THE SMALL FRUIT GARDEN. 



247 



emulsion is the best remedy for the attack 

 of the aphis. The spraying should be done 

 as soon as the blossoms drop. 



Currant and gooseberry bushes may still 

 want looking after for caterpillars. Dry 

 hellebore powder sprinkled on where the 

 worms are is the best remedy, now that the 

 fruit is formed. A small mustary or bak- 

 ing powder tin with small holes punctured 

 through the lid makes a good distributor 

 for dry insecticides. 



The young shoots of grape vines should 

 be pinched ofif as soon as the bunches arc 

 formed on them, and before the bunches 

 blossom. Pinch the shoots back so as to 

 leave one leaf or joint clear beyond the 

 bunch nearest the tip of the shoot. Small 



useless shoots with no fruit bunches de- 

 veloped may be broken or cut out close to 

 the old wood if the growth is too crowded. 

 Leaders or shoots that are wanted to extend 

 the size or growth of the tree should not be 

 pinched back until they have attained a 

 length of 3 or 4 feet. 



If mildew threatens to be troublesome 

 sprinkle the bushes with dry powdered sul- 

 phur, or " flowers of sulphur," as it is 

 termed. Start the sprinkling on the first 

 appearance of the grey, dusty looking ap- 

 pearance the leaves present when mildew 

 appears. A spraying with Bordeaux mix- 

 ture directly the blossoms have fallen will 

 often prevent mildew appearing the whole 

 season. 



THE SYRAWBERRY HARVEST 



Iv. W. 



THE first fruit of the season to bring 

 money into the pocket of the fruit 

 grower, and the one perhaps of the whole 

 season most valued by the consumer, is the 

 strawberry. 



For handling the crop no package seems 

 more popular, and none so economical as 

 our 24-quart basket crate, which can be pur- 

 chased for about 16 cents each complete, 

 with the small quart boxes inside. Women 

 and girls usually make the best pickers and 

 packers, and their skillful fingers not only do 

 the work quickly, but well. 



Each picker should have a six-quart pick- 

 ing stand, with handle, which holds six 

 strawberry baskets, while filling. Two 

 pickers to a row, one each side, will work 

 to advantage, and they should be required 

 to pick the rows clean, leaving no ripe ber- 

 ries to waste. Pickers who will not do this, 

 and those who bruise the berries, should be 

 discharged. 



At Maplehurst we insist on having our 

 strawberries and cherries handled by the 

 stems onlv. These fruits are too soft and 



tender to be squeezed between the finger 

 and thumbs. Carelessness, in these par- 

 ticulars, will often make all the difference 

 between profit and loss in the prices ob- 

 tained. Besides, an expert picker will snap 

 off as many berries an hour, cutting the 

 stems with the thumb nail, as a careless 

 picker who grabs . ^e berries themselves in 

 her hands. But, if careful picking does 

 take more time, let it be fairly paid for, and 

 let the work be done right. 



Don't top the baskets. If you have care- 

 ful pickers instruct them to turn the stems 

 down of the upper layers so that they may 

 present an attractive appearance. A packer, 

 who keeps tally of the number of quarts 

 brought in by each picker, may do this work 

 and then pack the berries away in the crates 

 ready for shipping. 



Not much spraying is done in my locality. 

 Orchards receive very little care. A few 

 are being cultivated through the influence 

 of farmers' institute meetings, and with good 

 results — (Thos. Welsh, Bruce Co., Ont. 



