J^iy, 
168 
THE 
SEASONABLE HINTS. 
Wiatevev differences of opinion m.ay exist 
in regard to the merits or demerits of culti¬ 
vating Strawberries during spring, there are 
certainly none as to the necessity of giving 
them a thorough cleaning after bearing, and 
to keep them well cultivated during the re¬ 
mainder of summer. 
Old Strawberry Beds.—The sooner after bear- 
are attended to the bettei, and in 
many, if not most cases, the most suitable 
attention to give them will be to spade them 
under and plant new ones. To weed and 
cultivate an old, neglected Strawberry bed 
is a thankless task, and much more laborious 
than the prep.ariug and planting of a new 
one. Although some varieties will continue 
to be.ar for four and five years, it proves sel¬ 
dom profitable to take oil' more than two 
crops from the same plants. 
Neio Bede, where the young plants are 
grown on the place, can be made during 
summer as successfully as at any time. In 
small gardens, and in larger ones too, some¬ 
times, tbe difiiculty presents itself that the 
entire ground has been planted earlier in the 
season, and now, when a new Strawberry 
bed is contemplated, no available place can 
be found for it. This difficulty may be 
avoided, however, by renewing one-lialf of 
the plants every year. IMiile, on general 
principles, it is preferable to plant on ground 
that has been devoted to some other crop, 
.and when such is possible it may be better 
to do so, it is nevertheless a fact, that in 
some soils Strawberries maj- be grown on 
the same ground for many years, if liberal 
manuring is given. AVe know beds that have 
been in Strawberries for ten years, and the 
crops are as bountiful now as evei’. 
In one instance there are twelve rows, two 
feet apart, and the plants in the rows one foot 
.apart. One-half are renewed every year 
The plants set out two years ago are siraded 
under immediatel}'after bearing, ineorpoi’at- 
ing at the same time a heavy dressing of 
composted manure. The ground is raked 
over occasionally, so as to .kill every weed 
as soon as it germin.ates. 
'Hie remaining six rows, which wei’cplanted 
one year ago, are hoed and cleaned, and all 
runners removed except one or two of the 
strongest from each plant, which are layererl 
in the loose soil. ,So soon as the young 
plants are large enough, they arc taken up 
on a damp or cloudy d.ay and carefully trans¬ 
ferred to the new bed without distiirhing 
their roots. 'J’he plants do not seem to no¬ 
tice the removal at all, they keej; growing 
on uninterruptedly, and hardly one in a Imn- 
di-ed is lost. 'I'hey will hciir a very goorl 
crop next season, .and a still better one in 
two years, while next summer they furnish 
young plants for the other half of the bed 
to be renewed in the same manner. 
I'his i)]an may not prove satisfactoi'y on 
some soils, in fact we know it docs mot suc¬ 
ceed everywhere, but having the .above ob¬ 
servation before us, we would suia-.ly prefei' 
to repliint without rotation of gi-oiinil, tlnin 
not to plant at all, and run the risk of goim-- 
witliout .Strawberries. ” 
OULTIVATINa STKAWBEEEIBS. 
Too many owners of ®''!'”''^^®"/cautioned 
fortunately, will not requne 
.against avoiding cultivation a • y 
the year, yet as spring cultiv.a .on has Jeen 
strongly recommended recently, 
state that my experience does not avoi Un 
Ulan and leads me to (he conclusion that 
during the fruiting season, or f rom t le im^ 
the plants blossom until the .)uicy 1 
harvested, it is not s.afe to stir s°il to 
any considerable depth. The reason J o. LI s 
is obvious. The plants arc putting .foith 
every effort to produce fruit to their fu c.- 
pacity, and if the roots are injured at this 
time, especially when the soil is dry, it is 
sure to check the growth and consefiuent y 
diminish the fruit crop. _ 
A case in point is that of an elderly friend 
of mine, now deceased, who a fewyears ago, 
having retired from active labors in the inin- 
istry, developed an innate taste for gardening 
in a well-carcd-for little .Strawberry bed con¬ 
taining a few plants each of the choicest 
varieWes. This patch of Strawberries was 
really a pet of the good old gentleman. 
The first time it furnished a supply of 
fruit it was presented in payment with a lib- 
er.al dressing of fine compost, lightly worked 
in between the rows. Unluckily this con¬ 
tained a quantity of vile weed seed which 
had escaped decaj'. This was a source of 
trouble during the remainder of tiiat season. 
The following spring a light hoeing was 
given soon after the winter mulch was re¬ 
moved, but during the blossoming season 
the weeds came up thicklj'. The ill health 
of the owner prevented his personal atten¬ 
tion to the matter, so a neighbor, with more 
good will th.an knowledge of Strawberry 
culture, gave the whole bed a deep stirring 
with a prong-hoe, undoubtedly compliment¬ 
ing himself on the thoroughness of his work. 
