THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



19 



but June is the time when much wood is 

 cut off for coaling. August is considered 

 an unpropitious month for cutting when 

 the sprouts are to be encouraged. And 

 August is generally considered the best 

 month to destroy young bushes with a 

 scythe. 



Ten acres of woodland will yield wood 

 enough for one family in case of prudent 

 management. With ten acres you have 

 the cutting of half an acre each } 7 ear; 

 and this a growth of twenty years. 



People who suffer their wood, or timber 

 either, to outstand its time are great losers. 



I have seen a chestnut lot which was 

 one-half of it cut off clean, while the 

 other half was kept for timber. In twenty- 

 two } 7 ears from the time of cutting, the 

 whole lot was appraised, in consequence of 

 a division of the estate. The lot which 

 had been cut off was valued higher than 

 the part that had not been touched. This 

 amounted to a total loss of the timber 

 which was left standing. 



A five acre timber lot lies now in sight 

 of my dwelling. The wood on this lot 

 would have brought, standing, one dollar 

 per cord, and I should judge there were 

 forty cords to the acre. If that wood had 

 • been sold at that time and the money put 

 out at interest it would now amount to 

 three hundred and sixty dollars for each 

 acre— yet the timber now on it, though it 

 has been cared for with scrupulous atten- 

 tion, will not bring two hundred dollars 

 per acre. — Maine Cultivator. 



CULTURE OF STRAWBERRIES IN 

 ALTERNATE STRIPS. 



A still more e asy and economical mode 

 [than that of culture in rows,] is that of 

 growing the strawberry in alternate strips. 



Early in April, or in August, being 

 provided with a good stock of strong 

 young plants, select a suitable piece of 

 good deep soil. Dig in a heavy coat of 

 stable manure, pulverizing well and raking 

 the top soil. Strike out the top rows, 

 three feet apart with a line. The plants 

 should now be planted along each line, 

 about a foot apart in the row. They will 



soon send out runners, and these runners 

 should be allowed to take possession of 

 every alternate strip of three feet — the 

 other .strip being kept bare by continually 

 destroying all runners upon it, the whole 

 patch being kept free of all weeds. The 

 occupied strip or bed of runners will now 

 give a heavy crop of strawberries, and 

 the open strip of three feet will serve as 

 an alley from which to gather the fruit. 

 After the crop is over, dig and prepare 

 this alley or strip, for the occupancy of 

 the new runners for the next season's crop. 

 The runners from the old strip will now 

 speedily cover the new space allotted to 

 them, and will perhaps require a partial 

 thinning out to have them evenly distri- 

 buted. As soon as this is the case, say, 

 about the middle of August, dig under 

 the whole of the bid plants with a light 

 coat of manure. The surface may be 

 then sown with turnips or spinage, which 

 will come off before the next season of 

 fruits. 



In this way the strips or beds, occupied 

 by the plants, are reversed every season, 

 and the same plat of ground may thus 

 be continued in a productive state for 

 many years. 



Both the above modes are so superior 

 to the common one of growing them more 

 closely in beds, that we shall not give any 

 directions respecting the latter. — Michi- 

 gan Farmer, 



From the American Farmer. 



ITEMS ON AGRICULTURAL EXPERI- 

 MENTS, FROM THE BRINKLE\- 

 VILLE ESTABLISHMENT, N. C. 



Mr. Editor,— Through pressof business 

 having been prevented from communi- 

 cating for your useful periodical, some 

 months, I now offer you items on several 

 subjects in a condensed compass, — and 



1. As to my vineyards, — I report pro- 

 gress therein by stating that the past vin- 

 tage has yielded me the rise of forty bar- 

 rels of wine, and that of a still improving 

 quality — every gallon of which, from past 

 experience, I calculate will be good and 

 saleable. Besides in the same vintage I 



