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Nicaseeet f ig i iH eit ui } if ATS He ‘ | aye eae is ttc i) BARA a Me i sect cay pe aod oy é be phe or Str i sare yes Leh pee: tas i abe }. ’ vb flit Key eb Ba ath i at uate eet, ort eae ; ibe tet ae + - matt peed hie is itd af hit ata tit Eau eehegiby hn peg pea r, | nT: Ae) yam yee. vente ee a and iba iF ‘ ; gt) ‘ a uv | Si ee lite eH * 4 L£Ea ea a fte wim: COMPLETE MAN UAL FOR THE Cultivation of the Straiherr: WITH A DESCRIPTION OF THE BEST VARIETIES, ALSO, NOTICES OF THE RASPBERRY, BLACKBERRY, CURRANT, GOOSEBERRY, AND GRAPE; WITH DIRECTIONS FOR THEIR CULTIVATION, AND THE SELECTION OF THE BEST VARIETIES. “« Every process here recommended has becn proved, the plans of others tried, and tho result is here given.” Ly o x A 4 | BY R. G. PARDEE. 48 WITH A VALUABLE APPENDIX, CONTAINING THE OBSERVATIONS AND EXPERIENCE OF SOME OF THE MOST SUCCESSFUL CULTTVATORS OF THESE FRUITS IN OUR COUNTRY. NEW YORK: C. M.SAXTON, AGRICULTURAL BOOK PUBLISHER, No. 152 FuLton STREET. 1854. + > 7 > ba vs Tes ~~ * . * 4 * ~eeWar -¥ ‘ « = ~~ ” % q >» > > D> *. 2 . — . . » oa™% ~ Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1854, by Ci Mi SARTON, n the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, for the Southern District of New York. wer 3 0" EDWARD 0. JENKINS, ~ oS sa PRINTER AND STEREOTYPER, 4 {{~ at ; Uses 114 Nassau St. ~ e =e > Re. LTT be oa > = .< a a 8 G | ee eo Y LP PUBEHO LIBRARY 6”) WITHDRAWW onten tse Washington, D. C. a PAGE OUR IED sce aha "orgie rape coher atfel'atisl'a tae alma are te aie acme etaety. 6 wie ahaa anita The STRAWBERRY......... UNGER Sh; acy, ieeta AM oi Gieiet eats ohh 9 PRUE WERE LO cco says aca asitiagh te oot Ue ies pacarpalci imal msdn hs doin Mlbnorotalinlals Nya oa 13 ECCI OS GN 5. intial asstuan aha odsee soma elaen Roses galacclwayapbmenes te 14 Prepatadion) Of Soil: eae cligasvserasi edie inven wich lbs, supers Oke ves Ys tiptoe 15 Peer G RS fF 2's 25 o's a. oe pe Rta TIA ATT UE Olas) abe Me teteper ee ace eet be Transplanting (Time and Manmer of)..........ceceecsecenees 19 OPA E Re BINED 22) c.5 5a ual cai sar SW Sin wae eile: care x Oo 8.65 a Ec VT pea wee OC ye eK MERON Pye ein aay air 5.85 PLS pT TCH acs iy ho Giese Si 1x aise cos io: Leen OE 15.58 CHIOUIRE sie ed goodie wiava kibinSic e SERRE ethic ee 1.23 PE Patras oes bs nine SN PEA Se was ke 9.27 Orzanic ‘Matter; Wess, Gees. 258 eck od boars ek 5.99 39 per cent. of Ash. 100.06 THE FRUIT. ROU Pea oe ee ee SCs ee ea nce eee. oye 21.07 Lime). sss ARISE EC AAU we SER AM dH lI al P 14.20 SUN Mi RU Se RN REEL GE Aer Uy 27.01 PHURTOR Goes. s 5-5 nya wich sili has nsasne te aM Ot te Rl eka 12.05 Perpaorpurte Trou. 6:5. Je Hovey’s. hh en ee ee eae ie Hovey’s. Ce; ER Er aa Hovey’s. Pereira oe SAE he Ro) ORT a2 Hovey’s. Be Oe Hie» Bi Fee RL ESE TV aE Hovey’s. Ren yay eer Fees, Sree eee eee: |S eer, PAS Treo 5/6 CA ig) 6 ‘Early Scarlet. 98 -APPENDOIX. ~ I plant the pistillate for fruit, and the hermaphrodite for impregnators; and the only two which I have found to bloom and fruit together the whole season are the Hovey Seedling and Large Karly Scarlet. Ross Phoenix, Burr’s New Pine, and a seedling of my own, not yet fully tested, I have also caused to bear continu- ously. I plant seven rows of the pistillate, and one row of the hermaphrodite, two feet apart each way. The first season I let the runners fill the ground; in the fall, go through the grounds with hoes, thinning out to 8 or 10 inches, leaving the vines to decay just where they are cut up. I then cover the whole bed with partially decomposed: leaves from the woods or swamps. The winter rains beat down the leaves, the fruit-germ finds its way through them, and the first mild weather of spring, the blossoms appear. _ , Ihave before spoken of the volatile nature of the pollen. In very dry weather the particles float off on the winds, and much is lost to the buds below; hence the importance of watering freely when in bloom. Free applications of water will set the whole bed with fruit, which will require continuous watering to swell and ripen it. A strawberry bed may be moist, the plants in fine condition, and yet one good shower will make a difference of one-third in the quantity of fruit picked the day after. Consequently, in dry seasons, artificial watermg must be resorted to, and no labor will pay better. IT never use animal manure of any kind—nothing but the leaf-mould, and an occasional sprinkling of wood-ashes. The leafmould keeps the ground cool and moist, as well as the fruit clean, and does not sti- APPENDIX. 99 mutate the vines to runners. The potash and acids contained in it are just what the fruit wants. Should the vines be disposed to spread, keep the runners down by constant pinching off, and clear out the grass and weeds with the hoe. A few years of this culture will check their disposition to run, and encourage them to fruit. The bed, once thus formed and cultivated, will, to my certain knowledge, continue productive twelve years, and, I have reason to believe, as much longer as the culture is continued. Should the vines have taken possession of the ground, in spite of the efforts to keep the runners down, we go through in the fall with the hoe, thinning out the plants to 10 or 12 inches, leaving every cut-up vine to decay on the ground where it grew; we then cover with the decaying leaves. When the plants begin to bloom in the spring, a top- dressing of wood-ashes will be found beneficial. I have tried strawberry culture with the plough, which will make a greater quantity of vines, but will give ‘ only one crop of fruit. It is generally remarked that the wild strawberry is finer flavored than the cultivated ; but with this treatment the latter retains all the original flavor. It has been recommended by some cultivators to irrigate the strawberry grounds by letting water on the vines; but the strawberry, cultivated after the manner described, can bear as great a drought as any other plant. It is not the vines and leaves that want the water, but the flowers and fruit; and the water must come in the form of rain, through the clouds, from an engine, or a common watering-pot. I have noticed quite a contest going on among hor- 100 APPENDIX. ticulturists as to the possibility of strawberries chang- ing their sexual character by cultivation. Without taking part in the controversy, I must state that I would as soon think of high feed turning a cow to a bull, as to change the pistillate character of Hovey’s Seedling by any method of cultivation. I have culti- vated the strawberry under every aspect; with high manuring, and without manure; in new lands, and on old lands; have had the vines stand from 12 to 18 inches high, and in meek submission to hug the ground; yet I have never found the least change in the blossom. A perfect pistillate or staminate flower, first blooming so from seed, will never bloom any other way. Cultivators are often deceived about their plants, from the fact that they frequently find varieties in the beds which they did not plant; but these spring from seed. The strawberry springs from seed with astonish- ing rapidity. Since my beds were started, the whole country around me is covered with strawberry-plants from the seed dropped by birds. These I find running into all varieties—pistillate, staminate, and hermaphro- dite—most of them worthless, but some with good fruit. The proper time for transplanting the strawberry at the South, is as soon in the fall as the weather is cool and moist enough. Here, this may be continued until spring. Plants are easily transported great distances in the winter. I have sent them 2,000 miles with safe- ty. It will be observed by the diagram, that I plant the staminate every eighth row. Some cultivators mix in the rows; but I prefer to keep them separate and distinct, as they are more easily distinguished, and kept better in their places. i APPENDIX. 101 Now, if the cultivator would know the secret of my having strawberries six, eight, and even ten months in the year, in the hot climate of Georgia and Alabama, it is this: proper location, vegetable manures, shade to the ground, without exhaustion, and water to the bloom and fruit. One reason why so many fail in garden culture with the strawberry is, that the beds are surrounded by trees and shrubbery, which may produce one crop of fruit in the spring, but rarely more than that, unless it should prove a very wet season. The strawberry-bed, whether in the garden or the field, should have no tree, plant, or shrub near enough to it to take the moisture from the earth. The plants require all the moisture from the atmosphere and the earth around them. Whether the strawberry was originally found in cold climates, or not, I find they readily adapt themselves to any climate, and very soon become indigenous. I _ doubt whether there is a State in this Union that can- not produce the strawberry months, instead of weeks, in the year, with proper culture. And when we take into consideration the ease and simplicity of its cul- ture, its continued bearing and productiveness, its exemption from all insect depredations, its delicious flavor and healthy influence upon the system, it ranks first in importance among the fruits of the earth. —— CoLuMBUS, Ga., August 22, 1854. Mr. R. G. RARDEE: DEAR Sir:—I find the strawberry running into a 102 APPENDIX. great many new varieties through its seeds, but I have never yet found the character of a plant to change by culture—a pistillate will be pistillate still, no matter how cultivated. As to varieties, for general culture, I do not believe there is any thing to compare with Hovey’s Seedling, when impregnated +by a constant bloomer. I have a new seedling, from the Ross Phoe- nix, and a wild strawberry, of Alabama, that, for size, beauty, and lusciousness, surpasses Hovey’s as much as Hovey’s does the Early Scarlet: shall not be able to test its producing qualities until 1855. The past season has developed in a wonderful degree the pro- priety of the principles of my culture. For near two months it has scarcely rained; gardens and flower- yards have been entirely destroyed, and the staple crops have suffered materially. My strawberry plants have made no runners, but look fresh and green—the beds being in the best possible order for next spring’s bearing. Had my beds been highly manured, and cul- tivated in the cgmmon way, I should not have had a living plant left. There is a vast difference in the nature and habits of plants to withstand heat. Richard Peters, Esq., of Atlanta, Ga., last year sent me some hundreds of a staminate strawberry, supposed to be a native of Georgia, which he thought would answer as a better impregnator to the Hoveys than the Harly Scarlet. I planted them among the Hoveys; they grew and bore finely this spring, but the drought has killed every plant, whilst the Hoveys are unscathed. Should the fall prove wet and mild, my vines, from not having made runners, will be in full fruit. In the forthcoming Patent Office Report, I have given my APPENDIX. 