The result, 1 regret to say, w.as a f.ailure 
of the crop and a lusting injury to the bed, 
much to the disaiipointment of the owner. 
The experience, however, iiroved a practical 
lesson to both himself and to the neighbor. 
AV. H. llA.M). 
FEUIT GEOAyiNG IN FLOEIDA. 
A northern cori'espondent of 'I'iik A.micu- 
ICAX Oakdkx, writes me as follows: “Aly 
health demands I should seek a milder cli¬ 
mate, and my attention has been drawn 
towards Florida. Could I not make more 
than a living at small fruit growing there, 
•Strasyberries, principallyf I sec fretpient 
mention in the jiapers of the large quantities 
ol bei-ries sent Xorth from that State.” 
Yes, the i)aj)ers frequently teem with such 
items as the following, whieh I noticed in a 
Floidda j)aper to-day. “An Ocala fruit 
grower picked and shipped in two days hast 
week, 700 quarts of Strawberries from'three- 
sevenths of an acre of ground.” 
This reads nicely and makes visions of 
wealth and profit loom up in the distance. 
ILwoul.l amount to l(i;i;( .p.arts orfil hu.shels 
l.er acre m two days, .and wo would natur- 
idly suppose two or three, piekingH had pre- 
eededorvvmddsuccee,lit,whicI,wouhls.^^^ 
'll more. ir puragraphlst 
lad only added tl.e net easl. receipts to the 
ten. It m.glit have given it a little mo.'e fas- 
.nwtioii, and ha,vc been moi-e huslness-like 
J''"" to say that the only Instance I 
have seen that looked at all like a promising 
success in Florida Strawbeny culture was 
near Ocala, the owner having then about 
ten acres in bearing, from which he expected 
or hoped to pick 20,000 quarts. If the state¬ 
ment quoted refers to him and is true, his 
expectotions, which to me appeared rather 
hi"]!, would seem about to be realized from 
only a portion of the crop. His first pick¬ 
ing was made Feb. 2d, and consisted of 1.3 
qinarts. Now could his or any other Straw¬ 
berry bed in that locality have held out two 
months, and given such a yield as quoted 
.above? The idea seems preposterous, and 
due reflection induces me to regard this and 
similar st.atemcnts as vain exaggerations, the 
results of inordinate State pride, and should 
be taken with a good deal of allowance. 
Florida Is a large State, 400 miles long. 
I have been over but a small portion, com¬ 
paratively, but with the single exception 
above mentioned, I have seen no flattering 
attempts at Strawberry culture. Here on 
Indian River, latitude 28°, 250 miles south of 
.Tacksonville, every attempt to grow tliem, 
that I have heard of, has proved .an entire 
f.ailui-e. The failure is attributed to the long, 
dry summers, by those who h.ave experi¬ 
mented. I think on moister land contiguous 
to fresh water, in more northern parts of the 
State, where “malaria is a foot thick,” as a 
gentleman expressed it to me a few days 
since, when canvassing this very subject, 
locations abound where Strawberries will do 
faii-ly well, and I hope repeated trials .and 
exi)eriments will demonstrate that they can 
be grown by irrigation, mulching, shading, 
etc., in loc.alities natur.ally unfavor.able to 
them, but I do not believe that with our pres¬ 
ent vaideties. Strawberry culture in Florida 
will ever .approach the perfection .attained 
in our Northern .States. The climate and 
other conditions are so changed here, th.at it 
I'equii'es time and experiment for both plants 
and planter to become accustomed and 
ada])ted to the changed conditions, so as to 
know how to behave. 
1 tear the person who expects or attempts 
to make a competence at growing Str.awber- 
rics in Florida, will very soon retire in dis¬ 
gust, and tiy other fields and pastures new. 
E. AVir.LiAJrs. 
DEYING AND BLEACHING APEIOOTS. 
'I'he Riverside Press and Horticulturist says: 
'I'lie fiadt when ripe is picked, cut in halves, 
the pits are removed, and the pieces are 
placed round side down on ordinary trays, 
such as arc used in the drying of Raisins. 
AA'hen these t.-ays are lillcil with fruit they 
arc stacked .q. in one romn of the fuming 
hon.se, on(> tray being put on top of the other. 
The i-oom can he. made as full of trays as 
conv.mi.mce in handling would dictate. The 
snl])hur is then burned in the center of the 
room and the door is closed. From 20 min- 
Mtes to half an hour is sulllciout to fumigate 
the room full of fiailt if the smoko is made 
dense, which is easily done. At the expira- 
tioii of this time the door la oi.cued and the 
wind soon clears the room of smoke, Avhen 
th(! la-ays .ire. removed to the drying ground. 
Aftea- the fruit Is sulllclently sun-dried it 
is placed in a fruit-drier, where the temper¬ 
ature is put up hlgli enough to kill any In- 
H(!oI;s Ol- eggs that may Imvo lodgment on tho 
fruit during its drying. 
