798 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER 
December 5 
parts of the celery. While this is being done the 
workman puts on another row of plants. When the 
first row is clean the platform is pushed along, bring¬ 
ing the second row under the water, and moving the 
clean row out so that it can be packed. Thus it goes 
on all day long without loss of time. 
A striking contrast is shown on page 799. Fig. 2G1 
shows how the original marsh looked when operations 
were begun, and also the first house erected in Celery- 
ville. Fig. 262 shows a part of this same marsh. This 
field was unbroken on .June 1. This picture was taken 
90 days later, and shows how this wild land has been 
tamed and trained to produce a cultivated crop. Fig. 
260 shows a part of the marsh the sec¬ 
ond year under cultivation. Here the 
celery is banked with earth for late use. 
There are many spots scattered 
throughout this country where com¬ 
munities could be made to thrive. 
Muck land is, no doubt, growing in 
favor, but there are few men who 
know its real needs. There is a great 
field open for future developments of 
this nature in Florida—the land of 
sand and muck. Mr. Hollister has 
«iad£ several visits to that State, and 
has been experimenting there for the 
past three years with a view to a 
development on a large scale. 
CUAKI.ES BBUCE STEVENS. 
OCTOBER STRAWBERRIES. 
On page 722, Mr. M. Mattison, of 
Bergen County, N. J., told us of pick¬ 
ing ripe strawberries on October 8, 
from plants that bore a heavy crop 
in July. Mr. Mattison now sends us 
the crop history of these plants : 
“ The land from which I picked my 
crop of October strawberries, has been 
almost continuously occupied with 
strawberries since 1880. I have 
grown, at least, 10 crops of straw¬ 
berries on the same land since 1880. 
Before renewing with a new plan¬ 
tation, I usually pick two crops, some¬ 
times three, from the same planting. 
The plantation from which I picked 
my October berries, was planted in 
the spring of 1894, in rows feet 
apart, 18 inches apart in the rows. 
The ground was prepared by plowing under an old 
patch in July previous, then plowing September 1, 
and again November 1, each time harrowing thor¬ 
oughly. I then put on about 20 cords of manure 
to the acre, well-rotted and harrowed in. 
“ In the spring of 1894, I plowed again May 1. 
litre is a point that should be considered : the prep¬ 
aration of the land by frequent 
plowing. And do not plow the last 
time until the ground is dry enough 
to pulverize well, and then plant all 
selected transplanted plants. By trans¬ 
planted plants I mean plants that have 
been dug early in April, and root- 
pruned, by cutting off at least one- 
half of the roots. Then dig a trench 
three inches deep, and place the 
plants in so that the collar of the 
plant comes just to the surface, one- 
half inch apart; four inches from 
this trench put in another row, and 
so on, each time pressing the ground 
gently, with the four-inch strip used 
to make the trench. It will be seen 
that 10,000 plants can be transplanted 
in this way, in a few rods of ground, 
and it can be done by a skillful hand¬ 
ler of the spade in about two days. 
Let these plants grow in the trenches 
for about three weeks, or until they 
have developed good tops, and are 
about ready to bloom. Then take 
them up, leaving a portion of the earth 
adhering (which can be easily done with the mass of 
roots accumulated), and plant at once in land freshly 
plowed and harrowed, and rolled with a light roller. 
“Some experienced growers will say that trans¬ 
planting plants in this wayvis foolishness. It would 
seem so. There is, however, much wisdom in the 
practice, first, because the plants have developed in 
root and top, so that one can readily discriminate be¬ 
tween the weak and the strong ones; don’t ever 
replant a weak plant. Second, because the plants are 
like ti’ansplanted trees; instead of commencing to run 
at once, they will develop into large stools by July 1. 
Third, best of all, because there will be no failures in 
the plantation, and whether one grow strawberries 
in hills, in narrow rows or wide matted rows, he will 
always have the ideal strawbeny row that we are all 
looking for. The plants are Shuster’s Gem, Long 
Island Beauty, Enhance and Beder Wood alternated 
every three rows. The Beder Wood gives the pollen 
for the early flowers and the Enhance for the later 
ones. These kinds all bring large, fancy fruit. Long 
Island Beauty is simply an improved Bubach. 
“ Whole crates of these berries measured 2% to 3 
inches across the berries. This plantation covered 
about 65,000 square feet, about 1% acre, and was cov¬ 
ered in December, 1895, with leaf mold two inches 
deep (not leaves), flanked on each side of the row with 
about the same quantity of rotted manure. The 
yield was about 8,000 quarts, which sold for over .1900. 
