THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Thinning should be delayed until 

 there is no further danger of premature 

 dropoing of fruit from lack of pollina- 

 tion, the effect of frosts, or other acci- 

 dental causes. It should be done, how- 

 ever, before the fruit becomes so large 

 as to tax the tree. The usual recom- 

 mendations are to thin plums when 

 about half grown and before the pits 

 harden ; peaches when the size of small 



hickory nuts or when half an inch in 

 diameter ; apples when the size of hick- 

 ory nuts to i}^ inches in diameter. 

 The amount of fruit removed will de- 

 pend largely on the previous pruning, 

 and on the age, size, and variety of the 

 tree. The fruits should be left far 

 enough apart so as not to touch each 

 other, and it is often recommended to 

 leave them from 4 to 6 inches apart. 



JELLIES AND PRESERVES. 



ONSIDERING the expense 

 and risk of exporting fresh 

 fruits it really seems as if our 

 grocers might do more in the way 

 of evaporated fruits, jellies and pre- 

 serves. The bulk would be so much 

 lessened by the evaporation of the water, 

 or by reducing to jelly that the expense 

 of transportation would be much re- 

 duced, while the risk would be almost 

 none. Of course science and skill is 

 necessary to do the work properly, faces 

 us on the start, but if our farmers are 

 being taught dairying and cheesemaking 

 at the expense of the Department, why 

 should they not also be taught jelly 

 making. The following is from the 

 American Agriculturist. 



A profitable way of converting some 

 of the surplus fruit on the farm into a 

 salable product lies along the line of 

 jelly making. The great mass of city 

 residents are forced to buy commercial 

 jellies that in many cases are of inferior 

 quality if not positively injurious to 



Fig. 1378. — Jelly Jaks 



health. Thousands that now go with^ 

 out rather than buy the questionable 

 compounds shown in stores, would be 

 glad to patronize a brand of pure "farm- 

 raised " jellies, put up in attractive shape 

 and bearing the imprint of the maker, 

 as a guarantee of excellence. Make the 

 very best article possible ; put it up in 

 the most attractive style, and no incon- 

 siderable income can be derived from 

 fruit that is now often practically wasted. 

 Such products are taken in many in- 

 stances by women's exchanges. 



266 



