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Small Fruits

Small Fruits image
Parent Issue
Day
21
Month
March
Year
1879
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Before a meeting of farmers at Mason on March 1, Mr. W. II. Overholt read au interesting, timely and practical paper on the cultivation of small fruits, from which we give a few ex traets : STKAWBERRIES. Strawberries are as cheaply raised ;is potatoes, wlien the plantation is made, if done right; if badly cultivated they are costly. There is no fruit grown so successfully over so large an extent of territory, no fruit tliat adapta itself to so many different soils and climate.and is so universally relished as the delicious strawberry. It does seem strange that so many will unnecessarily deprive themselves of tliis liealthful luxury, especially tliose wlio have plenty of land to plant them on. All that is necessary to make strawberries prolitable is to have good soil, deeply plowed, well harrowed, plants well and thickly set in the rows, and of pure unmixed sorts. As for the soil necessary to raise strawberries, I think any soil sufficiently dry, or that could be made so by drainage, would grow strawberries. The most important is to keep well cultivated and hoed, and to commence doing so, too, before the weeds make a start or the surf ace gets baked. Kemember it is easier to run over a bed th ree or four times, if there are no weeds, than once if weedy and besides the plants are beneiited by this repeated cultivation, and if worked over before the weeds start, the fork, iioe and iron rake can be used very rapidly, killing all the little weeds that arejust germinating, and keeping the soil in a mellow condition. MTII.OHTNfl. Just before winter sets in, cover the whole surface with mulching, (I use straw.) This can be left on in the spring until af ter the fruiting season; i f the ground shoulcl not be weedy, merely loosen up the surface with a fork ; if the ground is foul, it is better to give it a thorough cleansing the last of April, or just before they blossom. This can be done by drawing the mulch in every altérnate row, and after cultivating them, draw it into the rows cleaned, and clean out the balance, after which scatter the mulch evenly over the plants, they will work up through the straw and the berries will be perfectly free from sand or grit, and willsell readily at paying prices, wliile gritty ones will rot on the market. There is no part of the cultivation of small fruits that pays better than mulching the vines, for by so doing they will yield doublé the sized fruit besides acting as a winter protecüon. This has become a necessary praetice with those who are having the best success in growing small fruits. Hay, swale, grass, or straw, scattered over the surface late in the fall, or early winter will prevent the ground from heaving, which is the ruination of many strawberry plantations that were almost perfection in the fall. After spring opens it is a good plan to pass over the plantation and loosen up the mulching, especially if it be of coarse material, so as to allow a free ' tion of the air to the soil, for I am satislied that the soil is soured by allowing such to lay bound close to the surface, and the plantation damaged by such causes. ; THEIR CULTIVATION. Soil, climate and varieties have very much to do with tlie marnier of their cultivation. My mode is what is called the matted row system ; that is, I set the plants one foot by four. I do not koop tho ruimers cufc tg& as iiiiuiy groivers do, but let them run, and by fall such varieties as the Green Prolificand Charles Downing will nearly fill up the rows. The next year, after the fruiting season is over, I go through the plantation with a one-horse plow, having a sharp wheel made from an old buzz saw attached to the wheel of the plow. I commenee to backf urrow between the rows, plowing upto about ten inches of the original plant; this lea ves a row, when finished, about 20 iiiehes wide to fruit the next season ; cultivate and drag with a one-horse' drag, and then you have your ground all smooth again. The third year after setting my plantation, I plow it under, and if I wisli to put the same ground to fruit the next year, I sow luckwheat and plow that under while in blossom. This not, only mellows the ground but destroys all weeds and grass, making it in the very flnest condition for plants the next spring. Many ask what are the best varieties to plant. That depends on climate, modes of cultivation, etc. Some do the best in hills, while others do best In the matted row system. I have tried a dozen or more different varieties, but have discarded all but four, viz. : Wilson, Col. Cheeney, Green Proliñc and Chas. Downing; these do well with the matted row system. I am testing some very highly recommended varieties, and probably may be able to report from them the coming season. Lt is my opinión that there is no berry ïultivated at the present time that can jompare with the Wilson for canning ind shipping to distant markets. RASPBEKIUES. This delicious and useful fruit follows iinmediately after strawberries. In fact tliey begin to ripen before tlie later kinds of strawberries