1038 views upon the time at which the impregnation takes place; as that is fully explained by engravings, I refer your readers to that Report. The more experience I have in strawberry culture at the South, the stronger I am convinced you may prolong their bearing season at the North until frost. I tried an experiment this season, which may be a warning to southern culti- vators. On a portion of one of my beds, I placed cotton seed around the plants, just as we use leaves, straw, &c.; the result has been, that, where the cotton seed was, every plant has burned up. This more strongly than ever satisfies me that leaves and vegeta- ble mould are the only safe manures for the straw- berry. These, with plenty of water, judiciously ap- plied, will give fruit months mstead of weeks. Truly yours, Cas. A. PEABODY. APPENDIX B. WE give the following extracts from letters from Henry Lawrence, Esq., of New Orleans, La. They commence under date of 20th August, 1851, as fol- lows: ‘ It is perfectly correct, as stated in the “Picayune,” that I have succeeded in raising strawberries which yield from Christmas to the 15th of July, a period of nearly seven months. Their production is purely accidental; by, trying experiments for several years, 104 APPENDIX. I have attained the object desired, viz: by keepin them in continual bearing without exhausting the plant. I have named them the ‘Crescent Seedling.” They are a cross between Myatt’s British Queen and Keen’s Seedling. The fruit is very large, frequently measuring five and a half inches in circumference, conical, and the color a dark red, and highly flavored. T cultivate them in hills, that is to say, the plants set out thirty inches each way; in the growing season, manure the avenues and keep the soil loose. My plants are so luxuriant in their foliage, that neither grass nor weeds appear. In this way my beds yield from six to seven months in the year in the open air. I have half an acre under cultivation at this time. In a letter of the 9th November, he says: “You will at once remark how different the leaf and its thickness 1s to any plant of its species you have here- tofore seen. So remarkably prolific are they with me, that for six months the same plant is in blossom, unripe and ripe fruit together, so that at the expiration of the Jruiting season!! they are completely worn out, but not until they make three or four runners each, with which I plant anew each succeeding year. All the old stools die out. How different —is it not? —to other varieties of the strawberry. : I neither cut off the blossoms nor any part of them to increase their bearing: It is one continued crop from the first jump. They are all now coming into blossom, ~ and will so continue until July or August. I freely admit that I consider their extraordinary bearing qualities purely accidental.” APPENDIX. 1Ve _ On the 9th April, 1852, he says: ~“T have had strawberries on my table since the 4th January last, and at the present moment I have them in the greatest abundance, the average weight being one ounce, and about three inches in circumfer- ence: and this will continue without intermission until about the middle of August, when they will stop and throw out runners. Under date of 7th May, 1852, he writes: ‘““My Crescent Seedlings are still wonderfully pro- lific. I counted with a friend, a few days since, on numerous plants, thirty-three, thirty-five, thirty-six and thirty-seven berries. My ground is now red with fruit, not green with leaves.” On the fourth of August, in another letter, Mr. Lawrence says: “Tam extremely gratified to learn that you have - at length succeeded in preserving six or eight of my seedlings. If, as you say, they are striking runners freely, you have nothing to fear: you will soon have enough to stock your garden, and besides, ample for sale. Should the weather prove dry, give them plenty of water in the evening, and as soon as the fruit sets, in a dry time, give them likewise plenty of water ; in a word, I presume you are fully aware, as a large grower of this delicious fruit, that no fruit supports as much moisture as the strawberry. My manner of cultivating the ‘Crescent Seedling’ is very simple. I give it all it requires to perfect its fruit, and check the luxuriance of the vine, by reducing our rich allu- 6 106 APPENDIX. vial soil by two-thirds; that is, I add two-thirds of river sand to one of ours: this mode, likewise, enables the plant to withstand the excessively hot months of June July, and August ; in fact, the soil best adapted to seed- lings is a sandy loam; and I also know, by experience, that the less manure of any kind is used, the better it ~ is for the plant. In planting, I never mulch. I place each plant ten inches apart, and eighteen inches to two feet between the rows. In dry weather I water copiously two or three times, In as many consecutive days, and then let them take care of themselves for a while; when the ground is moist from previous rains during the planting season, I never water. I transplant every year into new beds, as new soil is preferable to old; besides, as I before noticed in a former letter, the old stools die out completely by over-production of fruit and incessant bearing. J gathered the last fruit of the season on the 25th July, which is precisely seven months to a day since they commenced bearing, viz: on the 25th December, 1851. This experiment of mine, accidental as it is, I consider as one among the wondrous productions of nature: a similar accident may not occur again for many years. I am, and always was, impressed with the belief that I have been aided by our climate in producing this truly extraordinary strawberry, and although I give myself but little credit, I feel proud that it should be so widely known and so favorably noticed throughout the Union, I disliked my name going forth to the world, but in spite of myself I could not prevent it. My only aim is for plea- sure and amusement in this delightful climate of ours.” APPENDIX. 107 And on the 11th November, 1852, he replies to my inquiries as follows : “1st. The runners bear the same season they strike. “2d. It is the same zdentical plant bears fruit so fine and large in January, and which continues to bear, until July following, a constant crop. Weak plants are shy bearers at alltimes. I plant none but the strongest plants, (runners;) the weaker ones I neither use nor dispose of until they are fit for setting out.” In 18538, he again writes, ‘that they never were doing so well in all the South below Charleston, S. C.” There will be found many valuable suggestions in this correspondence with Mr. Lawrence, which will tend to throw light on the great question. We are inclined to think that the superior location of Mr. Lawrence—the low bottom lands near New Orleans—and his superior cultivation, have more to do with the character of the Crescent Seedling than he supposes. However, it is a good plant to experiment with, and they are now easily obtained in the State of New York, or of B. M. Watson, Plymouth, Massachu- setts. APPENDIX C. (From Downing's Horticulturist.) TWO EXPERIMENTS MADE TO TEST MR. LONGWORTH’S STRAWBERRY THEORY. Taxine Hovey’s Seedling as a subject, I procured a bell-glass, and placed it over an entire plant which had 108 APPENDIX. not bloomed. The flowers expanded well under the glass, but did not produce one berry. The plant was frequently agitated to put the pollen in motion, if there was any. I also introduced under a glass some blossom buds before they had blown. These, as they successively expanded, showed no signs of swelling. I impreg- nated, at different times, two of the blossoms by hand, applying the pollen from another plant with a camel’s hair pencil. These two set their fruit perfectly. The pistils of the other blossoms soon turned to a dark color. These experiments were made at the north side of a picket fence, where the plants were screened from the full effects of the sun, otherwise the heat under the glasses would have been too great. These experiments prove, to my mind, very conclu- sively, that Hovey’s Seedling will not bear any fruit unless impregnated by some staminate variety. And the same may be said of other varieties in which the stamens are obsolete. Ihave had some plants of the Hudson Bay for three years, ina position where they cannot very easily be impregnated by other kinds, during which time they have notborne one berry, while other plants of the same variety, exposed, have been productive. A difference in the formation of the flowers on different plants is not confined to cultivated kinds, but may be seen in those growing wild in the fields, the pistillate plants of which I have often exa- mined with a magnifying-glass, to see if I could dis- cover any pollen, but have never been able to find it; I am forced, therefore, to believe that pistillate plants, both wild Sa cultivated, are ne devo APPENDIX. 