things have faded. It really belongs to the cabbage family, but it
is more like the turnip. The edible part is the bulb which develops
above ground. When cooked it looks and tastes like a most delicately
flavoured turnip. As they must be cooked while young and tender, it is
best to make several sowings; one in the hotbed in February, and two
others in the open ground; the first in May, the second in August.
They can stand quite a heavy frost and so are usable until December or
January, according to the season.
Sow in rows placed about two feet apart, and after the young plants
have attained sufficient strength to withstand attacks from beetles and
such insects, thin them to two feet apart.
Perhaps it is as well to add a few hints about the general cultivation
of these vegetables--hints which will be useful for all gardening.
Cultivation must be constant and thorough, especially when the soil is
light and sandy. Of course, no good gardener will permit weeds to get
a foothold in his territory, but the constant use of the rake is much
more important, for it keeps up the supply of moisture in the soil
around the roots of the plants, and so insures their being well fed and
making rapid growth.
This is a point which always seems to puzzle inexperienced gardeners,
so it needs explanation. Stirring the surface soil with a fine rake as
soon as it is partly dry after a rain, furnishes a mulch of dust which
prevents the moisture in the lower earth escaping, because it checks
the capillary process by which moisture travels to the surface and is
carried into the air. The soil may be rich in the mineral and animal
components which constitute plant-food, but unless moisture is present
in sufficient quantities these are not available as sustenance for
plants.
HOW TO PLANT AND CULTIVATE STRAWBERRIES
Just why growing one’s own strawberries should create a sense
of superiority is difficult to say, but it does. City friends,
who accept really difficult agricultural accomplishments with
matter-of-fact indifference, tender a sort of wondering respect to
the strawberry-grower, and what is more extraordinary, the grower
invariably accepts the laudation with the condescending pride of a
victor. At least, I must own to some such feeling, even though I
know how absurd it is, for the small wild berry is indigenous to
this country and was adopted by the thrifty colonial housewives as a
garden-plant long before the horticulturists dreamed of taking it under
their scientific management.
The cultivated strawberries are somewhat like exotics, having been
created in Europe from the native wild berry and a somewhat similar
wild plant brought from Chili in 1750. Varieties resulting from that
cross were subsequently brought to this country and furnished the stock
from which has gradually been developed the large, luscious fruit of
to-day. But it still likes American soil and so will thrive in a wider
range of latitude than any other cultivated plant.
There are several strawberry farms in our vicinity and, according to
the owners, they bear most profitable crops. One grower tells me that
he averages six thousand quarts to the acre, and gets an average price
of eight cents a quart. Another neighbour says he calculates to clear
three hundred dollars an acre from his berries. Personally, I can’t
quote figures, because we have never gone in for market berries. Being
very fond of them, and wanting the very best we could possibly grow,
we have always confined our efforts to garden culture, just for home
consumption, and the reward has been such epicurean feasts that we have
been satisfied.
Like asparagus, strawberry beds should be established as soon as the
family has settled in a country home, because it takes a year to get a
full crop. There are a great many varieties to choose from, but I think
it is best to restrict selection to the old established kinds. The
Marshall for first early, the Glen Mary for mid-season and the Gandy
for late gathering. And truly I don’t believe there can be a better
selection for the home garden in the vicinity of New York.
But, as some varieties do better than others in a certain locality,
it is advisable to consult old residents in the neighbourhood and the
nurserymen from whom plants are ordered.
Light sandy soil, sloping slightly to the south, will produce the
earliest berries, but we are convinced from experience that slightly
heavier soil and a more northerly exposure produces a better fruit in
mid-season. Our beds all slope to the south, but the late varieties
are so situated that they are slightly shaded by a row of young pear
trees, which protects them from the direct rays of the sun. The soil
is--or rather was--of ordinary quality, neither very sandy nor very
heavy, so for several seasons we scattered fine coal ashes between the
rows of the early plants, which materially lightened the soil, and for
several years we have had berries from five to ten days earlier than
our neighbours.
New beds may be started in the fall or spring, whichever is the most
convenient. If the plants are set out in the early fall, they will bear
the following season, but if planting is delayed until spring, it will
be a full year before any fruit can be expected. So I recommend August
planting of all plants to the beginner, and spring planting when there
are established beds to take other plants from.
To explain: Strawberries are propagated from the runners, which, under
natural conditions, shoot out from the parent plants and, taking root,
develop individual crowns. But the up-to-date nurseryman has of late
years taken to sinking small pots filled with rich earth in the beds,
then by lifting the ends of the runners on to the pots the roots of the
young plants develop within the pot instead of on the ground and can
later in the season be removed without any check to growth, which, of
course, greatly facilitates the growth of the crown after it is set out
in its permanent position.
