228 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
August | 
Good Strawberries for Everybody. 
Everybody loves good strawberries. Every¬ 
body would have them in abundance, if it could be 
afforded. Everybody living in the country, al¬ 
most everybody dwelling in villages, and many 
city residents can afford to have them, if they 
only think so, and know how. A bushel of mag¬ 
nificent, luscious, home-grown strawberries, can 
be produced about as cheaply as a bushel of po¬ 
tatoes, and with less risk of failure. They re¬ 
quire no more ground ; we have raised over 2^ 
bushels on a single square rod, and others have 
done better than this; but allowing only one 
bushel to the rod, the product is about as large as 
the average yield of potatoes. The cultivation 
involves some more labor. While the larger fruits 
require years to come into bearing, strawberries 
begin to produce returns the next year after plant¬ 
ing. Most other fruits have suffered from insects ; 
strawberries as yet have escaped in most locali¬ 
ties. 
Nothing would please U3 more than to know 
that in every family visited by the Agriculturist , 
there would be next Summer, and in years fol¬ 
lowing, a fine. supply of improved strawberries, 
such berries as have abounded in the New-York 
markets the present season. And we think this 
would be the case, could we convince our readers 
as to the comparatively little trouble and expense 
required. 
Strawberries multiply very rapidly. A dozen, 
or even a half dozen plants, set out in Spring, 
will produce many hundreds during the season, 
if space be given to the runners ; and a fair crop 
of fruit will be realized the next year. Those 
set out in August or September will frequently 
multiply the same season, and generally fruit 
the next Spring. We have had a medium yield 
from those set as late as the middle of Octo¬ 
ber. They may be set in the latter part of this 
month (August), and get a fair growth, but Sep¬ 
tember is a better month, if they are to be 
carried far. If the plants can be obtained near 
at hand, and be removed with the runners al¬ 
ready started still clinging to them, they will 
produce many new plants this year, and fruit 
next season, if transplanted at any time between 
now and Sept. 15th. 
Ground for strawberries should be deeply 
spaded, and made fertile, if not so already. 
They will grow on almost any soil, but richly 
repay a good supply of rotten manure worked 
into the soil. Put the plants into large holes, 
pour in plenty of water, and cover as described 
last month under “ transplanting.” Let the 
crown, or base of the leaves, stand as high as 
the natural surface of the ground after settling; 
the crown should not be covered with earth. 
Most of the better kinds of strawberries of es¬ 
tablished value, can now be got of reliable deal¬ 
ers in various parts of the country, for a small 
price—seldom above 25 to 50 cents per dozen 
ready packed, and generally $1 to $1 50 per hun¬ 
dred, exclusive of packing. They can be carried 
to almost any distance, except in very hot, dry 
weather. Half a dozen persons ir. a neighbor¬ 
hood may conveniently unite and send for sever¬ 
al dozens in one box, and thus reduce the express 
or other charges. Once introduced into any 
place they will soon multiply enough to supply a 
large number of persons. Every neighborhood 
not having done so, should make a beginning this 
very year. 
There are twenty or thirty new varieties, of 
large size and superior flavor, any one of which 
•would be an acquisition. We advise those just 
beginning their culture, to take only a few sorts 
at first—some of those long tried and proved. 
Such are Wilson’s Albany, Hovey’s Seedling, 
Longworth’s Prolific, Ward’s Seedling, Hooker, 
Early Scarlet, etc. These are all advertised in 
our columns by reliable dealers, or they will be 
in the September number. We will describe a 
few of these, taking them in the order we would 
advise beginners to select. 
Wilson's Albany .—This is a comparatively new 
variety, but now quite abundant. Its highest re¬ 
commendation is its great bearing and the large 
size of the fruit. (We received a basket from 
Mr. Richardson, of Albany, last month, which 
averaged about 4 inches in circumference.) For 
our own eating we do not like this so well as 
several others, on account of its acidity. Sugar 
will make up this defect, and sugar is now cheap. 
The plants want good soil, plenty of manure, and 
frequent renewing by cultivating the runners, or 
they will be exhausted in a year or two by over¬ 
bearing. The plant is perfect (hermaphrodite) 
needing no other plant near to fertilize it. In pro¬ 
ductiveness it stands at the head of the list of well 
tried sorts. 
Hovey's Seedling .—This has been long known, 
is a good bearer, and the fruit large, fine appear¬ 
ing, and of good flavor. In this vicinity it is a 
standard fruit to cultivate for market. It is pis¬ 
tillate and should have some perfect kinds such 
as Wilson's Albany, Longworth’s Prolific, or 
Early Scarlet, near to fertilize the fruit. 
Longworth's Prolific, is also well known and 
well approved, and ranks along side of Hovey’s 
Seedling, with which it is a good variety to plant 
as a fertilizer, Longworth’s being perfect in itself. 
Ward's Seedling .—This we illustrated in last 
volume, p. 181. We have examined it growing 
largely this year, and under a variety of.culture. 
