CONCLUSIONS. 







FfEN it is a puzzle to know which 

 variety of plums to plant. This sea- 

 son, the writer determined to keep 

 strict tally of an orchard planted 

 in 1894 with the following result : — 



From 49 trees of Abundance plum 73 

 baskets were sold, realizing $29.82 or 

 40c. per basket. Season from Aug. 2nd, 

 to Aug. 15th. 



From 94 Geuii plum trees, 93 baskets 

 were picked which sold for $55.11 or 

 59c. per basket. Season Aug. 6th, to 

 Sept. 3rd. 



From 97 Lombard trees 211 baskets 

 of plums were picked which sold for 

 $78.34 or 37c. per basket. Season 

 Aug. 28th to Sept. 9th. 



From 107 trees of Reine Claude 227 

 baskets of plums were picked which 

 sold for $98.26 or 43c. per basket. Sea- 

 son Sept. nth to 21st. 



The same proportionate amount of 

 Ponds Seedling and Yellow Egg made 

 no creditable showing and if this season 

 can be taken as a test, the varieties 

 come in order as a money-maker ; Reine 

 Claude, Lombard, Geuii, Abundance. 

 All were very carefully sprayed with 

 Bordeaux and Paris green, which did not 

 seem to have any beneficial effect for 



the Cuculio Beetle which seems to show 

 that jarring the trees in early morning 

 would have a better effect on the theory 

 of " catch them and kill them." 



The season of harvest is over and 

 what do we learn from it. The packing 

 and grading has been better carried out 

 and in many cases after a brand has be- 

 come know, good prices have been the 

 result : but " the first hill is the hardest 

 climbing " for when starting grading 

 grapes— which is done when picking off 

 the vine — the writer had the mortifica- 

 tion of the inferior 2nd grade selling for 

 from 4 to 7c. more on a 10 lb. basket 

 than the ist. That was to a commission 

 house but it righted itself in time. The 

 commission man to whom they were 

 sent openly acknowledged, that some 

 sellers will put a man's good grade in 

 with a poor grade lot, as an inducement 

 to the purchaser, but said in time a 

 man's good grade soon became known 

 and the store keeper came repeatedly to 

 buy fruit bearing that brand and would 

 have no other; it will always pay to 

 make two grades, stamp them as such 

 instead of putting the two grades in one 

 basket. 



Junior. 



JAPAN TEA GARDENS. 



TEN miles south of Kyoto are the 

 famous tea gardens of Uji. They 

 produce the finest teas in Japan, 

 which often command from five to 

 seven dollars a pound. Tea was intro- 

 duced into Japan from China in A.D. 

 805, and the gardens of Uji have existed 

 for about eight centuries. Two kinds 

 are grown : a small-leaved variety which 

 yields two pickings a year, — the first 

 about the second week in May and the 

 second about the end of June. The 

 other sort, which has larger leaves, yields 

 one crop about the middle of June. The 

 small leaved sort is the most esteemed. 



and the first picking is considered the 

 best in flavor. 



It is now well known that the color 

 of tea depends entirely on the treatment 

 of the leaves after being picked. If 

 green tea is desired, they are fired im- 

 mediately ; while for black, they are 

 spread out on mats or trays, the sap 

 being allowed to ferment in the same 

 manner as we observed practised with 

 indigo, and then fired. The curl or 

 twist is imparted to the leaves by turn- 

 ing 2.nd shaking them while in the firing 

 pans. — Rept. Mass. Hort. Soc. 



444 



