AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
245 
can be increased in size and quality, by training 
upon wires or as a tree, but it does so well in 
its natural bushy form, that few will be at the 
pains to change it. Currants are frequently 
grown by the acre for market, and the results 
compare favorably with those of the other small 
fruits. 
Strawberry Farming. 
It is only within a few years that the cultiva¬ 
tion of the small fruits on a large scale for mar¬ 
ket has been much pursued in this country. 
Now, however, strawberries, currants, black¬ 
berries, raspberries and cranberries, are culti¬ 
vated in plots of many acres in extent, and ordi¬ 
narily realizing to their owners great profits 
compared with the investment in land, labor, 
etc. At the recent strawberry show at the 
office of the American Agriculturist, among the 
berries showing the best cultivation, were some 
splendid Triomphe’s and Wilson’s, from Rev. L. 
M Pease, of the New-York Farm School, near 
Mt. Vernon, Westchester Co. This farm we 
visited, and it has many points of interest besides 
the strawberries. 
Mr. Pease is widely known for his beneficent 
and successful exertions in behalf of poor chil¬ 
dren of this City, he having given the character 
to the Five Points Mission, and House of Indus¬ 
try, which he may almost be said to have found¬ 
ed. Seeing the need of giving poor children a 
means of earning a respectable livelihood, he 
some years since purchased this farm and turned 
it over to the “ House of Industry,” when that 
body was incorporated, by which institution it 
is now leased to a Board of seven Managers of 
the most prominent benevolent citizens of New- 
York, of whom Mr. Pease is one. The Farm has 
been cleared of rocks, bushes, fences and water— 
the rocks buried and made into drains, the bushes 
and fences, except the stone walls, burned, the 
water gathered into pools at different levels to 
serve as reservoirs for irrigation. This he is pre¬ 
paring to conduct on an extensive scale, and now 
uses the water with marked advantage in some 
extensive strawberry beds. On this farm, in con¬ 
nection with other ordinary farm crops—corn, 
potatoes, rye, oats and grass—there are some 
five acres of strawberries in bearing and several 
more which will tsome into bearing next year. 
The varieties are chiefly Wilson’s Albany and 
Triomphe de Gaud. We estimated the yield at 
about 300 bushels to the acre, and Mr. Pease 
thinks that certain parts will yield at the rate of 
400 bushels of Wilson’s Albany. 
The culture of these strawberries, except the 
preliminary preparation of the ground which is 
very thorough, is done entirely by boys from 12 
to 15 years old, and we have never seen straw¬ 
berry beds cleaner or more flourishing, and we 
may add, we never saw such a profusion of fruit 
of a uniform, large, or above medium size. On 
a single plant 2 years old, taken at random, we 
counted more than 200 berries, green and ripe. 
In general, they are planted 14 inches apart with 
18 inches space between the rows. Grass and 
other farm crops showed excellent culture and 
looked finely. Mr. Pease uses an abundance of 
manure both from the stall and compost heap, 
and besides purchases fertilizers. He says he 
can not afford to farm without plenty of ma¬ 
nure, and if he can not make all lie wants he 
must buy it. 
The boys are encouraged to dilligence by cer¬ 
tain privileges and payments depending upon 
their steadiness and efforts. They each have 
garden patches to cultivate of their own, accord¬ 
ing to their own tastes. One is trying for the 
big squash or pumpldn premium at our proposed 
pumpkin show. Others have constructed un¬ 
aided a small “green-house,” where we found a 
moist atmosphere and the conditions of rapid 
growth; but it is too small and will be too much 
exposed to bear the winter. It would have been 
better on the south side of a big rock or half 
. buried up in the ground. Happier, pleasanter 
boys we never saw. They are in a fair way to 
make good farmers and gardeners. Snatched 
from surroundings which are the most debasing 
in this hot-bed of iniquity, (New-York City,) 
they are saved to themselves and to society. 
The number on the farm will be increased as 
fast as work can be provided. A fine new barn 
has been built, and other buildings are in con¬ 
templation. 
