Page 10 



BETTER FRUIT 



October 



These facts explain in a measure why 

 the disease will in some trees die out 

 in the small twigs without injuring 

 large limbs, while in other trees it will 

 run through the bark to the roots. 



Control — In a single sentence we can 

 say that the only method of curing a 

 blighted tree is to cut out and burn all 

 the affected parts. This seems simple 

 enough, but there are important details 

 that determine between success and 

 failure. As a matter of fact very 

 few inexperienced men are successful, 

 largely because they will not pay close 

 enough attention to these important 

 details. The following rules should, 

 therefore, be thoroughly mastered and 

 religiously followed: 



(1) See that no blight is allowed to 

 winter over in the trees. The most 

 effective time of the year to cut it out 

 is late fall or early winter, though sum- 

 mer cutting is advised also. 



(2) In the dormant season the 

 blighted branch should be cut otf about 

 a fool below any visible portion of Ihe 

 disease; in the summer two or three 

 feet below. Even if this necessitates 

 cutting off a larger limb it should be 

 done. It is this rule that is transgressed 

 most often and with the most serious 

 consequences. 



(3) After each cut the saw or shears 

 must be disinfected. The disinfectant 

 can best be carried in a milk bottle at- 

 tached to a belt, and can be applied 

 with a swab. Small corrosive sublimate 

 tablets (four to a pint of water) make 

 an excellent disinfectant. A o per cent 

 solution of carbolic acid is also good. 



(4) Burn all diseased parts promptly 

 after cutting, especially in summer. It 

 is a general belief that insects crawl- 

 ing over such material may reinfect 

 the trees. 



(5) Inspect every tree carefully after 

 the orchard has been gone over. Flven 

 an expert, when cutting out blight, has 

 to do this two or three times to get 

 every case, and a case or two left may 

 ruin the whole cami)aign by starting 

 the blight in the blossoms the next sea- 

 son. A reinspection should always be 

 made just before the buds open, as 

 missed cases are often more easily 

 found at that time. Never omit this. 



(6) Pruning — Orchards in infected 

 districts should be kept free from 

 watersprouts at the foot of the trees, 

 and from suckers and fruit spurs on the 

 main limbs; otherwise the bacteria, en- 

 tering through these tender parts, will 

 quickly reach the roots or trunk. 



(7) Tillage and Irrigation — Anything 

 that favors a rapid, succulent growth 

 of the tree makes it more susceptible 

 to blight. It is therefore most impor- 

 tant that blighted orchards should have 

 no more tillage and water during the 

 first half of the growing season than 

 are absolutely necessary to the making 

 of the crop. Barnyard manure should 

 be applied only to the more resistant 

 varieties. 



(8) Kill the Green-Apple Aphis— Ob- 

 servation and experience have con- 

 vinced us that the winged adult of this 

 Insect is the most important carrier of 

 the blight after the bees stop working 

 in the flowers. Thorough spraying 



with tobacco extract for the green 

 aphis should greatly reduce the spread 

 of blight during the summer. 



Preparing Fruit Exhibits 



In a short time now an interesting 

 part of the fruit grower's mail will 

 consist of the premium lists issued by 

 the various fair associations. A care- 

 ful study of these will prove of value to 

 all, but more especially to prospective 

 exhibitors, as a thorough knowledge of 

 the entry requirements and premium 

 classes is necessary in making up a 

 successful exhibit. Fruit fit to be taken 

 to the fair must have been well grown. 

 It is possible for a poorly cared-for 

 orchard to produce a winning plate, 

 but it is a rare thing, and, when it 

 comes to the larger box classes, prac- 

 tically impossible. Well-grown fruit 

 has been properly sprayed, cultivated, 

 pruned, thinned and harvested. Too 

 great emphasis is usually put on the 

 matter of size by both the management 

 of the fair and the entrant. The abnor- 

 mal, whether it be an apple the size of 

 a pumpkin or a flve-legged calf, is of 

 interest, but should never be made even 

 an important feature and could well 

 be left out entirely. Fruit for exhibit 

 should be selected from a large quan- 

 tity and in good daylight, should show 

 the proper form, size and color for the 

 variety, and the individuals should be 

 uniform in the above characteristics. 