109 len, and cannot, therefore, produce any fruit except when impregnated by others. Tam also convinced, from observation and theory, that one kind will never change to the other by offsets, the runner bearing the same relation to the plant’ pro- ducing it as a tree grown from a bud does to the tree from which it was taken. It may, then, be asked, How does it happen that there are pistzllate and staminate plants of the same variety ? I answer, It is not the fact, unless they have sprung from seed, or the plants have been taken from the fields in a wild state. That pistedlate plants are surer and better bearers than staminate plants, is, I think, generally true, (pro- vided, of course, that they are impregnated.) And it would seem reasonable to infer that when but one of the sexual organs is complete, the other will have more strength. Plants, therefore, that are perfect in both organs, require a higher state of cultivation. There is, however, a wide difference in the product- iveness of different kinds that are perfect in both organs, some being much more lable to blast than others. G. W. HUNTSMAN. Flushing, L. I., July 14, 1846. — APPENDIX D. CINCINNATI, Ohio, Aug. 14th, 1854. Mr. R. G. PARDEE: DEAR Sir:—By this mail I send you a grape pamphlet, containing an article written by me on 110 APPENDIX. * the strawberry. I will, if a day or two, send youa Report of our Strawberry Committee, written by Dr. Warder, on Mr. Meehan’s doctrine of changing a pis- tillate to a staminate plant. Mr. Meehan finds plants that he took from what was called a bed of Hovey’s Seedling, and had nearly all proved staminates or hermaphrodites. Dr. Warder and Mr. Heath, of our city, saw his plants, and found about one Hovey to the hundred. The Hovey is so strongly marked, that our children can distinguish the plant from all others. Mr. Meehan never heard of a pistillate plant till he came to America. I sent some of our seedlings to the President of the London Horticultural Society last winter, and among them pistillates. He replied that he was not aware that there.were plants that would not bear fruit without impregnation, and suggested that the failure to’ bear, he presumed, was from frost. He promised to investigate the subject. Mr. Hunts- man, of Flushing, Long Island, is a botanist, and has given great attention to the cultivation and sexes of the plant. From the stem and leaf he can designate some fifty varieties that he has had in cultivation. I would recommend you to get his views. It is singu- lar that after public attention has been brought to the question for twenty years or more, even botan- ists and horticultural editors deny the doctrine. If generally understood, the discovery of the ignorant market-gardener is worth millions of dollars. After I had made the discovery, from a chance obser- vation of a son of Mr. Abergust, I was at the gardens of persons near the city of Philadelphia, where Mr. Abergust resided, prior to his removal to Cin- APPENDIX. 111 » cinnati, and named the matter to them. ‘ Oh,” said they, “we now understand it. He lived near us, and from the same space of ground raised five times as much fruit as we could, and larger. Every fall he thinned out his plants, and threw them in the road; we gathered them, and planted them in our gardens, and they never bore a single fruit.” He threw out staminates only, and to deceive them. Theson of Mr. Abergust was in my garden a few days before my plants were in blossom, and observed, ‘‘ Your strawberries bear a bad crop.” I.observed, such was the fact. He added, “‘ They are all males.” I replied, “That is all non- sense. The strawberry is a plant that bears flowers per- fect in both organs.” “Tam no botanist,” said he, ‘“but I know most of yours will bear no fruit.” Irequested him to point out any that would. He selected two. T inquired, “Can you then see the difference?” ‘‘ Not now,” said he; “TI could if they were in blossom.” I found him disposed to give no g@urther information. I marked the plants, and when in blossom, could distin- guish them at a distance of several feet. There was not one of these to the hundred. Before they were out of blossom, I cast them all out, as I supposed; they spread, and the next season I had a full crop. But finding a few barren plants before they were out of blossom, I dug them all up, and the next season had not a single berry. I then understood the subject, and made it known. In that day we had no her- maphrodite plants. Yours truly, N. LONGWORTH. APPENDIX. THE STRAWBERRY. “TRACT FROM THE REPORT OF NICHOLAS LONGWORTH TO THE CINCINNATI HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. I REGRET that the committee on the character of the strawberry plant have not yet been able to make up a unanimous report. It arises from a failure of the crop with some members of the committee, and from a conviction with our Huropean gardeners, that all va- rieties were perfect in both organs, in Europe; and they are slow to believe the contrary. This, I am positive, is not the fact in England. In some soils and some climates, and in favorable seasons, such stami- nate plants as are partially perfect in the female organs yield a larger crop than usual; but can never be made to bear a full crop. But in raising from seed, fully one half willin general be staminate plants, and not one in fifty of them bear even a single fruit. ‘Those that do bear, produce many defective berries. I do not believe that any soil, climate, or season, can make the pistillate plant bear singly; and it is the only one worthy of cultivation for a crop. Of this, and of the stamimate and pistillate character of the plant in England, we have positive evidence from their great horticulturist, Keen himself. In the year 1809, (if my memory serves me as to date,) Keen discovered that a new seedling of his, planted by itself, did not swell the fruit. On a careful examination of the blos- som, it struck him that it might be owing to a defect in the male organs. He then placed some staminate blossoms in a vial of water, and suspended them in the bed. He found the fruit in the vicinity to swell APPENDIX. 113 immediately, and he placed more vials of staminate blossoms in different parts of the bed, and had a fine crop. His letter will be found in the Transactions of the London Horticultural Society for that year. What was true in 1809, will be found still to be true. I have further evidence of the character of the plant in England. Fifteen years since, I imported several va- rieties of strawberries from London, and among them I had both staminate and pistillate plants, but not one variety in which both organs were perfect in all the blossoms. The staminate varieties bore from one- tenth to one-third of a crop. Under the name of Keen’s Seedling, I got a pistillate plant that, impreg- nated, produces abundantly, and the fruit is large and fine. By themselves, an acre would not produce a perfect berry. It is not what in England is generally known by the name of Keen’s Seedling. Mr. Keen raised many varieties. The true Keen is a staminate plant, and is more perfect in both organs than is usual, and produces a partial crop of large fruit. I incline to the belief, that for market, their gardeners cultivate the same seedling of his as the one sent me, and pro- bably the same kind he impregnated by hand. It is truly a valuable kind, and ott twenty of the stam1- nate seedlings. The staminate Keen is cultivated for forcing, and as the object is large fruit, all the blos- soms are picked off, except three or four that set first. I have this moment received a letter from Col. Carr, an old and experienced horticulturist of Philadelphia. He writes me, “I have conversed with Mr. Hobson and others, who pay great attention to the cultivation of 6* 114. APPENDIX. the strawberry, and they all unite with me in opinion.” “The Hudson is the principal sort cultivated for market, and has been for fifty years. It is what we call female or prolific. It never has a neck. A Mr. Abergust, who was my near neighbor, and excelled in strawberries, removed to Cincinnati about thirty years since, and took the true Hudson with him, and the same now cultivated here. All our principal market gardeners now begin perfectly to understand the differ- ence between staminate and pistillate plants, and find the former such strong runners as generally to prefer keeping them in separate beds.” Mr. Abergust for many years sold nine-tenths of the strawberries brought to our market, and raised the Hudson only. While I could, from one-fourth of an acre, scarcely raise a bushel, he would raise forty bushels. His fruit was much larger than any other brought to market, and commanded from 25 to 87; cents per quart. He made a handsome competence from the sale of his fruit. His secret he kept to himself, and had been as much noted for the size of his fruit, and the quantity raised on a given space of ground, in Philadelphia as he was here. A chance observation of a son of his one day, in my garden, saying, ‘‘I must raise but little