are gone. Tlie raspberry is not only a delicious fruit for the table, but is one of the finest for jelly, canning, preserving, etc, besides being a very prolitable market fruit, the expense being no more than the same amount of corn, white the prolits will average one yearafter another $150 per acre with ordinary care, and with extra care and eultivation doublé ihat amount can be obtained. This uuit is proving very profitable to dry, and for those who live too far from large markets or access to railroads, the growing of raspberries for drying purposes will prove very remunerative indeed. Those varieties that are the örmest will prove the most profl table for drying, as it takes less quarts to make a pound of fruit ; for instance two (Iliarts of (lolden Thonilpss or finirían Caps will make a pound of fruit, while it takes two aud a half of the Black Caps, and three of the Red. The present price of dried raspberries is about 29 cents in New York. Therefore, eyen if yon have a good market, there will be days when the market will be overstocked, then put your fruit in the dryer aud you will realize as much as from the fresh fruit, except that you must hold it till the dried fruit market opens. THEIU CTJLTIVATION. Distances to plant ingrowing by the row system or what might more properly be termed the hedge system, mark out the rows six feet apart, and set the plaats three feet in the row. One important thing in favor of planting in rows is that when they grow up they grow together and sustain each other against hard winds. As soon as the plants spread so as to be plainly seen, clean them out with the hoe and cultivator and keep them well worked through the season. Cut them back, about the first of August, to within two feet of the root and the side branches proportionately. This severe pruning must be restored to the lirst season to insure a strong healthy bush afterwards. There is where the great mistake is made, leaving it too much wood the tirst season. The second season cut off the top of the new growth, when it gets three feet high and the side branches to within two feet of the main stalk; a row thus grown will form a perfect hedge and will yield doublé the bulk of larger and finer fruit than if they had been allowed to to take their owii course. The second year they should have some kind of support. I have adopted the following plan on my plantation and I feel wel] pleased with the result: I used oak posts, split out not less tlian three inclies square, and tliree feet long, sharpened and driven in the ground twelve inclies. They should be driven on one side of the row about tour or live inches from the plant, tlms leaving plenty of space to hoe about the roots. Por strips, edgmgs or tamarac poles, etc., can be nailed on top of posts. Por tying up, use wool twine, tying each hill separately to the pol e. PRUNING, ETC. The advantages gained by this tying up proeess are many. First, they are not affected by hard winters and the fruit is kept up well from the ground, which ia another great advantage in picking. It keeps the young canes in an upright poaition while tliey are weak, and last but not least is the advantage you have in keeping your plantation clean, allowing the cultivator to work up to within a few inches of the roots thereby requiring but very little use of the hoe. Last season there was not a hoe used in my plantation of raspberries. In the spring it was mulched liberally with straw about the bushes and the cultivator kept the ground clean between the rows. Nothing contributes more to a large erop of fruit than a libera, supply oí mulch, besides acting as an exltrrpinator of weeds. As soon as they are through licaiing, eut out the oíd canes and carry out of the plantation. This should be done immediately af ter the last picking so that the new growth may have plenty of room and can be properly pruned, the canes too, are so much Basier cut than if left until they get iry and hard. Leave only íive or six oí the best new canes to grow, tying where the twine may be broken. As to the expense of twine used in tying the plante, it is very small indeed, costing only about ten cents to one hun:lred hills. This tying up procesa certainly does pay, even if there was no particular advantage gaiued, for it ooks so much better. BLACKHERRTES. ïhis, too, is a very desirable fruit, both for tli e table and market. ïhey are as easily grown as eorn, with but little more expense. For home use Hiere is no fruit more desirable, and ii' the farmer would plant but a row or two in hls garden he would have his table supplied for weeks, with plenty to spare for canning and preserving, ïhe blackberry, as well as all other kinds of small fruit, delight in oft repeated cultivation and thorough stirringupof thesurface; care must be taken, however, not to cultívate deep enough to break the roots, for by so doing they send up an innumerable amount of suckers. ïlie same directions for pinchiiig in and cutting back of raspberries answers for this fruit. Probably the best sorts for this climate are the Kittatining and Lawton.

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Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus