whilst 

 the plants are bearing but let the roots alone. 

 Use only the hoe to chop off weeds not removed 

 by the hand. I think mulching important ; I use 

 long rye or wheat threshed with the flail and put 

 on enough in November, lengthwise with the rows, 

 to cover the plants and most of the ground be- 

 tween the rows. This protects the plants and em- 

 bryo fruit. In the spring I separate the straw 

 from the rows, but let it lie close as a mulch. It 

 keep the fruit clean, which is essential, and the 

 ground moist, and as it decays furnishes manure. 



Great attention should be paid to the adapta- 

 tion of varieties to vour soil. Hovey's Seedling is 

 not good with us at Pittsburg. A variety may run 

 out in a given neighborhood, as Buist's Prize at 

 Pittsburg. Tastes differ, some want sweet others 

 sour berries. We want those that will carry well, 

 that are hardy and lengthen the season. We have 

 succeeded in extending the season from two to sev- 

 en weeks. We cultivate these varieties : 



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