206 



TflK CVNADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



Fried Salsify. — The root cut cross- 

 wise in halves or shorter, is boiled 

 until quite tender; remove from the 

 water and allow to drain. Dip each 

 piece in batter, and fry quickly in 

 plenty of hot lard to an even light 

 brown. 



Salsify Fritters. — Boil tender and 

 mash fine. Mix with beaten eggs and 

 flour, thin enough to drop from a spoon, 

 and fry as other fritters. Some prefer 

 to mix hard enough to make into balls, 

 and fry on a griddle, with very little 

 fat, browning one side at a time. — 

 American Agriculturist, 



PRESERVING GRAPES FOR WINTER. 



As autumn approaches, we receive a 

 number of inquiries as to the method 

 of preserving grapes for winter use. 

 It is not generally understood that 

 there is as much difference in grapes, 

 with respect to their keeping, as there 

 is with other fruits. No one would 

 expect to keep Early Harvest apples 

 or Bartlett pears for the holidays, and 

 it is so with the most generally culti- 

 vated grape, the Concord; it can not 

 be made to keep in good condition 

 long after it is fairly ripe. With other 

 varieties it is different. There are 

 some localities where that grand old 

 grape, the Catawba, can still be culti- 

 vated with success, and, where this is 

 the case, one need hardly to look for 

 a better variety. The Isabella still 

 succeeds in some places, and is a fair 

 keeper. Better than either, if not the 

 best of all grapes, the lona gives good 

 crops in some places, as does the Diana. 

 Where either of these, the Isabella, 

 Catawba, lona, or Diana, can be grown, 

 there is no difficulty in keeping them 

 until the first of the New Year, or later. 

 The grapes are allowed to ripen fully ; 

 they are picked, and placed in shallow 

 trays, in which they remain in an airy 

 room to " cure." The operation of cur- 



ing consists merely in a sort of wilting, 

 by which the skin becomes toughened, 

 and will not break when the fruit is 

 packed. The clusters, when properly 

 " cured," are packed in boxes, usually 

 of three or five pounds each. The 

 bottom of the box is opened, the larger > 

 clusters laid in carefully, and smaller 

 bunches packed in upon them in such 

 a manner that it will requii-e a mod- 

 erate pressure to bring the cover (or, 

 properly, the bottom), of the box to 

 its place, where it is nailed down. The 

 pressure used is such that when the 

 top of the box is opened, the grapes 

 next to it are found to be somewhat 

 flattened. The fruit must be pressed 

 in such a manner that it can not shake 

 in travel, and this can only be done 

 with grapes the skin of which has been 

 toughened by being properly cured. 

 If clusters were placed in the box as 

 they come from the vines, and subjected 

 to the needed pressure, the skin would 

 crack around the stems, liberating the 

 juice, and the whole would soon pass 

 into decay. Towards Christmas and 

 New Year's, many tons of the varieties 

 we have named come to the New York 

 market in excellent condition. New 

 varieties of grapes, of great excellence, 

 have recently been introduced, but 

 we have yet to learn as to their keeping 

 qualities. With the Concord and rel- 

 ated varieties, the skin is too tender 

 to allow of long keeping, and it does 

 not seem to toughen in the curing 

 process. Still, with these, the season 

 for home use may be considerably 

 prolonged. The late Mr. Knox found 

 that he could keep the Concord for 

 some time by placing the thoroughly 

 ripened clusters in baskets or boxes, 

 with the leaves of the vine below and 

 between them. We do not know 

 how long this will keep these grapes, 

 but we saw some in excellent condition 

 several weeks after the harvest was over. 

 Those who set grape-vines should be 