Average per quart, 11% cents. This, however is 
unfair as to yield, as if the plantation had all been 
the four leading kinds, they would have brought 
12,250. A large part of the patch was made up of 
about 90 kinds for testing. The plants that bore my 
October fruit have borne three crops of fruit—June, 
1895 ; June, 1896; October, 1896 The Beder Wood 
bore from September 20 to October 1. Enhance from 
October 1 to 10, when Jack Frost appeared. The 
plants at this date were full of flowers and green 
fruit. Had the plants all been of these two kinds, 
and Jack Frost delayed his visit for 10 days, I could 
have picked, at least, 2,000 quarts of October berries, 
worth, at least—but excuse me from naming the 
price, for I do not care to be quoted as telling ‘ big 
stories ’ about my fruit.” 
Apples fob New Jeksey. —Is the Paragon apple a 
more profitable variety to grow for the shipping 
trade than the Ben Davis ? Is it as great a yielder ? 
Will it succeed as well in this part of New Jersey as 
the Ben Davis ? m. o. t. 
Red Bank, N. J. 
NOT ALL “ SUCCESS " WITH EARLY LAMBS. 
FBAUD8 BY LIVE-STOCK DEALEBS. 
The reading of “ Success in Early Lamb Raising,” 
by L. A. Clinton, calls to my mind my own experi¬ 
ences and those of others I know, and the fallacies of 
it. There are individual successes in hothouse lamb 
raising, as in everything else, but all things must be 
favorable, location especially, for express charges 
represent a large factor in figuring the profit. The 
writer of the article did not tell the public how much 
expressage and commission he had to pay, but gives 
only the price the lambs brought in the market. If 
he figure out these items, it may 
change his profit until it would show 
that he would have had more money 
if the lambs had been kept longer 
and run and fattened in the rape. 
It costs money to raise hothouse 
lambs. It costs more to put lambs in 
the market at 60 days old than at four 
months, the one weighing about 50 
pounds, the other 100. Extra prep¬ 
aration of warm, roomy quarters, ex¬ 
tra care and feed of the ewe, before 
and after lambing, are necessary. As 
soon as the lamb will eat at all, it must 
do so, and every means be used that 
can be devised to induce large con¬ 
sumption, for the lamb must fatten if 
it is to go to market. The ewe must be 
fed an extra amount as well, and with 
all these, many lambs will grow but 
refuse to fatten enough to make them 
prime, at so young an age. It is im¬ 
possible to have lambs dropped as 
wanted; I have never been able to 
get a lamb dropped before December, 
and many more in a flock of 100 ewes 
will come in February. Hence, as the 
lambs come from December to March, 
if one attempt to send them to market 
at 40 to 50 pounds, the high feeding 
is continued a long time, snd the 
marketing is, like L. A. Clinton’s, a 
few each week or two. Those that 
do not fatten and those that are 
dropped too late, must be carried into 
the summer or fall anyway, and I 
believe that fully as much could be 
made upon the whole lot if they 
were fed more moderately, came 
later and were marketed from the rape later in a 
bunch, and sold to the shipper at home. 
If the lambs be dropped in March—or February, if 
you prefer—they will come faster, and give the 
shepherd in a flock of 100 or more plenty to do to look 
after them. There should, at that time, be from five 
to ten every 24 hours, and the lambs will be so nearly 
one age, that they will be even and 
feed and look more uniform. The 
ewes and lambs can be fed upon a fair 
ration all together, thus saving much 
time. They will grow and frame up 
nicely, and, when grass comes, can all 
be got ready for market in a few weeks 
when it may suit the owner best to do 
so. They will average, if fat, 100 
pounds at any time after July 1, and 
will, I think, generally speaking, 
bring more money than the lambs 
from the same ewes would if they 
had been bred for early lambs. Be¬ 
sides, where would the fancy winter 
lamb market be if any considerable 
portion of those who raise lambs 
should try to get them to market 
early ? 
These extra out-of-season produc¬ 
tions will and do give a profit to a 
few, but it is bad advice to give that 
it shall be engaged in by any consider¬ 
able number of the producers. Loss 
will surely follow if undertaken by the 
many. There may be secrets known 
only to a few about the early or fall production of lambs 
I know that there are such, for we see them sometimes, 
but by what manner they are produced I know not. 
It is claimed by some that it is in the breed of the 
sheep, but my experiences do not bear out this state¬ 
ment. I have five imported Dorset ewes and their 
produce by imported rams and pure home-bred ewes 
and rams, with plenty of grades three-fourths bred ; 
but though I have kept the rams with these ewes the 
year ’round, and kept the flock, some in high, some in 
low flesh, have let the lambs run with some, sold the 
lambs of others in February, do what I would, never 
a lamb dropped until the middle of December. The 
Shropshire and South Down ewes were only about 10 
days behind them. The Dorset ewe is a good mother, 
a good feeder and milker ; the lamb has an enormous 
THE HOLLISTER WASHING AND COOLING MACHINE. Fig. 259. 
THE SECOND YEAR OF CELERY GROWING. Fig. 260. 