fruit, as all my plants were males,” first led my attention to the sub- ject. Isoon discovered that there were what he called male and female plants, and communicated the fact to our market gardeners. The result was, strawberries rapidly increased in our market, till as fine as had been raised by Mr. Abergust were sold at from 3 to 10 cents per quart, and he ceased to cultivate them. APPENDIX. LS The Early Scarlet is raised to some extent; but four-fifths of all the strawberries sold in our mar- ket are the Necked Pine and Hudson; mostly the latter. Mr. Culbertson brings more strawberries to our market than any other person. The greatest quantity he has brought in any single day was four thousand quarts; and not one of the kinds named in the Farmer and Mechanic among them. All were the Hudson. By properly understanding the true character of the plant, Mr. Culbertson has been able to gather nearly as many quarts in a single day as three Boston cultivators were able to do in a whole season. I saw an editorial article in a recent eastern horticultural paper, speaking in high terms of the Alpine strawberry, as raised by a Col. Stoddert, and its great produce, which yielded him, at 12: cents per quart, upwards of $1,600 to the acre. It is an indifferent fruit, and never yielded one-fourth the quantity. ) Can Hovey’s Seedling, or any other large-fruited pistillate strawberry, be impregnated by the Alpine Monthly? It is my impression that they are distinct species, and that it cannot be done. If it can, a cross might be produced that, with the size and flavor of the one, united the ever-bearing character of the other. There is a wild, ever-bearing variety in our State, that would cross with the Scarlet and Pine, and is the only kind I have ever seen worthy of the name of ever-bearing; for the Alpine, after the first crop, rarely produces much fruit through the season. Thirty years since, I met with a solitary strawberry plant on Mount Adams, then in bloom. I removed it to my garden, and the plant not only bloomed freely till frost, but all the runners threw out blossoms at the same 116 APPENDIX. time that they made roots, and bore abundantly till late in the fall. The fruit was small, but of fine flavor. A new hand in the garden, early the next spring, sup- posed they were weeds, and destroyed them. The old - pioneer, Lewis Davis, informed me the same variety grew in Greene county, on the cliffs, and had been fre- quently seen by him. I trust it may again be disco- vered, and Ohio have the credit of producing the only ever-bearing strawberry, as well as raspberry. ‘The latter plant, to produce a good crop, during the summer and fall, requires a moist soil. My ground in the city is too rich and dry for it. I have never seen the plant bear as well asin Newark, New Jersey, on a side-hill, where the ground is moist, poor and stony. The plant did not attain half the size it does here; but the fruit was large and abundant till frost. N. LonGworrtu. CINCINNATI HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. — THE Secretary, at the request of the Society, reported a written statement of how he found the strawberry question in Philadelphia; after some animated discus- sion, it was moved to accept and file the report, and the - finality was ordered to appear in the minutes of the day. It has long been argued by some distinguished hor- ticultural writers that certain varieties of the strawberry —for instance, Hovey’s Seedling—would produce at one time plants with pistillate, and at another time staminate blossoms. This error has been explained by the fact, that a bed of strawberry plants of any known pistillate variety, after standing three or four APPENDIX. 417 years, and the fruit fallmg and decaying on the bed, will produce seedling plants, and of course new varie- ties, and these are as likely to be staminate as pistil- late sorts. The following is the FINALITY ON THE STRAWBERRY.—Wild or culti- vated, the strawberry presents, in its varieties, four distinct forms or characters of infloresence. Ist. Those called Pistillate, from the fact that the stamens are abortive, and rarely to be found without a dissection of the flower. These require extrinsic impregnation. 2d. Those called Staminate, which are perfectly des- titute of even the rudiments of pistils, and are neces- sarily fruitless. 8d. Those called Hermaphrodite or perfect, having both sets of organs, stamens and pistils, apparently well developed. These are not generally good and certain bearers, as we should expect them to be. With few exceptions they bear poorly, owing to some unob- served defect, probably in the pistils. One-tenth of their flowers generally produce perfect and often very large berries. Ath. A rare class—a sort of subdivision of the pre- ceding—has not only hermaphrodite flowers, but also some on the same truss that are of the pistillate cha- racter; and sometimes, in the saine plant, a truss will be seen on which all the flowers are pistillate. Now these four divisions are natural and real; they are also founded upon permanent character, so far as we have been able to discover, after a most thorough investigation, extending through a long series of years, during which millions of strawberry blossoms have 118 APPENDIX. been examined with the severest scrutiny. Other forms may exist, and it is not claimed to be impossible that we may yet find a seedling which shall have the general character of a pistillate, that may show an ecasional perfect or hermaphrodite flower, as a pecu- liarity of that individual, but we have never yet observed such a variety; and, further, we believe that whatever impress, as to peculiarities of foliage, pubes- cence, habit, inflorescence, or fruit, each distinct seed- ling may receive with its origin, it will be retained in its increase by runners, so long as the variety remains extant. Seedlings may vary from the parent, but off- shoots will not be materially different, except by accidental malformation or by development of unim- portant organs. JOHN A. WARDER, Secretary. REPORT Of the Committee of the Cincinnati Horticultural Society on the Statistics of the Strawberry, and the quantity sold in the Cincin- nati market, for the year 1846: May 19th........... 10 bushels. | June lst........... 100 bushels. DOCH 5 wa lepete ee 20: 71s Pearce (|G GS 21st 4 | aie alt aay nie. 5 1 tg 7. ee a ie ee r 1 ae C1) Piet 300) 2 50F PML tonnes iaiye 27 ed 575 ROR SOs. 5+ 346 PAM kas waite wos | ae as | 350 o BOY wcities sais 209. * 1 Re A af £60." DR NSLY SS taat cas sles BOR f= GE: thea BOO: A454 Polk eee ae e006 Ke ID 2k. ib aw siete 300 < POU noc ble e wi 250.“ LUG . aaa eacaryes 250 =“ nd Ee ae 300“ EMD ics ais oaeales too Total, for 22 days, 4,150 bushels. D. K. Capny, Chairman. APPENDIX. 119 APPENDIX E. From tho “ Horticulturist,” August, 1854. By P. Barry, Editor. THE CULTIVATION OF THE STRAWBERRY. THE discussion of the Strawberry question, which has occupied the pages of agricultural and horticultural journals so largely for a few years past, has been the means, directly and indirectly, of advancing materially the cultivation of that fruit. We find ample evidence of this in the more abundant supply of our markets, and in the production of a large number of seedling varieties. Recent letters from correspondents in all parts of the country, as well as the reports of late exhibitions, all testify to the very gencral interest which is felt on the subject, and the progress that has been made. But, after all, we are constrained to say that our cultivation is yet very indifferent. The size and appearance of the great bulk of fruit offered in market, convince us of this. Those who know how to culti- vate, are in many cases slovenly, or act upon the prin- ciple that good culture will not pay; while there are many who fail for want of correct information. We have now before us a large number of inquiries on the subject. One wants to know how to prepare the soil ; another, when to plant; and another, how to plant. Several correspondents who are well informed on the subject of cultivation, ask us to give them the names of the best perfect-flowering sorts, as they are tired of keeping separate the staminate and pistillate varieties. We have therefore thought it might be well to offer a few hints which will serve as a general answer. . 120 APPENDIX. We will state here, at the outset, that to cultivate the strawberry successfully, is but a simple matter. To grow large, handsome, fine-flavored fruit in abund- ance, it is not necessary to employ a chemist to furnish us with a long list of specifics, nor even to employ a gardener by profession who can boast of long years of experience. Any one who can manage a crop of corn or potatoes, can, if he will, grow strawberries. We say this much by way of encouragement, because so much has been said in regard to various methods of culture, and various applications and specifics, that some people have become persuaded that a vast deal of learning and experience is necessary to produce large crops of strawberries. Judging from what we have seen, we believe that the great cause of failure is negligence. The straw- berry plant—not like a tree, which, when once set in its place, remains there—is constantly sending out shoots (runners) in all directions, taking possession of the ground rapidly around the parent plant. In a short time, therefore, unless these runners are kept in check, the ground becomes entirely occupied with plants, the parent plants become exhausted, and the - ground can no longer be stirred or kept in such a con- dition as is necessary to sustain their vigor. The re- sult is, the ground is covered with a mass of starved and weakly plants, choking up each other in a hard, uncultivated soil, and producing a spare crop of small, insipid berries, that dry up on their stalks before they are ripe, unless rain happens to fall every day. The constant stirrmg of the soil around the plants, is one thing which in our climate is absolutely neces- APPENDIX. 