Pot plants, as they are called, are slightly more expensive than layer
plants, but they are well worth it when time is an object.
Before the plants arrive the ground should be thoroughly prepared
by digging and raking until it is in a fine fibrous condition. Mark
off rows four feet apart. When the plants are received, unpack and
water copiously, and leave in a shady place for twenty-four hours
before setting out, at which time make a hole with a trowel a little
larger than the pot in which the plant has been growing, fill it about
half-full of water, and if the plants have been delivered in the pots,
remove carefully by loosening the soil, which is done by pushing a
small stick through the drain-hole and turning the pot upside down.
Then slip out the ball of earth, and put it into the hole which you
made with the trowel. Fill in with the loose earth and the process of
planting will be complete.
Plants should be set two feet apart in the rows. If they are strong
and healthy specimens, growth will start almost immediately, so you
must go carefully through the rows in about two weeks’ time, when the
plants will have commenced to throw out runners. We never allow more
than four for each plant, and those are trained to root as nearly as
possible before and behind and on each side of the parent plant, which
makes a solid row about twenty-seven inches wide at the end of the
growing season. The best way of insuring runners rooting is to press
them close to the soil, holding them in place either with a small stone
or a handful of earth.
After growth stops in the fall, the space between the rows should
receive a dressing of commercial fertiliser and be well spaded over.
About December 1st a mulch of straw or leaves should be spread over
the plants to protect them from the frost. Early the following spring
the same work is repeated, and about May 1st the mulch is removed from
immediately around the plants, but left on the ground to keep the
berries from coming in contact with the earth, and also to keep the
soil moist about the roots. The beds must be kept free from weeds at
all times.
After the crop has been gathered, a few runners are allowed to
develop and are rooted in pots, as explained above, to be used in
establishing new growth later in August, as we always put out six new
rows each season and demolish six old ones, as young plants yield more
and better fruit than old ones. For market the culture cannot be so
careful, because the size of the beds will necessitate the use of horse
cultivation. What is more, pot plants cost too much.
The successful market grower, to whom I have referred previously,
practises the following method: The ground from which early potatoes
have been harvested is sown with oats and rye, and when that crop is
removed the following summer the ground is ploughed, harrowed and
marked off in rows four feet apart, and the plants are taken from the
field set out the year before.
When the field is planted in June, a man goes through the rows about
August and covers the tips of the runners with a little soil, to hold
them down to the ground. This work is usually done by a man’s foot and
a hoe; then, after growth stops in the fall or before it starts the
following spring, the young plants formed from the runners are severed
from the parent plant and taken up. This is accomplished by running
a one-horse plough along the outside of the rows to cut the runners
and throw out the plants, so making it easy for a man to go along and
pick up the strongest plants, which are carried to a trench in some
convenient location and left until the following June.
The trenches are made about six inches deep and the plants are set
about one inch apart, and the trench refilled. Again a man’s foot
and the hoe do the work. The idea is that severing plants while in a
dormant condition and storing them closely in a trench prevents their
feeling the shock of removal from the parent stem and retards growth
until time to bed. Of course, when they are removed to permanent rows,
they are planted one foot apart and fields are kept free from weeds by
the use of a one-horse cultivator between the rows.
Even in field culture the runners have to be attended to as soon as
they commence to form. Allowing several to develop from each plant will
make the row a comparatively solid mass of from fifteen to eighteen
inches wide at the end of the season. A field set out in June or
early July will give a full crop the following year and be nearly as
productive the second year if early cultivated and fertilised, but
after that should be ploughed up and the ground used for potatoes,
cabbage or some other crops before it is again used for strawberries.
The ground on which strawberries are to be grown should have been well
enriched with barn-yard manure for previous crops, but commercial
fertiliser should be used while berries hold possession of the
ground, for barn-yard manure is apt to contain the spores of fungus
diseases which attack strawberries. Any sign of these diseases should
be instantly checked by spraying with Bordeaux mixture. One thing
more. When purchasing plants, remember that there are what are called
perfect and imperfect plants. The latter are just as good for all
practical purposes if planted side by side with perfect plants, but not
otherwise.
HOW TO GROW SMALL FRUITS
If gathered when ripe, and served at once, berries--in fact, all the
small fruits--are undoubtedly luxuries. So the country home should
always devote some space to them, no matter how small the garden may
be; and when the home is a farm, expected to become self-supporting,
the berry orchard should be established immediately after taking
possession, for the outlay is little, returns quick, and necessary
knowledge is very easily acquired. Therefore, small fruits are a
permanent branch of husbandry to be recommended to the amateur of small
means, who needs a marketable commodity to keep the pot boiling.