We think it is a valuable addition and worthy of 
general trial. In a plot of two acres, on soil un¬ 
manured for twelve years past, it was growing 
finely and yielding abundantly. In the same field 
some rows of old approved sorts which were 
planted and treated similarly, were not half so 
vigorous or productive. We intend to put out a 
good sized plot this month. Fruit large, highly 
flavored, on a high strong foot-stalk. 
Hooker .—A Rochester Seedling of large size, 
frequently cockscomb shaped, deep crimson color, 
tender, and very prolific in some localities, espe¬ 
cially near where it originated. Flowers perfect. 
Some beds in this vicinity have not done well 
the present year. 
Early Scarlet or Large Early Scarlet, is the 
common wild berry, improved by cultivation. 
It is one of the earliest sorts, and largely used 
as a fertilizer, being hermaphrodite. Medium 
size, good flavor, and productive. Wilson’s Al¬ 
bany, Longworth’s Prolific, and others are fast 
supplanting it. 
Scarlet Magnate. —This is one of the largest 
berries grown, and has many excellent points. 
We shall put out a plot of these also the present 
month. 
Felton's Seedling. This was first called “Im¬ 
proved Albany Seedling.” We put out some 
plants last Fall, but t o late to judge of the fruit 
this year. From all we can gather it appears to 
be little, if any, different from tho original Wil- 
son’s Albany—perhaps a little improved in flavor 
by good culture in the vicinity of Philadelphia. 
Peabody's Seedling .—This has been condemned 
in many places as a poor bearer, while in others 
it is well spoken of. With us it produces fairly, 
and the fruit is of such superior excellence, that 
we shall by no means discard it, but give it more 
room and keep it in hills. We can afford a little 
more ground for the same amount of good 
fruit. Many skillful cultivators have this year 
pronounced the Peabody the best variety they 
have had grown, every thing considered. 
■-- nqfll f | cfc i-- 
Preparing Fruit for Market. 
Most fruits need no preparation beside what 
nature gives them : they are beautiful beyond the 
reach of art. But there are some sorts, certain 
kinds of pears, for example, whose appearance 
maybe much improved by a little care. The 
Bartlett pear, for instance, is often ripe enough 
for market before it has taken on that golden and 
slightly ruddy hue which marks its complete ma¬ 
turity. By gathering it four or five days before 
marketing, the skin being yet green, and then 
packing it in boxes about two feet square and 
eight inches deep, using some soft, woolen sub¬ 
stance at the bottom of the box and between the 
layers, the fruit goes through a sweating process 
which hastens maturity and gives it a rich yellow 
color which makes it very attractive to purchas¬ 
ers. We know of several markets where pears 
so treated command almost any price the fruit- 
raiser chooses to ask. We have seen baskets of 
Bartletts offered, equally as large and as good 
in every respect as these, but being green-colored, 
they brought only half the price. 
Cotton batting, for some reason, does not seem 
to be as good a packing material as some woolen 
substance: it does not ripen the fruit as quick, 
nor give as fine a blush to the skin. Let fruit¬ 
growers make note of these things. 
-o———----• 
A Mechanic’s Homestead 
We have endeavored to make it a prominent 
aim in conducting the Agriculturist to show that 
mechanics, clerks, and professional men, may en¬ 
joy in their little plots many of the rural comforts 
and luxuries that are usually supposed to be ac¬ 
cessible to farmers only. The plot of Mr. J. II. 
Smith, which was illustrated and minutely de¬ 
scribed in a former volume, was a case in point, 
and we are glad to know, that article has stim¬ 
ulated hundreds if not thousands of other mechan¬ 
ics to secure similar home surroundings. Perhaps 
the following may be one of them—it is at least 
an example worthy of study and imitation. We 
copy from the Newark (N. J.) Mercury : 
The other day, happening in the upper part of 
the city, we dropped into the snuggery of a friend, 
who, at a trivial outlay, has secured a home such 
as every mechanic and laboring man should pos¬ 
sess. On a plot of ground, lOOby 200 feet, which 
cost but a thousand dollars, he has erected an ele¬ 
gant little cottage, with all the necessary modern 
conveniences, costing in all about fifteen hundred 
dollars, and this he has surrounded by every pos¬ 
sible attraction, the expense of which is hardly 
thought of in the gratification which their pres¬ 
ence affords. The ground is laid out with walks, 
which are lined with plants and shrubbery, while 
over the dwelling a wreath of vines pencil their 
Summer romances as they climb to the eaves. 
The garden is stocked with vegetables of every 
description, and a strawberry bed, in fearful 
proximity to a main walk, lures every visitor by 
its profusion of fruit, lying with blushing cheeks 
under shelter of the trailing vines. 
Flower-beds abound in all directions, each pos¬ 
sessing something rare and wonderful. There 
are grape-vines grown from plants brought from 
Rhenish vineyards ; there are plants and roots 
brought from Japan ; there are fruit trees, thrifty 
as they are various—and everything which the 
eye could wish to see is there blooming and lux¬ 
uriant. In one patch of ground, about eight by 