 It should not be necessary to say that 

 show fruit must be wholly free from 

 injury or blemish of any kind, not even 

 a limb rub or broken stem. 



If the fair is placing emphasis on the 

 commercial side of the fruit industry, 

 pack becomes important and should 

 have careful study, especially when the 

 fruit is apples or pears. Proper pack- 

 ing presupposes correct grading, which 

 should have been done in good light 

 and with a large quantity of fruit at 

 hand. It is the custom to give equal 

 value to bulge, alignment, height of 

 ends, compactness and attractiveness. 

 In a commercial way, however, the 

 amount of bulge and the compactness 

 are more important than the other 

 features. Most of the packed apples 

 which win prizes have been put up by 

 expert packers. 



For the earlier shows the peaches, 

 plums, grapes and other soft fruits 

 should be made more important parts 

 of the exhibits and the requirements 

 of perfection for them more rigidly 

 enforced. With them condition, includ- 

 ing freedom from bleniLshes and the 

 physical condition of the fruit, is of 

 primary importance and must be care- 

 fully considered in choosing the show 

 fruit. Oversize in this class is nearly 

 always accompanied by defects of other 

 kinds, and what the exhibit might gain 

 for being quite large is likely to be lost 

 because of split stone, cracked skin or 

 similar defects. District displays are 

 of value for advertising purposes and 

 prove one of the most attractive feat- 

 ures of many fairs. The whole <listrict 

 should join in ijreparing them, under 

 the direction of a committee, and each 

 contribute according to his ability. — 

 B. J. Barnett, Pomologist, Washington 

 Agricultural Experiment Station. 



Time Table for Girls Who Practice Canning 



THE housewife who desires to can 

 fruits may make use of the follow- 

 ing time table which the United States 

 Department of Agriculture has issued 

 for Ihe girls who are members of its 

 canning clubs. Before attempting to 

 can, it is best to have a timepiece where 

 it can be conveniently seen, for by 

 keeping exact track of the minutes 

 nmch better results may ordinarily be 

 obtained than by "intuitive guessing." 

 In the time table there is a column for 

 each of four different portable canning 

 outfits, and in each column are the 

 number of minutes that various fruits 

 and vegetables should be boiled in each 

 particular outfit before they are prop- 

 erly prepared. Proper preparation 

 means the complete sterilization by 

 boiling so that the germ life which 

 might cause the product to spoil will 

 be absolutely killed. 



Almost every housewife has a tin 

 clothes boiler which she can easily 

 cr)nvert into a convenient sterilizing 

 vat in which to boil the products which 

 she desires to can. The only things 

 necessary are a tight-fitting cover and a 

 false bootom. The false bottom is made 

 of wire netting and is absolutely neces- 

 sary in order to prevent the jars from 

 coming into contact with the bottom of 

 the boiler. If the jars come into con- 

 tact with the bottom they will break 

 during the boiling. To make these bot- 



toms the housewife may take an ordi- 

 nary No. 16 wire netting of half-inch 

 mesh which is cut to fit the bottom of 

 the boiler. If the netting is not avail- 

 able, thin pieces of wood will answer 

 the purpose. A patent open-door steam 

 cooker is even more convenient than 

 a clothes boiler. Even if she has 

 neither of these, the housewife need 

 not hesitate to can, for a deep sauce 

 pan or tin bucket tightly covered will 

 answer the purpose. 



In the following table there are three 

 columns (Nos. II. Ill and IV) in which 

 the times for boiling are given for three 

 different types of commercial canning 

 outfits which the housewife might prof- 

 itably buy. These are great labor- 

 saving devices and their prices range 

 from .$,T to $15. A book of instructions 

 acccompanies each. The busy house- 

 wife who has one of these portable 

 canners may do the work out of doors 

 and is relieved from cleaning up the 

 "muss" after each canning experience. 

 Operators also have fresh air and the 

 freedom necessary for good work in- 

 stead of the heat and confinement of 

 the kitchen. The water-seal outfit (No. 

 II) is a combined hot water and steam 

 canner with a self-sealed top which 

 permits the products to be boiled at a 

 temperature two degrees higher than 

 the home-made outfit will. This means 