121 sary; and any system of culture which precludes this, or throws any obstacle in its way, is defective. If any one will examine his strawberry beds, he will find the plants along the outer edges of the beds, where the soil has been kept clean and fresh by the frequent use of the hoe, vigorous and healthy, with luxuriant dark- green foliage, and large, fine fruit; while in the interior of the beds, where the plants have grown into masses, and covered all the ground, so as to prevent its cultiva- tion, they are yellow and sickly-looking, and the fruit poor and worthless. This we see in our own grounds, and everywhere that we find plants growing under similar circumstances. Does this not show the neces- sity of cultivation close around the plants? No mat- ter how deep we may trench the soil, or how unsparing we may be with manures, or how copiously we supply moisture, this cultivation cannot be dispensed with, if we aim at producing fine fruits and abundance of them. ‘ But,” says one cultivator, “by allowing the ground to be all occupied with plants, we save all the labor which would be consumed in removing the run- ners, and we avoid the necessity of applying a mulch- ing to keep the fruit clean.” Very true, you save some expense; but what do you get in return? A crop of fruit not fit for the table—small, insipid, and so dirty, if a heavy rain occurs about ripening-time, that 1t must be put through the wash-tub before it is placed on the table. It is possible that the market-grower may be able to produce berries of this kind at a less price per quart than he could by a careful, cleanly, and thorough system of culture; but then he can expect to sell such fruit only when no better can be had. We have some 122 APPENDIX. doubts, however, as to the economy of bad culture in the long run. If a proper system were adopted at the outstart, and followed up with regularity, it would not be found so profitless or expensive. In this, as in every other kind of culture, a system is absolutely necessary. A certdin routine of operations which are easily executed if taken at the right time, become bur- densome when deferred; and being so, they are not unfrequently put off altogether. Precisely thus it is that strawberry beds are neglected, both in market gar- dens and private gardens, until they are grown wild beyond hope of recovery. Now, we say to every one who wishes to cultivate strawberries, resolve at once upon abandoning the “lazy-bed” system; and if you cultivate but a square rod, do it well. We advise planting in rows not less than two feet apart, unless ground be very scarce, when eighteen inches might suffice, and the plants to be twelve to eight- een inches apart in the rows. In extensive field cul- ture, the rows should be at least three feet apart, in order to admit the use of the plough and cultivator between them, or even the passage of a cart to deposit manures or mulching material. The spade and wheel- barrow are too costly implements for an extensive cul- ture where labor is scarce and high, as with us. From the time the plants are set until the fruit is gathered, the runners should be cut away as fast as they appear, and the ground be kept clear of weeds, and well worked. In the fall, or before the setting in of winter, a mulch- ing of half-decayed leaves or manure should be placed between the rows, coming close around the plants, leaving the crown or heart uncovered. This mulching APPENDIX. 123 prevents the plants from being drawn out and weak- ened, or destroyed by freezing and thawing in winter. We have sometimes covered the entire beds, plants and all, with newly-fallen leaves; and by raking them off early in spring, the plants came out in fine order. In the same way we have covered with clean wheat straw, and found it answer well. In all the Northern and Western States, some winter protection is of great ser- vice, although not indispensable. In field culture, the earth might be ploughed up to the plants, as is done with nursery trees, in such a manner as to afford con- siderable protection again the action of frost on the root. As soon as the fruit begins to attain its full size, and -approach maturity, the spaces between the rows, which up to this time have been under clean culture, should be covered with straw, litter, or moss. This will serve the double purpose of keeping the fruit clean and retain- ing the moisture in the soil. When copious supplies of water are to be applied, which should always be done when practicable, stable litter is a good mulching, as the water poured on it carries down with it to the roots of the plants the fertilizing materials which it contains. The application of water in abundance we must again recommend to all who want the finest fruit. Rains are very good, but they cannot be relied upon, and they always deprive the fruit of its flavor, while artificial waterings do not. On this account the French garden- ers say that the strawberry “prefers water from the well to water from the clouds.” It is supposed that the electricity which pervades the atmosphere during our summer rains, affects the flavor of the fruit. When the crop has been gathered, the mulching ma- 124 APPENDIX. terial between the rows should be removed, and the ground be forked over, so that if plants are wanted to form a new plantation, their growth will be encour- aged. The same plants should not be relied upon for more than twocrops. The labor of making a new bed, save the trenching of the soil, is no more than that of planting a plot of cabbages. As to the season for planting, we would recommend the spring for large plantations, because then there is comparatively no risk of failure. The amateur, how- ever, who wishes only to plant a bed in his garden, may do it at any time that he can procure good plants. If the growth of runners is encouraged in July, after the fruit is gathered, good, well-rooted runners may be had about the first of September, or it may be sooner. ‘The young plants nearest the parent plant should always be chosen, if possible. In planting during the month of August or September, rainy weather should be chosen, if possible, but it may be safely done, even in a dry time, by using water freely. Water the plants well before taking them up, as it injures the roots very much to draw them out of dry ground; then water the soil thoroughly where they are to be set, before plant- ing. A sprinkling will be of no use: it must go down deep, as a heavy rain would. Set the plants in the even- ing, and shade them a few days with boards set on edge, forming a sort of roof over them. Mulch them, too, with short litter; and it will be well, if the plants be large, to remove some of the lower and larger leaves, Planting can be done safely in spring any time until the plants are in blossom—and all summer, for that matter, with proper care. APPENDIX. 120 We have thus briefly sketched the principal opera- tions in strawberry culture; not in regular order, it is true, but we hope so as to be understood. We are not writing a book, and cannot enter into all the details with minuteness. We have said nothing of the soil, and will only remark that any good garden soil fit to produce culinary vegetables, or any good farm land fit for grain or root crops, will produce good strawberries ; but it must be deeply ploughed, or trenched, say twenty inches at least, and liberally manured with well-decom- posed stable manure or a good compost. The quantity of manure must vary according to the degree of natural fertility of the soil. In one case, a quantity equal to six inches deep all over the surface would not be too much; while in other cases, half that would be enough. We would prefer not to make a strawberry planta- tion twice on the same ground; but when circumstances render it inconvenient to change, rows of young plants might be set, or allowed to establish themselves from the runners, between the old rows, which can then be turned under with the spade, and will serve to enrich the ground. Now as to varieties. On this point there is room for a great diversity of opinion, and we cannot hope to name a list that will be acceptable to a very large num- ber of persons, at least in many parts of the country. Planters must have recourse to the best experience to be found in their respective localities; in the meantime we shall express our opinion of a few varieties, and let it go for what it is worth. It happens that in this country the greater number of our most productive varieties have but one set of the 126 APPENDIX. organs of fecundation. A fruitful flower must have both pistils and stamens perfectly developed. The stamens are regarded as the male organs, and the pistils the female. . When a flower has well-developed pistils, but no stamens, or imperfect ones, it must be impreg- nated by pollen from other flowers. Where a flower has no pistils, or has imperfect ones, it is utterly barren. A large number of our best American varieties—such as Hovey’s Seedling, Burr's New Pine, McAvoy’s Supe- rior, Moyamensing, &.