THE CANADIAN noRTICULTUtnST. 



255 



production. Mr. Weeks, of West Web- 

 ster, informed us that he j)lanted 304 

 plants in the spring of 1881. That at 

 the tirst picking this season he picked 

 96 quarts, and that at the second pick- 

 ing he picked twice that amount, or 288 

 quarts in the first two pickings from 

 only 304 plants. Mr. Johnston had 

 found them very prolific, and like ac- 

 counts come from every direction. 



With these two varieties the season 

 of black-caps may be extended over 

 several weeks, and the evaporators kept 

 running upon them until blackberries 

 are ripe. 



Blackberries — We are not certain 

 that this fruit can be grown so as to 

 evaporate witli profit, yet we are not 

 certain that they may not, if such pro- 

 lific varieties are planted as we have seen 

 in bearing this year. We have men- 

 tioned the Snyder, Ancient Briton and 

 Agawam, as growing on the grounds of 

 Mr. 0. M. Hooker, near Rochester. 

 We certainly think they could be grown 

 at pretty low rates if in demand for 

 eVai)orating. 



On Mr. Johnston's grounds we saw 

 the Western Triumph, on much weaker 

 soil than Mr. Hooker's, but scarcely less 

 productive. ' It is much hardier, even, 

 than the Snyder, having stood the win- 

 ter where the latter froze down. The 

 canes are perfectly loaded down with 

 fruit, which is of good size, nearly round, 

 and sweet all the way through. It is 

 not only sweet, but the seeds are small 

 and not at all prominent. While the 

 Lawton, Kittatiny and Early Wilson 

 are larger, and when dead ripe of ex- 

 quisite flavor, they are very liable to be 

 v/inter-killed, and when picked \as they 

 usually are for market) as soon as black, 

 are hard and so\ir, and have done much 

 to bring the blackberry into dLsrepute 

 OS a market berry. 



Mr. Johnston also grows the Knox, 

 which is quite hardy, and very produc- 



tive. It is later than Western Triumph 

 and was unripe. We found growing in 

 the Knox plantation, occasional hills of 

 a blackberry unknown to us, that was 

 very delicious. It was of good size, 

 longer than Western Triumph, soft, and 

 of very high flavor. — Rural Borne. 



HANDLING APPLES. 



J. S. Woodward, a large fruit-grower 

 of Niagara county, N.Y., furnishes the 

 following to the JVew York Tribune : — 



" Apples always, whether in barrels 

 or piles, when the temperature is rising 

 so that the surrounding air is warmer 

 than the apples, condense moisture on 

 the surface and become quite moist 

 and sometimes dripping wet, and this 

 has given the common impression that 

 they * sweat,' which is not true. As 

 they come from the tree they are 

 plump and solid, full of juice ; by keep- 

 ing, they gradually part with a ])or- 

 tion of this moisture, the quantity 

 varying with the temperature and the 

 circulation of air about them, being 

 much more rapid when first picked 

 than after a short time, and by parting 

 with this moisture ihey become springy 

 or yielding, and in a better condition 

 to pack closely in 'barrels ; but this 

 moisture never shows on the surface in 

 the form of sweat. Keeping apples 

 very much depends on the surround- 

 ings ; every variation in temperature 

 causes a change in the fruit, and has- 

 tens maturity and decay, and wo should 

 strive to have as little change as possi- 

 ble, and also have the temperature as 

 low as possible so the apples do not 

 freeze. Some varieties keep much bet- 

 ter in open bins than others ; for in- 

 stance, the Greening is one of the best 

 to store in bins. A very good way for 

 storing apples is to have a fruit- room 

 that can be made and kept from 32 

 deg. to 28 deg., and the air close and 

 pure ; put the apples in slatted boxes. 