It is a great art to get a bushel of apples or 
choice pears from the tree into the basket with¬ 
out brusing one. They may be picked by hand, 
placed in a bag or basket, and transferred after¬ 
ward, when the picker comes down from the 
tree, into the barrel or large basket. We very 
much prefer to have a smart, active boy or 
two on the ground beneath the tree, or out a 
little on one side, to catch the fruit as fast as we 
pick it. This gives the picker both hands, and 
ability to draw in limbs and pick without jar- 
ing, and to take ripe or partially ripe fruit at 
pleasure. The fruit sustains no injury, if caught, 
and as it is placed in the basket or barrel, one 
or two at a time, this is all the handling requir¬ 
ed. It has no fall, even from a very small 
hight, and is absolutely unbruised. 
Fruit Pickers , however, are of use, and a good 
one is of great value. There are trees we can 
not climb into, and others, the limbs of which 
can not be brought within reach, so it becomes 
necessary or desirable, to have a means of pick¬ 
ing attached to a long pole. One of the best of 
these contrivances, whose name is legion, is the 
one illustrated above. It is Goodwin’s patent, 
and consists of a light, cast-iron frame, B, (bad 
if it were to drop and hit a stone,) upon one side 
of which a bag, to hold the fruit when picked, 
is attached. An interior part of the frame con¬ 
tracts the opening at either end, and conducts 
the stem of the apple or pear against a knife- 
blade c, which is intended to cut the stem; if the 
turning of the picker does not cause the fruit to 
drop. This will ordinarily occur; and it will be 
noticed, that a very good leverage to pick the 
fruit is obtained. The cost of the implement, 
we believe, is 50 cents. 
Packing Fruit for Transportation. 
Persons often wish to send packages of nice 
fruit to distant friends, yet fear it will not reach 
its destination without being badly bruised in 
the transit. There need be little fear of this, 
now that modes of packing are so nearly perfect, 
and express companies carry and deliver parcels 
with such care and dispatch. Among the ways 
of packing, here is one: Prepare a box of suit¬ 
able size, and provide a quantity of cotton wad¬ 
ding, and several sheets of tissue-paper. Put 
two layers of cotton on the bottom of the box. 
Wrap each specimen—be it peach, pear, plum, 
grape-cluster, or other fruit—in tissue-paper, and 
lay it on the cotton. If trouble is taken to tuck 
a bit of cotton between each specimen, it will 
be all the better. Over the first layer of fruit, 
place a sheet of wadding, and proceed as before 
until the box is full: then finish off with a lay¬ 
er of cotton moderately pressed down, to keep 
the fruit from shaking about. Nail on the cov¬ 
er firmly, and dispatch box to place of destina¬ 
tion. The aroma, and even the very bloom of 
the fruit, will be mostly preserved. Some per¬ 
sons use sweet bran, in place of the cotton, and 
with excellent success. 
What to do with Summer Fruit. 
Much Summer fruit is very transient, decay¬ 
ing even before it falls from the tree, and some¬ 
times even before it is ripe. This fs true of 
many pears. Picked, or shaken from the tree 
and picked over, they make excellent perry, 
which is like cider, but more delicate and wine¬ 
like. It needs a cool cellar to undergo its fer¬ 
mentation in. Apples should be made into ci¬ 
der. Sweet, it brings a high price in market, 
and is a delightful cooling beverage, but does 
not make so good cider as later, when fermen¬ 
tation is less rapid. The small hand mills and 
presses are very good for pressing fruits, and a 
family may supply itself with the juices for 
preservation, and considerable quantities for sale. 
Cockroaches and Croton-bugs. 
An Entomological correspondent of the Agri¬ 
culturist to whom we asked some questions about 
these creatures, writes: “ It is a comfort to us 
in considering these nuisances to think that 
neither of them originated in this country—the 
cockroach ( Blatta orientalis) being a native of In¬ 
dia, and thence carried all over the world by the 
aid of commerce, and the croton-bug {Blatta 
(Ectobius) germanica), originating in Europe. 
The croton-bug seems to thrive better in this 
country than at home, for in our large cities it 
is found in millions,, really taking the place 
of the prevalent cockroach in many localities. 
European writers, as far as I have seen, speak 
of it as not very abundant. We have several 
indigenous species of Blatta, but, like the abo¬ 
riginals, they seem to choose the freedom of the 
woods and fields. 
“ The cockroach is larger than the croton-bug, 
the former varying from 8 to 14 lines, and the lat¬ 
ter 5 to 10 lines in length. The first is of a rusty 
brown color—the head with a white dot on each 
side between the eyes—the wing covers abbre- 