—are wanting in stamens, and therefore foreign impregnation is necessary. In Europe this distinction is not observed to any extent, and all the English and continental varieties, as far as we know, are hermaphrodite. In this country very many of them fail from an imperfect development of the pistils, and are consequently barren, owing doubtless to the effects of climate and culture. It 1s not necessary that the two should be in close proximity; they are sure to get impregnated, if in the same garden, as the pollen is carried about from one flower to another by insects. The beds of the different sorts may be kept entirely separate. Mixing them up is a bad way, as the one outgrows and’ overruns the other, and they become so confused that nothing can be done with them. On this account many have grown tired of keeping up the distinction, and have resolved to culti- vate hermaphrodite sorts only. The following varieties are the best on the long list of those we have tested on our own grounds: PISTILLATE.—Burr’s New Pine, Jenny’s Seedling, McAvoy’s Superior, Hovey’s Seedling, Moyamensing, Monroe Scarlet, and Crimson Cone. The finest fla- APPENDIX. 127 vored variety among these is Burr’s New Pine; the largest, Hovey’s Seedling; and the finest and best for market, Jenny’s Seedling and Crimson Cone. Hovey’s Seedling, in Western New York, and in many parts of the West, is a very moderate, and, in many cases, a poor bearer. We have had no crop so heavy the past season (when all bore well) as on the Monroe Scarlet. STAMINATE, OR HERMAPHRODITE. — Large Early Scarlet, Walker’s Seedling, Iowa, Boston Pine, and Genesee. All these may be grown successfully for market, and are good, without being first-rate in flavor. We think much more of Walker’s Seedling now than we did last season. It is very hardy, and a great bearer. It appears to be a seedling from the Black Prince. ‘The Boston Pine is the most uncertain on the whole list; without good soil and culture, it fails en- tirely. Besides the above list, we would recommend to amateurs, who are willing to bestow thorough cultiva- tion and care on their plants, the British Queen, which, when well grown, surpasses in size, beauty, and excel- lence, any we have named. ‘The Bicton Pine, a large and beautiful white variety, which ripens late. We have had a fine crop of it this season, although our plants—being set last year—were seriously injured last winter. Like all the foreign sorts, it needs protection, and a deep, rich soil, with abundant moisture. The Wood Strawberries—red and white—bear most pro- fusely in all places, and last a long time; besides, they part freely from the calyx, and are therefore easily and rapidly picked, and their flavor is rich and agreeable to most people. In addition to these, we must mention 128 APPENDIX. the Bush Alpine, (having no runners,) perpetual bear- ers, if kept liberally supplied with moisture. They deserve much more extensive cultivation than they now receive. With their assistance, we may enjoy strawberries not one month only, but fowr months. ae ae APPENDIX F. LETTER FROM B. V. FRENCH. BRAINTREE, Mass., August 26, 1853. R. G. PARDEE, Esa. : DEAR Sir:—I regret to say that the culture of the strawberry, with its varieties, is not so well under- stood as I could desire. The culture I would recommend would be, in a yellow sandy soil, trench to the depth of two feet at least; this should be made rich by high manuring, to which I would recommend a generous supply of muck (decomposed vegetable matter) and spent tanner’s bark: the whole should be finely mixed in with the loam at the time the beds are made up. If the ground should be so situated as to admit an ample supply of water, it would be of great service, judiciously applied. The beds should be made, for convenience, about three feet wide, the paths one and a half foot. The plants should be grown from the runners of the previous year’s growth, and the strong ones only made use of, * taken up from the ground, just as the new leaves begin to grow, with as much of their roots on as possible, APPENDIX. 129 your bed being quite mellow. They should, at this time, (in early new leaf in the spring,) be trans planted with the roots, to the depth of their greatest length. To procure the finest fruit, they should be planted in hills, nine inches from the paths, and eight- een inches’ distance one from the other. As no fruit is expected the first season, they should be kept clean of weeds, the earth to be kept mellow, and no runners allowed to take root. The second year you may look for and find a sure reward. The third year, let the _ runners take root; the yield will be about one-third of the preceding year, when you will have a full supply of new plants for a new bed: the old one, should you, in August, find it clear of sorrel and white clover, you may be classed with the neat gardener. Should these infest the beds, they may as well remain till the spring following, or till you have taken what new plants you may want, when the whole may be dug in, leaving your ground in a fine condition for a vine or ' root crop. In some soils the plants may want a slight protection from the frost. This, on the sea-coast, may be with sea-weed; in the interior, with wheat or rye straw. VARIETIES.—The kind a cultivator should never exclude from his garden is the Harly Virginia. Let him always keep a full supply of these; they are reliable when others fail. Next to this, for large ber- ries and a great yield, is Jenney’s Seedling. Hovey’s Seedling, and Boston Pine, in some seasons are very fine. They should be in hills, under high cultivation, and with me-not always satisfactory. Longworth’s i 7 180 APPENDIX. Prolific, Walker’s Seedling, and Burr’s New Pine, promise well. There are a great number of others which I have tried that are good; but if I was to have but two kinds, they should be the Early Virginia and Jenney’s Seedling; but you are aware, Sir, that these small fruits, which are such great luxuries, are like the large ones: we must try them all, and we often have occasion to change our minds on the trial of new varieties. Yours, with respect, B. V. FRENCH. P.S.—I have near forty varieties of the strawberry growing, but they are not sufficiently tested to give an opinion on. AAP PAIN Dd XG LETTER FROM PETER B. MEAD. SEPTEMBER Ist, 1854. R. G. Parner, Esq.: Dear Sir—Your request, that I would give you a few remarks on the culture of the strawberry, I will now comply with, but necessa- rily in a brief manner. First let me say, that I am glad to learn that you are about to publish a manual on strawberry culture. Your long experience and marked success will enable you to invest the subject with unusual interest. We cannot always command just such a soil as we want; but we generally’have the material at hand to APPENDIX. 181 modify it so as to answer our purpose very well. For the strawberry I prefer a sandy loam, well drained, and a southern exposure. An eastern aspect is also good. Animal manures I do not use, except on a few of the hermaphrodites, and then very sparingly, and only that which is well decomposed. I much prefer prepared muck, leaf-mould, &. When a stimulant is required, a solution of guano, the salts of ammonia, dilute tannic acid, or a top-dressing of guano, super- phosphate of lime, potash, &c., answers the purpose well. I prefer the guano, ammonia, and tannic acid. In a garden, strawberries should be planted in beds, and each kind kept distinct. Make the beds three feet wide, put three plants in a row, the two outside ones being 6 inches from the edge of the bed; the plants will then be one foot apart. The rows should be 18 inches apart; but in a small garden they may be one foot apart. Select young plants in preference to old _ ones. Set the plant up to the crown, but do not cover it. Keep the ground open and porous, and free from weeds. A word as to the best wme for planting. I prefer early spring; but where a supply of water is at hand, it may be done at any time; for only give the straw- berry plenty of water, and it will defy any amount of heat. I would remark, en passant, that whoever at- tempts to water his strawberries must do it thoroughly, if he would have his plants derive any benefit from it. A thorough soaking once a week will do more good than fifty sprinklings a day. Where water is not at hand, the planting should be done during August and September, taking advantage of a heavy rain. I prefer the early part of September; in fact, I have planted 132 APPENDIX. Hovey, Burr's New Pine; Walker’s Seedling, and others, as late as the 21st of October, and every plant survived the winter without covering of any kind ; but - I would not recommend planting later than September. Next a few words about mulching and after-treat- ment. Latterly I have seldom resorted to mulching. I have a rake 7 inches wide with prongs 8 inches long, made of highly tempered steel. This is my mulcher. With this instrument I work between the rows from spring till fall; and frequently when the plants are in fruit. I know I shall be told that this is a dangerous practice, and I admit that it is in inexperienced hands ; indeed, I would not trust another to use it among my own plants, owing to the danger of injuring their fibres; and yet I use it myself within an inch of the erown. When, therefore, I cannot give the necessary personal attention to my plants, I resort to the next best mulcher, which is tan, either spent or fresh. I prefer the latter. The ground should first be well stirred, and the tan applied not more than one inch thick. Iftoo much is applied, it is apt to ferment and kill the plants. Many fine beds have been destroyed in this way. Where tan cannot be had, leaves from the woods may be used. These make an admirable mulch, and promise, in my opinion, to take the first place among mulchers. Hay, straw, grass, sawdust, &c., are also good; but whatever is used for this pur- pose, the crown of the plants must in no case be covered. The beds having been properly made, the after-treat- ment becomes a very simple matter ; indeed, I know of no plant that gives such generous returns at so APPENDIX. 