Vol. LV. No. 2409 .'. 
NEW YORK, MARCH 28, 1896. 
$1.00 PER YEAR. 
A LIVING FROM TWO ACRES! 
STRAWBERRY, CELERY, CABBAGE AND HENS. 
The Rules, the Rotation and the Ration. 
About 10 years ago, when living upon a large dairy 
farm, I set a small plot to strawberries for my own 
use. I succeeded in growing more than were needed 
in our family, and I carried the surplus to our village, 
and sold them readily. My little plot of one or two 
square rods was, in three or four years, enlarged to 
one-quarter of an acre. During the time, I did some 
experimenting, trying different varieties, different 
methods of culture, different fertilizers, etc. My one- 
quarter of an acre gave me a net profit of over $100. 
Finding a large market for them in my own town, I 
began to think of making berry growing my business. 
With this in view, I sold my interest in the dairy 
farm, and bought a small one of two acres, near the 
village. 
After coming into possession, I set, the first spring, 
all the land that was in condition for them, about 
one-half acre, to strawberries. The soil, a deep, clay 
loam, seemed well adapted to them, and the plants 
made a fine growth. I had been planning to grow 
some cabbage for market, and about 
July 1, had several thousand fine plants. 
Not having enough land in good con¬ 
dition for them, it occurred to me, why 
not set them between the rows of 
strawberry plants? The ground had 
been heavily manured, and frequent 
cultivation between the rows had put 
it in fine condition for the plants. The 
result of setting cabbage* plants be¬ 
tween the rows of strawberries, was 
about 4,000 cabbages. They were but 
little in the way of the strawberry 
plants, and paid the whole expense of 
growing the strawberries, including 
labor and fertilizers and something 
more. 
The next year, I set another one-half 
acre to strawberries and cabbages, and 
have continued to do so with good re¬ 
sults. I run my strawberry beds two 
years, so have an acre in bearing each 
year, and a new bed of one-half acre 
growing. Not wishing to lose the use 
of the land, the remainder of the sea¬ 
son, after picking the old strawberry COMPLETE 
bed for the last time the first week in 
July, I began to try growing celery on 
it, as a second crop. The ground had been mulched 
with manure, and 1 had no trouble in growing a good 
crop of late celery. My practice before had been to 
seed the old bed with grass seed in the fall, and take 
a crop of hay the next year, then plow and plant to 
strawberries the following spring. For the use of 
the one-half acre during this time, I obtained about 
a ton of hay, worth about $10. 1 now grow a crop of 
late celery on the old bed, and the next year a crop 
of early celery, and for both crops I get from $300 to 
$500 for the use of the ground about 1 )4 year; so 
with my rotation now, I have each year one-half acre 
of celery and one acre of strawberries, and a new bed 
of strawberries with cabbages growing between them. 
Last year, I grew cauliflowers instead of cabbages 
to a small extent, and find that they take less room 
in strawberries, and I get better prices for .them. If 
the home market demand them, and I think that it 
will, I can raise from 4,000 to 5,000 on the one-half 
acre, and sell them about pickling time for 10 or 15 
cents per head. 
Some Live Stock Partners. 
When I began this business, my largest expense 
was for fertilizers ; the manure from one horse went 
but a little way. To add to that made on the farm, I 
commenced keeping hens. In two or three years, my 
flock was increased to over 100. I made it a point to 
try to get early pullets that would lay in the winter 
when I had time to give them special care. I put 
them in warm houses, divided them into flocks of 25, 
and try to feed them after the most approved methods. 
I feed only a little soft feed in the morning, then 
several times during the day scatter a little wheat on 
the floor, cover it with litter and let them work for 
it. I feed cut bone and meat from the butcher, give 
them my loose heads of cabbage and celery trimmings. 
The trimmings not wanted for the hens, are fed to 
the horse. The outside leaves are removed from the 
cabbages, and these with grain are his only food for 
three or four months. 
I went to New York City and found a grocer who 
was willing to pay me a fancy price for guaranteed 
strictly fresh eggs of good size. I bought some of my 
neighbors at times, when I could not supply him, so 
as to hold his trade. I always sent the eggs perfectly 
clean, candled them when doubtful, and graded them 
for size. I keep P. Rocks and Leghorns, and the 
profit per hen is from 75 cents to $1. 
