778 



HOETICULTURE 



May 24, 1913 



FRUIT AND VEGETABLES UNDER GLASS 



CONDUCTED BY 



i>t^r\^i 



Questions by our readers In line with any of the toplcg presented on this page will be cordially received and promptly answered 

 by Mr. Penson. Such communications shoaM Invariably be addressed to the office of HORTICCLTIIKE. 



Packing Grapes 



Grapes are unlike peaches, melons and most other 

 fruits when it comes to packing and shipping. No mat- 

 ter how carefully they are packed they are sure to show 

 signs of transmission after being removed and placed 

 on the table. I refer to ordinary shipping; when se- 

 cured to exhibition boards, which take up considerable 

 room, nothing comes in contact with the berries to rub 

 off the "Ijloom" or otherwise damage them. This 

 wealth of bloom is a first line of defence to the berry 

 and every grape is endowed with it. Different methods 

 are employed for packing grapes, conditions being gen- 

 erally governed by the distance to be traveled. For or- 

 dinary purposes a good strong basket is preferable. Of 

 course there is an objection in using them, in that the 

 express companies charge more for shipping a basket 

 liaving a handle than they would for the same weight in 

 a box, accounting for the extra charge by the fact that 

 boxes can be laid on top of each other while baskets can- 

 not. This is an advantage to the shipper and consignee 

 for they do not generally get the rough handling a box 

 does. Boxes are often thrown carelessly from an ex- 

 press wagon on to a truck and likewise from the truck 

 to the cars with a repetition of the same thing at the 

 other end, irrespective of all the labels of caution that 

 can be pasted on the box. Baskets will usually receive 

 a little more consideration. Either box or basket will 

 necessitate the same procedure when packing. Baskets 

 should be lined with paper first and a layer of cotton 

 wool placed around them. Over this place a piece of 

 wax paper large enough to reach to the bottom, but do 

 not iise one large piece to cover the whole thing. Two or 

 three separate pieces should be used, each reaching nice- 

 ly over tlie bottom ; this prevents anything like a .bag 

 being formed which the bunch would sit in instead of 

 hanging on the sides, being suspended by threading a 

 piece of string through the rim and around the piece of 

 lateral usually cut with each bunch. The basket being 

 larger around the top than it is in the bottom makes it 

 all the more accommodating for the bunch, giving the 

 shoulders all the room they want. 



Pot-Trees, Finished 



Early pot fruit trees — peaches, nectarines, apricots, 

 etc., having ripened their crop will probably seem to be 

 in the way, but do not rush them outside without first 

 hardening them off a little. There will be a big change 

 in the climate from what they have been accustomed to. 

 Leave them in a cool house for a while keeping them thor- 

 oughly syringed and watered regularly. When trans- 

 ferring them outside, plunge the pots to the rim, prefer- 

 ably in ashes ; failing this place a shovelfull underneath 

 each pot to facilitate drainage. Keep the hose on the 

 trees night and morning and remember the pots are 

 full of roots and will dry out easily. Neglecting water- 

 ing and syringing for the remainder of the summer will 

 have a tendency to overripen the wood. 

 Fig Houses 



The first crop will soon be ripening and perforce syr- 

 inging has to be reduced or left out altogether until the 

 crop is off. A discontinuance of this great factor at this 

 time of year is done most reluctantly. If the ripe fruit 

 is picked "close," i. e., all the fruit that can be taken off, 

 in the early morning, a syringing afterwards will not 

 damage them. A plentiful supply of water will be 

 needed at the roots right along and mulching of cow 

 manure will answer the double purpose of feeding and 

 keeping the roots moist. Keep the stopping and tying 

 attended to regularly. 



Shading 



All the earlier vineries are shaded already, the late 

 one and probably young canes alone being exposed to 

 the full sun. I never advocate shading anything if they 

 will stand the full sun without injury. The later varie- 

 ties have tougher skins, which helps them to keep so long 

 in the fall and winter, yet these will have to be shaded 

 some time after being thinned. The distance the vines 

 are growing from the glass will make some difference; 

 the closer they are the more liable they are to burn. 

 Gasoline and white lead if applied when first mixed 

 makes a nice shading and can be adjusted to any thick- 

 ness when once anyone is accustomed to using it. White- 

 wash which has been allowed to cool off is easily applied 

 with a syringe, which is a quicker method but does not 

 look so iTood. 



OUTDOOR VEGETABLES AND FRUIT 



Spraying the Orchard 



As soon as the flowering season is past it is very im- 

 portant to spray with some good insect poison and this 

 can also be combined with Bordeaux as a fungicide. 

 .\rsenate of lead, 3 lbs. to .50 gallons of water, is a good 

 mixture and 3 lbs. of the Bordeaux to the same amount 

 of water. In preparing this spray it will be found to 

 work more efficiently if care is taken to thoroughly mix 

 the materials, taking the ingredients and working them 

 up in paste form in a ]Kiil of water. 



Borers 



Borers are very injurious to all kinds of fruit trees 

 in the orchard or garden and their presence should be 



carefully watched for. The dust they throw out of their 

 holes is a good sign of their presence, and the grower 

 liaving found them should proceed to destroy them by 

 running a wire in the hole and killing them or, if not 

 too deep, dig them out with a knife. A friend of mine 

 tells me he has been very successful in fighting borers by 

 squirting bisulphide of carbon into the holes with a 

 common oil-can and stopping the holes quickly with 

 putty. 



Long Beets 



The long beet has not found favor generally among 

 American growers, but it should, as it is very much 

 superior in flavor and texture as well as color as com- 



