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Show LEAVES" from W0522 WSam Small Garden Fruits In spite of the fascination inherent inher-ent in the thought of having "one's own vine and fig tree," the matter of planting fruits on a small holding hold-ing should be entered into with care. There are, however, a few small fruits which are rather easily grown and which come Into bearing in a short time after planting such for instance as blackberries, raspberries, raspber-ries, strawberries and grapes. Plantings Plant-ings of these small fruits should be established as soon as possible after the vegetable garden has been planned and started. STRAWBERRIES It is wise to begin slowly with any fruit until one becomes familiar with its care. For the average family, 100 to 150 strawberry plants is enough for a beginning. Plants should be set in rows 3 feet apart and 2 feet apart in the rows. Great care should be, taken in setting out the plants: They must not be set so low in the ground that the crown of I the plant will be covered with soil in the event of a heavy rain, yet they must be set at sufficient depth to cover all of the roots none must ' be exposed above ground. Although strawberries are adapted adapt-ed to practically every part of the country, and although they will grow on all types of soils except such as ' are very wet or very sour, nevertheless never-theless they will give best results on moderately rich ground which is kept scrupulously free from grass or weeds. If desired, the strawberry bed may be cleaned out and carried over for a second year of bearing, but the best crop is always obtained the first season following the setting set-ting of the plants and after the second sec-ond season the bed should be plowed up. Many growers follow the excellent excel-lent practice of setting out a new plot each year, thus having always one new planting and one second year planting, all plots being plowed up after their second year of bearing. bear-ing. RASPBERRIES Raspberries are adapted, naturally, natural-ly, only to sections where the temperature tem-perature does not ordinarily go lower low-er than 15 degrees below zero. However, How-ever, in very cold states, such as North Dakota and Minnesota, the fruit is successfully grown by laying lay-ing the canes down in the fall and covering them with earth, uncovering uncov-ering them in the spring. In the average home garden, 100 plants will meet the requirements of home use. The grower may choose between black, red and purple varieties. va-rieties. Raspberries should have a rich soil, containing plenty of humus, hu-mus, and well-drained. When the garden is made ready for planting, it is advisable to open a trench and work manure and bone meal or mixed fertilizer into the soil. Raspberries Rasp-berries must have plenty of space; the plants should be set three feet apart, in rows from four to five feet apart. During the fruiting season the canes should be supported by stakes or wires. Mulching the plants with coarse manure is advocated as a method of holding soil moisture and keeping the weeds in check. BLACKBERRIES Although wild blackberries will, if transplanted, give good results, it is advisable to plant from 40 to 50 hills of cultivated stock. For best results, a deep, rich soil is required and it must contain plenty of organic matter to hold the moisture. Like raspberries, blackberries are improved im-proved by mulching to conserve moisture. The plants should be set out in early spring, as soon as the soil can be worked. If the soil lacks humus, manure or decaying vegetable matter mat-ter should be worked into it. Blackberries Black-berries should be set in rows six to eight feet apart, the plants three to four feet apart in the rows. Blackberries Black-berries require yearly thinning; if all the suckers are allowed to grow they will produce a dense thicket of canes. As with raspberries, some form of support is required. GRAPES One row of vines eight or ten vines planted 12 feet apart will supply sup-ply the average family. One-year plants are generally used for planting. plant-ing. They must be supported on trellises or arbors and should have a reasonably rich, well-drained soil. At the beginning the soil should be enriched with fertilizer, and later the ground should receive top dressings of fertilizers and mulches of straw and other coarse materials. For mtormstion as to varieties ot small truits to choose, and as to pruning and care, send ten cents to Superintendent of Documents. Washington. D. C, asking tor Farmers' Bulletin No. 1746. PROTECTING POULTRY Since the hawks and owls, in most cases, are valuable to the farmer in the destruction of insects and rodents, ro-dents, it is not desirable to slaughter slaugh-ter them. For the protection of breeding flocks, therefore, the best plan is to keep sitting hens housed, and, when the brood is hatched, to keep both hen and chickens in a movable pen with attached wire-enclosed wire-enclosed range. The coop should be entirely enclosed and so constructed con-structed that the hen nod brood can be safely shut up nt night. |