In addition to the manure that is made on the farm, 
MODEL OF A PLANK-FRAME BANK BARN. Fig. 65. See page 215. 
berries. The ground having received a heavy dressing 
of manure before setting the strawberries, it requires 
no further fertilizing for the cabbages. Before set¬ 
ting them, I go through with a cultivator, then again 
with a light plow, going half way between the straw¬ 
berries, running it to a depth of three or four inches. 
I grow the Early Winnigstadt cabbages and Early 
Snowball cauliflowers. 
About this time I let some of the strongest straw¬ 
berry runners root, and try to have them five or six 
inches apart. I let them till up the rows until they 
almost cover the ground ; they will run very close to 
the cabbages from which I remove the bottom leaves 
as soon as they are in the way. I plow out these sur¬ 
plus plants in the spring, and what I do not need for 
resetting a new bed, I set between my rows of early 
celery, taking them up in clumps ; they bear almost 
a full crop, and 1 can pick the berries and cultivate 
them out in time to bank the celery. 
1 keep all weeds out of the strawberries until late 
in the fall, and during the winter mulch them with 
manure. I leave this on in the spring to retain moist¬ 
ure, loosening it in places where it is too thick. I 
continue to stir the soil around the plants, in the 
spring, and keep down all weeds till 
the berries are nearly ripe. 
The berries are sold in my own and 
neighboring villages, part of them 
from the market wagon, and part to 
dealers. I realize from 8 to 12 cents 
per quart, and pay from 1% to 2 cents 
for picking. In a good year, I get 
from 100 to 200 bushels per acre. I 
have tried many varieties of straw¬ 
berries and have settled on only a few. 
The Warfield is the best selling berry 
I grow. Besides this, I have Haver- 
land, Bubach, Parker Earle and Cum¬ 
berland, which give good satisfaction. 
For early celery, I start the plants in 
a hotbed about April 1. If I try to get 
them earlier than this, a large number 
of them will run to seed, and even at 
this date, I have some plants run to 
seed. I thin them in the hotbed and 
transplant directly to the open ground 
in May. I set them in rows 2% feet 
apart, and six inches in the row, and 
cultivate them almost entirely with a 
cultivator and wheel-hoe. This crop 
I buy about 50 one-horse loads costing about $25, the 
most of which is used for mulching the strawberries. 
The most profitable way for me to use the hen 
manure, is to mix it with plaster under the roosts, 
pulverize it, and then scatter it in the rows before 
setting celery plants. My experience with commer¬ 
cial fertilizers has not been very satisfactory. I some¬ 
times use them in the rows before setting plants, 
leaving a few alternate rows without any ; but only in 
wet seasons have I obtained much benefit from them. 
How the Thing is Done. 
Here is my plan of growing and marketing my crops : 
For strawberries, after many experiments with dif¬ 
ferent methods, I have adopted the following: I set 
them as early in the spring as I can work the ground, 
always using plants from new beds that have never 
fruited. I set them in rows about three feet apart, 
and one foot apart in the row. I commence to culti¬ 
vate in a few days, first going through with a horse, 
and then finishing up with a wheel-hoe. This I can 
run very close to the plant, leaving but little hand 
weeding. I follow this plan until about July 1, keep¬ 
ing all runners off until then. I now set my cabbage 
and cauliflower plants between the rows of straw¬ 
is blanched mostly with boards, and 
sold during August, September and 
October. The variety sown for this crop is White 
Plume. 
For the late crop, I sow Giant Pascal and Golden 
Dwarf in the open ground, and transplant after plow¬ 
ing my two-year-old strawberry bed, usually from 
July 1 to 15. This crop is treated much the same as 
the early one, but it is not blanched where it grows. 
About the middle of October, I begin to take it up 
and set it in narrow trenches. These are covered by 
a roof made by nailing two boards together, which 
keeps the water out of it. Before very cold weather, 
I draw manure and throw over the rows. I put a 
portion of this late crop in the cellar, storing alto¬ 
gether about 12,000 bunches. I commence to market 
it about Thanksgiving, and sell the greater part dur¬ 
ing the holidays. Like the berries, a part is sold from 
the market wagon and part to dealers. The retail 
price is 4 and 5 cents per bunch, and the wholesale 
price 2 % and 3 cents. The most of the cabbages are 
sold on the ground to farmers in the town, and others 
who think that they can buy them cheaper than they 
can raise them. The price obtained is generally $4 
per 100. 
The fence around the farm is lined with grapes, 
raspberries and currants, which yield a small in- 