133 small a cost of labor; but you must not infer from this that I justify any thing like neglect. The beds must be looked over occasionally, runners removed, weeds pulled up, and every thing kept neat and clean. In the spring, rake the mulching into the walks, stir up the soil, apply a top-dressing if needed, and then put back the mulching. The best mode, however, is to apply one of the solutions before mentioned, after the fruit has set. The bearing-season may be considerably prolonged by thorough watering, and will amply repay the trouble where the means are at hand. As soon as the plants have done bearing, they will throw out run- ners, which must be pinched off, unless plants are wanted for new beds. I have no time to add more here, except to say, that he who would have good strawberries must cultivate them; by which I mean the opposite of letting them take care of themselves. You will doubtless expect me to add a few words in regard to some of the leading varieties; but it would be impolitic for me to say much on this point, since you know I am now testing all the new varieties, and conducting a series of experiments having reference to the natural history of this most interesting plant. Friends have furnished me with varieties entirely new, and not yet sent out; but these I have only had under trial since last May, and it would be quite premature to say much about them, though some of them are very promising. I am daily expecting more. At some future time I shall review them all. I do not hesitate to say, however, that the following are good, without, at present, designating them in any other way: McAvoy’s Superior, Hovey’s Seedling, Moyamensing, 1384 APPENDIX. Burr’s New Pine, Black Prince, Pennsylvania, Mc- Avoy’s Extra Red, (rather acid,) Boston Pine, Alice Maude, Longworth’s Prolific, Hxcellente, Walker’ S Seedling, Beach’s Queen, Large Harly Scarlet, Ange- lique. But I rather think I will stop, for I know not where this may lead me. Barr’s New White and Bicton Pine are both large white varieties; the former is best. You also tell me you mean .to add some directions about the culture of currants, gooseberries, and other small fruits, as well as the grape. These things should be better grown than they generally are. Gooseberries and currants are usually seen as a mass of half-decay- ed branches, without form or sightliness. Jt is next to impossible to bring these into shape, or develop their maximum productiveness. It is better to begin anew. Procure plants struck from cuttings; grow them with a clean stalk not less than six inches in height; prune them every winter, keeping the heads well open, and shorten in last season’s growth in the currant, but not in the gooseberry. These fruits are generally planted against the fence, or in some out-of- the-way corner, just where they should not be. Give them an open exposure, plenty of manure, and good culture, and you will be amply rewarded. The Red Dutch is best for general purposes; but Knight’s Sweet Red, Cherry, Prince Albert, White Grape, and others, may be added where there is room. The raspberry and blackberry are also desirable in a garden, furnishing a delicious fruit at an opportune season. They both require a deep, rich soil. The blackberry may be planted against an east fence, and the raspberry against a west fence—about the best APPENDIX. 1385 places in a garden. The old wood of the raspberry should be cut out after it has ceased bearing, and some four or five canes of the new growth retained for next season. ‘The blackberry should be winter-pruned, and shortened in about the last of July. They should both be tied to stakes or to the fence, and the ground kept free from weeds. Of raspberries, the Fastolf, Red Antwerp, and White Antwerp are among the best. Dr. Brincklé, has raised several seedlings, one of which, Col. Wilder, I have grown, and found to be good. The above, in some localities; will need protection in winter, which is best done by bending down the canes and covering them with earth. Mr. Van Dewenter, of Astoria, has a new ever-bearing raspberry, which will prove to be an acquisition. Of blackberries, the Improved High Bush (of Boston) and the New Rochelle are now pretty well known. ‘The latter is certainly the best, and most productive: it is a most beautiful fruit, and worthy of general cultivation. I saw a basket of this fruit from Mr. Rosevelt, of Pelham; Westchester Co., the berries of which measured from three to three inches and a half in. circumference. Mr. Lawton has also shown fine specimens. About a year since, while at Chester, Morris Co., N. J.. I saw a blackberry growing wild, . closely resembling the New Rochelle, and quite equal to it. Ihave a variety, however, which I consider su- perior to either of the above in point of flavor. It is very distinct in wood and foliage, and a strong grower. It is a hybrid variety, and may be had of Mr. Moré, of Yorkville. To say any thing important of the grape in a few 136 APPENDIX. lines, is no easy matter. The best soil, Lapprehend, is a gravelly loam, thoroughly underdrained, and subsoiled or trenched. We expect the vine to yield its fruit for a lifetime at least, and should prepare the soil accord- ingly. The ground having been trenched, dig a hole not less than three feet square and two feet deep, and fill up nearly a foot with a compost of manure, bones, broken charcoal, lime rubbish, and vegetable mould, or as many of these materials as can be procured, but no dead dogs, cats, or horses. Over this compost put a layer of the best soil; then take your vine, spread the roots in their natural position, and fill ‘up carefully. Vines three and four years old are the best, if they have been properly cared for; otherwise I would pre- fer those two years old. Pruning is a matter of the first importance. In gardens, vines are grown upon either arbors or trellises, and the same kind of pruning will not answer for both. The arbor is generally used for the purpose of shade as well as fruit, and here spur- pruning is generally practised, but carried to such an extreme, that in the course of years the vines become knotty, stunted, and unproductive. The first year, little or no pruning is necessary; if there is much top, however, it must be cut in to two or three good eyes. The vine is very tractable, and may be trained in the most symmetrical manner; this, however, is too often done at the expense of the best fruit-wood. In the case of the.arbor, after the leaders have been trained to their places, and the vines have come into bearing, do not prune closer than three eyes. If the growth is likely to be too much, rub out the middle eye, leaving the third for fruit, and the first for bearing next year; APPENDIX. 13% at which time cut away all the wood down to this first shoot, which latter must be cut to three eyes, rubbing out the second as before, and so on from year to year. The truth is, it would require several pages to explain this matter fully, but I have no time for it. In the case of the trellis, what gardeners call cane-pruning is the best. Select as many shoots as are wanted, and cut out all the rest; these shoots are then shortened in to the first good eye; but if this should leave them too long, they must be cut to the desired length. I regret that I have not time to explain this fully; but the principle is, to get rid of last year’s bearing-wood, and keep the new wood as near to the body as pos- sible. The grape border must be manured, spaded, and cultivated with as much care as you would bestow on a crop of corn. A summer pruning is also neces- sary, which consists in thinning out the superfluous growth, and pinching in the laterals. The leaves of the grape vine must in no case be removed. The best time to prune is the fall and early winter. The best grapes for this latitude are the Isabella, Catawba, and Karly Black, or Madeira; the latter only for the garden; the Charter Oak, Royal Muscadine, (a synonym,) and others of that class, are worthless hum- bugs. The Diana is a small, sweet, and rather plea- sant grape, and desirable for localities where the Tsabella will not ripen. ‘The Clinton and some others, which are well spoken of, I have had no opportunity of testing; and I have seen the fruit of many seed- lings, which deserve no further mention, with the ex- ception of a white variety, with the Catawba flavor, 138 APPENDIX. and ripening 1st of September. I think this last will prove to be a very good grape. But this letter has reached a great length, and I must close it, with all its shortcomings. If it contains any thing of use to you for the purposes of your man- ual, you are at liberty to do what you please with it. Sincerely yours, PreTer B. MEAD. APPENDIX H. From the “American Agriculturist,” Sept., 1854. THE FRUIT AND VEGETABLE GARDEN. BY AN AMATEUR. THERE are few accessories of the homestead more important than a good fruit and vegetable garden; no home is perfect without them. If there is one thing more than another which adds to the comforts of a poor man’s cottage, it is a well-kept garden, in its largest sense; nay, it is a luxury, even to the millionaire. A well-regulated house within, and a well-kept garden without, make up much of the sum of human happi- ness. How few such there are! The garden is too generally looked upon as something to minister to the mere appetite; but, when rightly regarded, it exercises a moral and intellectual influence which gives it a strong