HORTICULTURE. 645 



I should never expect any fruit extracted within 4 or 5 hours to keep beyond 6 

 months. As many days will be found to be a wiser economy in the end, the weak 

 lye being removed as often as may be found necessary by its l>ecoming saturated 

 with the 'tartness.' This is easily determined by its ceasing to feel 'soapy' between 

 the fingers. This test is also useful in case an impure 'concentrated lye' has been 

 used. 



' ' The use of salt brine is advisable at any time when the fruit appears to be softening 

 too much, which may readily happen, especially in the case of that which has been 

 grown on low or over-irrigated ground, where it becomes pulpy and large. Such 

 fruit can be firmed, and properly reduced in size, and made to keep by the timely 

 use of brine of properly graduated strength. This use need not be deferred until 

 after the lye has been washed out; the salt in nowise interferes with its action. I con- 

 sider close attention to this point of extreme importance in respect to the keeping 

 qualities of ripe pickled olives; and it is readily seen that here again the use of good 

 judgment and close observation is of the utmost importance, and that no routine 

 prescription will answer. 



" Different varieties of olives must never Ije treated together. When one is done 

 just right another will be found overdone or underdone. The same consideration 

 applies to fruit of greatly different sizes. No uniformity of texture, flavor, or color 

 can he expected when different varieties and sizes are pickled together." 



Small fruits in 1899, G. C. Butz and J. F. Pillsbury {Pemi-vjl- 

 vania Sta. Bui. 51, pp. 6). — Results are here reported of tests of 61 

 varieties of strawl)erries, 39 of wliich are described, 30 raspberries, 25 

 blackberries, 12 currants, and 12 gooseberries. Earlier work at the 

 station with the same fruit has been noted (E. S. R., 11, p. 452). The 

 strawberr}" crop for the season was unsatisfactory, owing- to dry 

 weather and consequent small yields. 



A comparison was made of the matted row and hill systems of cul- 

 tivation to determine their relative merits in the production of large- 

 sized berries. The results show that with a little more than one-half 

 of the varieties grown the increase in size of the berries in the hill 

 SJ^stem of culture over the matted row varied from 0.02 gm. to 4.44 

 gm. per berry, while with the remainder the increase in favor of the 

 matted row varied from 0.11 to 2.63 gm. per berry. 



Summer pinching has been the system of pruning used with rasp- 

 berries and has proven ver}-^ satisfactory. All the varieties are kept 

 at a height of 2i ft. except Shaffer Colossal and Columbian, which are 

 allowed to grow 3i ft. high. 



Liquid dressings applied to strawberries during the fruiting 

 season, Dukk of Bedford and S. U. Pickering ( Wohuni Eoopt. Fruit 

 Farm Rpt. 1900, ])]). 83-92, 251).— Six different plats, each contain- 

 ing 528 strawberry plants, received liquid dressings during the time the 

 fruit was swelling, as follows: Nothing, water only, and water with 

 either ammonium sulphate, sodium nitrate, potassium nitrate, or ammo- 

 nium sulphate mixed with sulphate of iron, respectively. The manure 

 applied in the different cases was equivalent to an application of about 

 15 tons of London citv manure per acre. Each plant received about a 

 quart of the different solutions, applied weekly throughout the month, 