Like most old farms, our place had a few neglected currant bushes, a
patch of half-wild black and red raspberries, and a strawberry bed in a
most demoralised condition. But even these poor degenerates convinced
us of the economy of growing small fruits for our own use, and the
profit to be derived by supplying other people’s tables. Besides
the luxury of having freshly-gathered fruit, there are preserves,
jellies and cordials for winter use. At the end of the first year we
thoroughly pruned and cultivated the old brambles, and planted half
an acre with brambles and black and red currants. Afterward the space
was enlarged, until we had a good-sized berry orchard, which has
always shown a profit even in the worst seasons. Brambles will grow
in almost any ground, but if well fed and given a congenial home they
yield much better. The fruit is larger, better coloured and finer
flavoured. So, when possible, select ground that is somewhat sandy in
character, with a heavy subsoil. Ground that has been under cultivation
for two or three seasons is best, because it will have been well
worked, and so will be comparatively free from weeds. Commence with a
small patch, say half an acre, divided equally between black and red
raspberries, blackberries and black and red currants. Strawberries
cannot be included in a general small-fruit orchard, because the beds
are profitable for only three years, and it is better to take them into
regular crop rotation, using ground that has previously been occupied
by potatoes or corn. As space is somewhat limited, we will devote this
chapter to brambles and currants.
There are new plants for favour each year in nursery catalogues, but
we will cover only a few of the old stand-bys, such as the following
list: Raspberries (red), Columbian and Cuthbert; (black) Gregg and
Cumberland; blackberries, Wilson and Taylor; currants, Red Cherry and
Fay’s Prolific; gooseberries, Industry and Pearl. The best plan is to
purchase a few dozen plants of each variety from some good nursery for
parent stock, and when they are once well set, do your own propagating
from them. Raspberries should be set three feet apart, in rows five
feet apart. Have the ground well dressed with stable manure, and mark
off in rows. It is best to use a plough for the marking, as you then
have a furrow about the right depth in which to plant. If the plants
have travelled far, stand them in a shallow pan or half barrel, and
cover the roots with water for ten or twelve hours before planting.
Brambles that are kept well trimmed need no staking out, but when
planting young stock it is well to have some stakes cut about four
feet long and pointed at one end. Drive one every three feet along the
rows, and then set the plant close up to it. Spread out the roots in
the natural form, and firm the earth well around them, then tie the
canes loosely to the stake, to prevent the wind from blowing them from
side to side. Unless stakes are used at this time, brambles or small
bushes sway from side to side in every light breeze, and the roots are
loosened, thus preventing them from gaining any hold on the ground.
Cultivation should be as thorough and constant as for corn until
August, as it is required to keep down weeds and permit growth. After
August, cultivation should stop, to check the growth and allow the
summer wood time to ripen before frost.
To those who are new to gardening, the above may need some explanation.
Cultivation--by which is meant stirring the surface soil with the
cultivator or garden rake--prevents the moisture from escaping from
the ground. Moisture releases and brings into consumable form the
different properties of the soil which constitute plant-food. A
bountiful supply of nourishment naturally promotes growth. Stop
cultivation, and food decreases, growth stops, and the tender twigs at
the extremity of branches have time to harden sufficiently to resist
frost that would kill new growth.
Planting and general care are virtually the same with blackberries.
Raspberries are of a weedy or spreading nature, and throw up new shoots
from root beds, which must be kept down between rows, or the patch will
become a tangled wilderness within a few years. Even during the first
summer after setting out it is advisable to top-prune as fresh growth
is made. Don’t allow the canes to grow to a length of more than twenty
inches. The pinching off of the ends forces them to throw out side
branches and more canes from the main root, a very desirable thing, as
fruit is borne only on the extremity of branches grown the preceding
year. After the first year all the old canes which have borne fruit
must be cut out. In winter, when sap has returned to the roots, is the
best time for this work; but as the amateur may find some difficulty in
distinguishing the old canes from the new ones, it is safer to do the
demolishing soon after the fruit has been gathered, when there can be
no mistake. Each fall throw well-rotted stable manure around the roots
of each plant, and fork it into the ground as early in the spring as
the weather permits. At the same time run the plough between the rows,
to destroy the undesirable root shoots. Blackberries do not form root
beds that send up new shoots, so the ploughing need not be practised
between the rows; otherwise, clearing and pruning are virtually the
same as for raspberries.
When more plants are required of the raspberry family, allow some of
the root shoots to develop during the summer, and early the following
spring take them up with a sharp spade, which will sever the connection
between the new and the old plant without injury to either. As
blackberries do not throw up new plants in the same way, they must be
created from seeds or layers. Allow one or two canes of old plants to
grow long enough to fall over and reach the ground, and in August peg
the tops to the ground with a forked stick, and draw up a little mould
around each. They will soon throw out roots and top growth, and early
the following spring can be cut from the parent branch about eight
inches above the rooted end. Dig up a new plant, and set in rows the
same as raspberries. All the brambles are very vigorous growers and
remarkably free from disease, but it is advisable to keep a lookout for
the anthracnose, which is a greyish-looking spot with a purple centre.