claim to the serious consideration of all who feel any concern in the ultimate destiny of the human race Horticultural pursuits, above all others, bring int healthy play those powers of body and mind, the mu- tual exercise of which alone can keep up that just equilibrium of the physical, intellectual, and moral forces, which makes the true man. APPENDIX. ' - ae I will now submit a few practical remarks on what may be called the Cottage Vegetable Garden, or rather, Fruit and Vegetable Garden; for, on a limited plot, they ought not to be separated. There is no good reason why a man with three or four city lots, each 25 by 100 feet, should not indulge the luxury of a few choice fruits, equally with him who owns his acres. In what follows, it is supposed that the lots run north and south, the house being built on the north front, and the flower-garden separated from the vege- table by a rose-trellis the full width of the lots. The flower-garden and lawn will occupy another article. Let us suppose a man has four lots of ground, two of which are taken up with a house, lawn, flower-gar- den, &c. He will then have a plot 50 by 100 fora fruit and vegetable garden. Now it will not do to.use half of this up with walks—a thing quite too common. Beginning at the rose-trellis, lay off a central walk four feet wide, through the length of the garden; then, immediately behind the rose-trellis, lay off a grape- border ten feet wide, and parallel with this a walk three feet wide, stopping three feet short of each side- fence; then borders three feet wide next the east and west fence; then, parallel with these, a walk three feet wide; then a central walk four feet wide, through the width of the garden, and a wall three feet wide close to the south fence. This arrangement will make four large central beds, each 40 by 17 feet, besides the bor- ders. The beds and borders should be edged with box, kept closely cut. The whole garden should be trenched two or three feet deep. To make the walks, dig out the soil three feet deep; fill in with stones about 140 APPENDIX. one foot, and cover them with stout brush; then put in the soil, and finish with about six inches of coarse sand or gravel, raising the walks a little in the middle. Roll them from time to time till they become settled; a good coating of salt will help to make them hard, and keep them free from weeds. Walks thus made will keep your feet dry, and your beds tolerably well drained—the latter an object which should never be lost sight of, especially where early fruit and vegetables are desired. There are some matters connected with orading and levelling, which must be determined by the circumstances of each particular case. Lastly, there should be some eighteen inches of good. soil, of which sod mould is the very best. No amateur can hope to have a good garden, pleasantly worked, unless every thing is properly prepared from the beginning; hence these particulars. Now let us see what permanent ‘fixtures’ are wanted. Four feet from the rose-trellis, put in a row > of posts, six or seven feet high and eight feet apart, upon which stretch four stout wires. Plant a grape vine between each post, and keep them well pruned, on the cane system. Hschew all charlatans and hum- bugs, whether in the shape of men or vines, and among the latter especially, the Charter Oak. The walk, if made as directed, will keep this border well drained— a matter of much moment where well-flavored grapes are desired. Two or three loads of gravel, incorpo- rated with the soil, would make it still more congenial to the grape. Between each vine, and some three feet from the box edging, put in a rhubarb plant, and under it a good heap of manure. This is a good APPENDIX. 141 arrangement, notwithstanding some may object to it. In the centre of this border, where the wide walk in- tersects it, a summer-house may be erected. In the border along the east fence, plant the black- berry, some three or four feet apart. In the west bor- der, plant the raspberry, at about the same distance. It would be well, however, to reserve a portion of the west border for a few plants of sage, parsley, thyme, &c. There now remain the four large beds, the borders of which may be occupied with dwarf fruit trees; no others should ever be grown ina garden, and by no means plant them in an auger-hole. I would recom- mend chiefly pears; but, for the sake of variety, a couple of plums, apricots, cherries, quinces, &c., may be added. These should be planted in the border of the large beds, about three feet from the box edging, and some eight feet apart. Between each tree a cur- rant or gooseberry bush may be planted; these should be raised from cuttings, grown to a single stalk, and regularly winter-pruned. This mode of planting is good in itself, and leaves all but the border of the large beds for vegetables, strawberries, &c. One bed may be occupied with strawberries and asparagus, but the latter must be kept three or four feet from the fruit trees. Having disposed of the principal permanent arrange- ments, let us look for a moment at such vegetables as will have to be raised annually. For this purpose we have left three of the large beds. It is taken for granted that a good supply of well-prepared barn-yard manure has been procured, as well as a set of steel 142 APPENDIX. garden implements, which latter should always be kept as bright asa new penny. First make up your mind what you will grow, and how much of it. Then spread on a good coating of manure, and spade twelve inches deep. It is surprising to a novice how much can be grown on a given surface. Beets, carrots, salsify, » parsnips, lima beans, and some others, will occupy the ground the whole season. Beets should be sown thick, in drills six inches apart, each alternate row to be used for greens, as well as the thinnings of the others. Between the carrots, &c., radishes may be sown. Lettuce, radishes, &c., may be sown in the raspberry and blackberry borders. Peas should be sown in double drills six inches apart, at intervals of three feet. Between the peas may be planted beets for greens, radishes, spinach, lettuce, &c., making two drills of each. The peas will come off in time for turnips, late cabbage, broccoli or celery; the latter should be planted in beds, the earth thrown out one spade deep, the celery planted in rows one foot apart, and the plants from six to ten inches in the rows. Snap beans will be off in time for cabbage, turnips, fall spinach, &c. If beans are wanted in the fall, they may follow onions, where these have been grown from sets. A few cucumbers may be planted in the fruit border. Sugar-corn should be planted in drills three feet apart, the plants six inches in the drills for the small early varieties, and about a foot for others. For a succession, plant from early spring till the first week in July, two or more drills at a time, according to the wants of the family. Corn may be planted after some of the crops named above. If one piece of ground is used, a por- APPENDIX. 143 tion of it will give you some early spinach and peas. Radishes may also be planted from time to time along the fruit border, but too much of this will injure the trees. A few egg-plants and peppers may also be planted in the fruit border, but not immediately under the trees. By the exercise of a little judgment, a variety of things may be made to follow each other in this way, so that no spot of ground need necessarily remain unoccupied for a single day during the whole season. The ground must be kept free from weeds, and well worked at all times. When the weather is dry, use the hoe more frequently than usual, (a narrow, long-pronged rake is best,) which will enable the ground to absorb moisture from the atmosphere, of which it always con- tains some, even in the dryest weather. Frequent stiring of the soil is important in another respect, in keeping it open and porous, and enabling it to take up the gases of the atmosphere, which constitute no inconsiderable portion of the food of plants. It will also give an earlier and better crop. Discard the prac- tice of earthing your plants, except for the purpose of blanching. Hilling should not be tolerated, except in soils naturally retentive of moisture; the true remedy for which consists in underdraining, and not in hilling. The preceding remarks are mostly of a general nature, but a few words may be said here of the time and labor necessary to cultivate and keep in order a garden like that here described. A person familiar with the operations to be performed, and expert in the use of implements, can generally perform the necessary labor (unless, he is dronish) without detriment to his 144 APPENDIX, daily business; on the contrary, he will find himself invigorated for the discharge of its duties. At all events, he will need but a few days’ assistance for the rough work. I know that very much more than this has been done for years, and will continue to be done. I speak this for the encouragement of those who desire to surround their homes with these luxuries, but whose means will not permit them to employ a permanent gardener. Much time is lost for want of proper know- ledge. The best advice I can give the novice is, first to learn what is to be done, and then learn how to do it, and always do it-well. May the day come when even the common laborer shall be blessed with the comforts of a good home, and rejoice ‘under his own vine and” fruit ‘tree !” 3477 . 4 a as eat ey UJ fh 4 1 ri : AL Oe Oe a MAN ; 7 hve aE ae u , « i \ it a lise MLS eh i ae eG i } he } Leet wi me } Cacuyt ti , F mK i¢ te Pee luda VRPT NE TY wis = LIBRARY OF CONG HUN NINGNIIY 00009183984