390 ANNUAL REPORT 



come bad harvest the crop as soon as possible, then spray twice 

 per week with poisoned water. If the crop is small and the 

 worms bad, better sacrifice the crop at once and exterminate the 

 enemy. Powdered white hellebore dusted on the bushes when 

 the dew is on is also an excellent and effectual insect destroyer. 

 With good care and watchfulness the enemies will be killed out. 

 I had almost forgot to mention black currants. Cultivate the 

 same as other currants. The fruit is good for suet puddings, 

 wines and cordials^ and of great value iu sickness. Every gar- 

 den should have a few. 



TO CAN CURRANTS. 



Look the fruit over carefully, rejecting all injured berries. 

 Pick from the stems, put into a kettle and let them heat slowly 

 and stew gently for twenty or thirty minutes. Then add an 

 equal weight of sugar. Shake occasionally to mix with fruit. 

 Do not allow it to boil but keep as hot as possible till the sugar 

 is dissolved. Put into cans at once and put the covers on 

 tightly. 



TO DRY CURRANTS. 



Stem the currants. Take one quart of sugar for one quart of 

 fruit. Put in a porcelain kettle a layer of fruit, then a layer of 

 sugar. Add a very little water. When the sugar is dissolved 

 let them boil about two minutes. Skim them from the syrup 

 and spread on plates to dry in partly cooled oven. Boil the 

 syrup till thickened and pour it on the currants to dry with 

 them. Pack in jars and cover closely. 



Another way is to dry in ajar, in the proportion of one pound 

 of currants to one-half pound of sugar. Let it stand over night. 

 Boil gently; skin off all skum; then boil ten to fifteen minutes; 

 skim the fruit out and spread on plates to dry in the sun or by 

 the fire, turning frequently till dry. Then place in the oven in 

 pans, stirring often with the hand till too hot to bear. Pack 

 in jars with sugar or put away in paper sacks or in crocks with 

 cloth tied over the tops. Exclude light and keep in a dry 

 place. 



TO MAKE CURRANT JELLY. 



Use the liquid spoken of in the first recipe for drying currants; 

 skim it well after the currants are taken out until it becomes 

 thick. Put away in jelly glasses and cover them. 



