EDITORIAL NOTES. 



59 



Storage Temperature 



AS already stated in these pages, it has 

 been definitely proved that the lower 

 the degree of temperature at which a fruit 

 can be held with safety the longer it can be 

 kept in good condition. In Chicago our 

 apples of 1892 were held until 1893 for the 

 Columbia Exposition at 33 degrees, and 

 fairly good results were obtained ; but since 

 that it has been found that apples will not 

 freeze at a temperature of 31 degrees, and 

 that if they can be stored at this degree, 

 without danger of parts near the pipes going 

 lower, they will keep in almost perfect con-_ 

 dition. It is also found that at this tem- 

 perature the fruit is less inclined to scald, 

 rot or mould, while quality, aroma and flavor 

 are fully as good as if kept at a higher tem- 

 perature. 



Spraying for Codling Moth 



IT would seem that thorough spraying 

 with some good arsenical poison is the 

 most hopeful remedy yet discovered for cod- 

 ling moth. The most vigorous experimen- 

 tal work is in progress in Australia with 

 arsenicals, and so far the results shown are 

 that while untreated trees gave 42 per cent, 

 of the apple affected, those sprayed with 

 Paris green showed only 10 per cent, of the 

 fruit infested, and those treated with the 

 stock solution of Kedzie's arsenite of soda, 

 I lb. in 40 gal. of lime water, had only 5 per 

 cent, infested. 



Peaches in Storage 



LOISEAU, of Paris, France, has been 

 experimenting with peaches in cold 

 storage at a temperature of zero to i degree 

 C. (or from 32 to 33 degrees F.) In one 

 experiment he kept 600 peaches one month 

 in good condition. Unfortunately he does 

 not mention the kind. Those he had wrap- 

 ped kept no longer than those unwrapped. 



One striking feature of his experiment 

 was that peaches submitted to cold storage 



kept longer after removal than those picked 

 fresh from the trees. The latter could not 

 be exposed for sale more than three days at 

 the most without deteriorating, while the re- 

 frigerated peaches preserved a good appear- 

 ance for six or seven days after removal. 



This is contrary to the general view, but 

 if true, it is a most valuable point learned, 

 and adds to the importance of a cold storage 

 to every fruit section. 



For Prevention of Plum and 

 Cherry Rot 



EARLY attention is wise for the preven- 

 tion of plum and cherry rot. During 

 mild days in winter, when the trees are be- 

 ing pruned into shape, the mummy fruit 

 should be removed and burned, as it con- 

 tains spores for the propagation of the 

 fungus. In early spring, before the leaves 

 appear, the trees may be sprayed with a so- 

 lution of copper sulphate, i lb. in 25 gallons 

 of water ; and before the blossoms open, 

 with bordeaux made with 6 lbs of copper sul- 

 phate, 4 lbs. of good quick lime, and 40 gal- 

 lons of water. This treatment may be re- 

 peated as soon as the blossom falls. 



Asparagus Pays 



A BADLY planted and poorly cultivated 

 asparagus bed is not only unprofit- 

 able, but an actual expense to the owner, A 

 half acre at Grimsby, planted thinly many 

 years ago on very dry sand, has never paid 

 for the plants ; and now comes the profitless 

 task of rooting them out. In contrast with 

 this, Doan, of Illinois, said at the last meet- 

 ing of the State Society that he had grown 

 asparagus for the Chicago market for 

 twenty years, and that a net return of $150 

 to $200 an acre could reasonably be ex- 

 pected from it. In setting, he plows fur- 

 rows 5 or 6 feet apart and 6 or 7 inches 

 deep, then he sets the plants two feet apart 

 in the furrows and covers with a few inches 



