90 
THE CULTIVATOR 
March, 
Perpetual Bearing Strawberries. 
In compliance with your request in the last number 
of the Country Gentleman, I am happy to give you 
briefly Mr. Peabody’s method of cultivating Ilovey’s 
Seedling and Early Scarlet strawberries at his residence 
in Columbus, Georgia, so as to ensure them in contin¬ 
ual bearing from March till January following. 
Mr. C. A. Peabody is the Horticultural Editor of the 
“ Soil of the South,” at Columbus Ga., and besides his 
published account, I have by a personal interview, 
learned every minute particular of his method. In 
addition, in our correspondence during the past season, 
Mr. P. has in different months sent me specimens of his 
ripe fruit, pressed upon his letters, in proof of their be¬ 
ing still in bearing, and on the 20th Dec., he took up 
earth, fruit and plants, some 20 plants in full bearing, 
and sent them in that condition to Messrs. Thorbum, 
& Co., by express, which delivered them in perfect con¬ 
dition on the 24th Dec., loaded with fruit from the size 
of a large pea to the full ripe Hovey, of three inches 
in circumference. There could be no mistake. They 
were the genuine Hovey Seedling. The leaves were 
very small, generally about the size of a shilling piece 
—never as large as a two shilling piece, and I noticed 
one plant with scarce half a'dozen of those small but 
very vigorous leaves, and ten or more Ho-vey* s berries, 
a number of which were fully ripe. 
Mi*. P. has no doubt they can be raised North, with 
great ease, so as to ripen continually from June to the 
time of frost in September. He says: “We are as¬ 
tonished that in the moister, colder latitudes of the 
North, they do not have strawberries from frost to 
frost again.” In his directions he says, the four great 
requisites are “ proper location, vegetable manure,shade 
to the ground, and Water, Water, Water!” In regard 
to location, he says: “No plant or tree should be near 
the bed; the strawberry bed loves a shade, but not a 
shade that sucks its very life blood out.” The lowest 
part of the garden, the bank of some little stream oi 
water, are proper localities, and when it is possible se¬ 
lect new land. As to soil, our beds are on as poor pine 
land as Gopher or Salamander ever built into pyra¬ 
mids.” Next, “ use only vegetable manures; and the 
whole secret of strawberry culture is to cultivate for 
fruit and not for vine or blossom. The groud designed 
for the strawberry bed should be plowed or spaded as 
deep as tools can well make it. If the soil is light 
and thin, a thick coat of swamp or muck partially de¬ 
composed leaves, with leached or unleached ashes will 
fine to turn under. Place the plants, when the ground 
is thoroughly pulverized and levelled, two feet apart. 
If fruit be the object, cover the whole surface of the 
ground with partially decomposed leaves or straw, and 
as the first runners begin to show themselves, take 
them off. When the v ne has once commenced fruiting, 
it will show little disposition to run if not over stimula¬ 
ted. The plants must have water to set the fruit and 
swell it when set. We care not how much water they 
have when in bloom. If the seaon proves dry we give 
water to set the fruit by artificial rain ; and unless it 
rain twice a week, we give artificial rain to sWell the 
fruit, and then we give artificial rain to set the next 
fruit stems, and all this notwithstanding the thick 
mulching or moist location. Fear not to give too much 
water, morning and evening.” 
Mr. P. also says we tried “ five square yards by wa¬ 
tering with highly fertilized liquid manure morning and 
evening, superadding copious waterings of pure water. 
The crop of vines was enormous—it was impossible 
almost to keep the runners down—the plants produced 
only one crop of fruit, and that no larger fruit than from 
the dwarfish vines around. Under our hot sun, these 
long stems lie wilting on the ground, while their bro¬ 
thers around hold up their shiny heads, rejoicing as 
well in the noon-day sun as in the dewey eve.” 
I might add more, but I think I have been particu¬ 
lar enough—if not, I will .be glad to write on any 
other point. 
From my observation during the past few years, I 
am inclined to the opinion that Mr. Peabody’s plan, 
thoroughly carried out, will succeed at the North. You 
will bear me witness that I have long harped upon the 
pre-eminent importance of cultivating the strawberry 
for the fruit and not for vine and blossom. 
Those acclimated or trained Hovey and Scarlet vines 
I have taken care of in a hot-house for future experi¬ 
ments. It will take a year or two, with vigorous, large 
leafed Iloveys, to reduce their habits so as to conform 
easily to this treatment and bear freely without feeling 
the shock of the new treatment. 
I regret I cannot on my favored garden spot in Pal¬ 
myra, give this method a fair trial. It was not until 
the last fall I became fully acquainted with the details 
of Mr. Peabody’s plan, and now I must transfer the 
experiment mainly to our friends in the country. 
New-York, Jan. 24, 1854. It. G. P. 
Hautbois Strawberry and Charter Oak Grape. 
Messrs. Editors —I wish to know if the strawber¬ 
ry known as the Prolific or Conical Hautbois is a good 
marketable variety ; also if the Charter Oak grape is 
a valuable kind of grape for garden culture. Your 
opinion on the above mentioned fruits through the Cul¬ 
tivator will be thankfully received. Yours, S. Hin- 
man. Augusta, N. Y., Jan. 9, 1854. 
The Prolific Hautbois has two qualities that greatly 
increase its value for market, and these are its high 
fruit stalks, which raise the fruit above the leaves, and 
thus facilitate gathering as well as keep the berries 
clean; and its unequalled vigor and hardiness of 
growth. Its musky flavor is a great drawback on its 
general popularity, as most persons will reject it when 
they can get other strawberries, while a few prefer its 
peculiar flavor to all others. 
The Charter Oak grape is very large, but from a lit¬ 
tle experience with its flavor, we incline to the opin¬ 
ion that it can never be much esteemed. 
To the Point. —A subscriber, in remitting his sub¬ 
scription, adds the following: “P. S. Keep to the 
practical, if you would plow among farmers. Publish 
ail the well made experiments, and imJtsce farmers to 
note their practice and its results.” 