They are most likely to make their appearance in summer on young canes,
and if not checked, multiply and eventually kill the plants. Cut out
any affected canes immediately after discovery, and burn. Spray the
adjacent plants with Bordeaux mixture two or three times, allowing
twelve or fifteen days between the applications. If old plants are
affected, they don’t need any consideration--take shoots from them.
Orange-rust is the yellowish-looking spot on the under side of the
leaves. The only remedy is to dig up, and cremate, but I truly think,
instead of talking about cause and cure of occasional diseases, it is
better to set out new plants every five or six years, for fresh-grown
youthful vigour invariably militates disease more than any amount of
doctoring.
Currants, both black and red, should be in every small-fruit orchard;
or if there is no special orchard, a few bushes should be planted in
the vegetable garden. Bushes should stand five feet apart, in a partly
shady position if possible, and in rich, moist soil. Currant bushes
bear for many years if properly cared for, and in their case pruning
need not be an annual occurrence, as the same branches will bear for
several years; it is advisable, however, to cut out a few of the older
branches every two or three years, and encourage new growth. Early in
the spring spray well, and again after the fruit has formed, and yet
again late in the summer, for borers. This is the worst and commonest
enemy the currant has. It originates from a dark-blue moth with yellow
bands across the body, which lays its eggs on the buds of the outer
branches. The eggs hatch into small white caterpillars with dark heads.
After destroying the appearance of the bush they bore to the centre
of the stems, and remain there until the following year. Much disease
and many insect pests will be averted if all dead leaves are raked up
from under the bushes in the late fall, and burned. Mulch around the
bushes in the early winter with stable manure, and fork into the ground
the following spring. Stock can be increased either by dividing large
bushes, which is really the quickest way, or by taking cuttings. If the
latter method is followed--and when there are only young bushes on the
premises, it will have to be--take about eight inches off the end of
well-developed branches of the same season’s growth. Plant them so that
all but the top leaf-bud is under ground. They need not be set more
than three inches apart, and must be transplanted the following year.
August is the best season to take the cuttings, as it gives them time
to form roots before frost. In November protect them slightly with a
mulch of straw or leaves. They should remain in the nursery bed for a
year before being transplanted again to their permanent position.
Gooseberries are usually picked green and used for pies, but when the
large-fruiting varieties are grown they are delicious raw when ripe.
The soil should be rich, heavy loam well drained. Little pruning is
needed for the first two or three years beyond the clipping back of the
shoots to develop fruit spurs along the cane, but of course weak or
broken branches must be removed.
Propagation is done by suckers and mound layers, though the American
varieties grow easily from cuttings. To procure strong mound layers,
cut the old bushes back in the late fall or early spring to encourage
new shoots to spring up from the roots, and when they are from one to
two feet high press them outward from the parent plant, covering the
base of the shoot up to about four inches above the root with earth,
packing it well down. Then in the fall or following spring sever the
shoot from the parent plant and transplant to the permanent home. Let
them stand about four feet apart each way.
HOW TO RAISE PERENNIAL PLANTS
The revival of the old-time hardy garden has become such a craze
among fashionable folk that the country woman who desires to add to
her income will find growing perennial plants for sale a profitable
occupation, provided, remember, that there is a well-to-do community
near at hand where she may find a ready market.
Like all occupations which have to do with Nature, it is folly to
attempt it unless you have an innate love of the work, for it requires
the comprehensive sympathy of a real affinity, as well as technical
knowledge, to rear either plants or animals successfully.
The great advantage in raising bedding plants is the small space and
capital required. A hundred square feet, and two or three dollars
for seeds, will enable anyone to make a beginning, which can easily
be worked up into a large business. The correct month for starting
perennials from seed is June, but as that necessitates waiting about
nine months for any returns, I am sure the beginner will agree with me
in thinking it is best to start some in the house or hotbed, for then
the varieties which flower the first season can be sold in May or June,
and those which don’t flower until the second season will be large,
strong plants in October, when many people set out hardy plants.
The sashes for hotbeds, glazed and painted ready for use, cost only
three dollars and fifty cents each, and the walls of the beds can
be made out of any old boards, so they do not add very much to the
expense of starting, but if you do not care to undertake anything so
professional as this at first, it is quite possible to manage with
shallow boxes, if you have a south or southeast window in a room which
averages from sixty to sixty-five degrees.