THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[July. 



packed in camel's hair sacks, being pressed down 

 into a solid mass, frequently by the feet of the op- 

 erator, and are then shipped by rail to the mer- 

 chants of Smyrna. 



"The work of grading and packing the fig is 

 mostly done by women. The figs are dumped 

 from the sacks upon the floor of the warehouse, to 

 be separated into different grades. The operators 

 are seated beside the heaps of figs, and each is 

 provided with five baskets, or as many as there 

 are different grades, into which the fruit is to be 

 assorted. 



"The poorest quality is used only for distilling 

 purposes, being mostly shipped to France. The 

 next grade is ground up and made into fig paste. 

 The next quality, most of which have a sun scald 

 on one side, or other defect, is packed in barrels or 

 kegs, as we frequently see them in this market. 

 The number one and two grades are packed into 

 boxes and drums, as we find them at all the retail 

 fruit stands of the city. 



" The packing is done by a different set of hands 

 from the graders, and in different apartments. The 

 finest figs undergo a considerable amount of man- 

 ipulation, being pulled and stretched out, in order, 

 when pressed and flattened at the top of the pack- 

 age, that they may appear much larger than they 

 really are. Smyrna figs are not dipped into lye or 

 other solution ; the only application, if it can fairly 

 be called such, is that each operator is provided 

 with a basin of sea water, into which the tips of 

 the fingers are occasionally dipped, to prevent 

 them from sticking." 



The Dandelion has of late become very popu- 

 lar as a salad herb in England. It requires the 

 same routine in the way of culture as Chicory, 

 viz., sow in April in drills, take up the roots when 

 fully grown in autumn, and plant in a dark warm 

 cellar or mushroom house. The young blanched 

 leaves are excellent for making up winter salads, 

 and they come in at a time when the ordinary sup- 

 ply of out-door materials for salading is at its 

 lowest ebb. — Field. 



Japan Persimmons. — Mr. A. Stoddart, of Pen- 

 sacola, has, probably, some of the oldest and 

 largest imported trees in the State, and the Com- 

 mercial of that city says: "The fruit makes one 

 of the best preserves — by many preferred to the 

 guava — is easily dried, and is largely used in this 

 way in Japan in the place of dried figs, which it is 

 said to excel in taste and flavor." 



Fruit in Mexico. — Mr. John E. Russell, in 

 an address before the Massachusetts Horticultural 

 Society, remarked that he did not think apples 

 could be grown in Mexico, even on the Highlands. 

 Peaches can be grown ; he saw them dried and 

 pressed into boxes, and called matacatunes by the 

 Indians. Figs grow in every part, and pineapples 



in many parts. The pineapples of commerce com- 

 pared with those ripened on the plant as a wild 

 pasture apple compares with a Baldwin. Oranges 

 are produced wherever the ground is not too high. 

 Grapevines in Central America grow most luxuri- 

 antly, but produce no fruit. 



Sugar in Corn. — Just how much sugar there is 

 in Indian corn depends on the variety, the climate, 

 and many other circumstances ; but for all practi- 

 cal purposes, three per cent, may be assumed as 

 data for calculations. 



Canning Tomatoes. — The Prairie Farmer re- 

 marks: "The tomato canning industry has within 

 the short space of three years, more than doubled, 

 and notwithstanding its present gigantic dimen- 

 sions, reaching over two million cases for the 

 season closing in November last, the business may 

 be said to be yet in its infancy." 



Truffles in Philadelphia. — Under this name 

 the common Puff-ball is sold in Philadelphia, in 

 the autumn, at fifteen cents per pound ; but they 

 are very good when young and fresh. 



To Get Rid of Rats. — I shall be glad to give 

 "Plague" a hint how to banish his rats. I lived 

 twenty years in an old country house, and on three 

 separate occasions I had an invasion of rats — not 

 a single rat, but a colony each time. The first 

 time and the first notice of them was a flutter in 

 the pigeon loft, and on going to see I found eight 

 rats in full pursuit. I got steel traps, &c., and 

 caught several, but no diminution was perceptible, 

 there was such a quantity about the place. I then 

 tried the following experiment : I got a box trap, 

 and, after a deal of trouble and patience, caught a 

 rat, and, getting his tail under the door, tied a 

 string to it, then pulled him out, and shaking him 

 till he hung quietly head down, I caught him with 

 my finger and thumb by the back of the neck and 

 cut off the string. I next painted him all over 

 with gas tar, except the head, which must not be 

 touched. This is essential. When I had put as 

 much tar upon him as I could get to stick, I took 

 him to his hole, and let him run in, and saw no 

 more of either him or his companions for that 

 time, till a fresh colony came some years after, 

 which was banished the same way. Care must be 

 taken not to hurt him, and if tar gets on his eyes, 

 mouth, or nose, you must kill him and get another, 

 as he must be able to run through all the holes in 

 the house. I should like to hear if "Plague" 

 succeeds with the experiment. — H. W. in Garden- 

 ing Illustrated. 



