i888. 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



235 



and skimmed. Vinegar not boiled will not 

 keep, and the spices help to preserve the 

 pickles. Cider vinegar is the only thing to 

 keep pickles; the manufactured vinegars 

 are either too weak or so strong as to eat the 

 fruit. To the vinegar add the following, 

 tied loo.selyin amuslin bag: For one gallon of 

 vinegar take two tablespoons black Pepper, 

 bruised, the same of whole Allspice, Mustard 

 seed, first scalded 1.5 minutes by pouring on 

 salt boiling water, and drained, as much 

 Mace, washed from dust, stick Cinnamon, 

 one tablespoonful sliced Ginger root, the 

 same of Garlic and Celery seed if liked. 

 Also one pound of sugar which in time 

 sharpens the vinegar. Let the vinegar and 

 spice boil well, skimming closely, and pour 

 over the pickles. Such must be drained till 

 dry beforehand, and have sliced Horse-radish 

 root among them, which helps to keep them 

 firm and .sound. Leave the bag of spice in 

 the jar, which should be only three-fourths 

 full, the vinegar coming two inches above 

 the pickles. Cover with cloth and board, 

 which if weighted, sets closer than the stone 

 cover. In a week look at the jar, and if 

 any scum rises, drain the pickles, boil and 

 skim the vinegar, and fill up with strong 

 boiled vinegar. Tie on wet bladder anil 

 cloth. Two tablespoons of flue salad oil is 

 an improvement. These will be found as 

 much better than common pickles as mince 

 pie is better than brown bread. A good 

 common pickle is made by putting freshly 

 pickled Cucumbers in strong brine, of one 

 heaping pint of rock salt to a gallon of water. 

 Boil and skim the brine, and when cold put 

 the pickles in for three weeks, using the 

 cloth and weighted cover to keep them under 

 water. Drain and freshen in cold water 

 which has been boiled for three days, chang- 

 ing daily for fresh water; scald in weak 

 vinegar with alum as before, with leaves if 

 desired though a yellowish pickle is proof it 

 has not been made in brass or copper. Drain 

 from this, and cover with strong scalding 

 vinegar. Spread with two tablespoons of 

 unground Pepper, two red Peppers whole, one 

 tablespoon stick Cinnamon and a tablespoon 

 of whole Cloves to a gallon. Formarket.pick- 

 les are packed in barrels, half and quarter 

 barrels, in vinegar. Never handle pickles 

 after they leave brine. Use a perforated 

 wooden spoon or tongs to take them out. 



Horticultural Notes by Samuel Miller 

 Saving Garden Seeds. Many gather 

 their Peas, Beans, etc., that they use for 

 the table in summer, and then gather what 

 is left for .seed. This is wrong. Leave from 

 the start the best plants, and take none ott' 

 unless some of the smaller pods for use, and 

 take from these for seed. If this is practiceil 



UMiiips^iigp 



Flu- 3. Elongated Bed of VigoroUK Younii Rose-i. 

 Photograph. 

 there will be less talk about running out of 

 certain varieties. When I gather early Sweet 

 Com for the table all the finest ears are 

 marked and a string tied around them to be 

 left for seed. And while on the subject, let 



me say that if some days' gain is desired in 

 earliness of Corn, cut off the tops one joint 

 above the ear as soon as the dust ha,s fallen 

 from the tassels, or bending it over until it 

 breaks will answer the same purpose. Try 

 it, some of you, and report the result. 

 LeConte Peau Tuees not Blight Puoor. 

 Some buds three years old on a bearing 

 tree of the Cncklin's Hybrid have com- 

 menced to blight the young shoots, some 

 six inches, some as much as fifteen inches, 

 and in a few instances back to the last year's 

 wood. The knife has been used as fast as 

 they appear, so as to prevent infecting other 

 trees, as we have had no blight for several 

 years to harm any. I have ten I^eCoute trees 

 in another orchard three years old which 

 have not shown any blight so far, but I shall 

 watch them closely. 



Whether it is the infiuence of the stock 

 upon which these buds are growing that 

 causes the blight or not I cannot say, but it 

 should not be, for it is a cousin to the 

 Le Coute. These brandies have fruit upon 

 them, and it is with considerable interest 

 the ripening of it is looked for. But if the 

 tree proves subject to blight there is a great 

 disappointment in store. 



I saw while in Louisiana a lot of these 

 trees just one year's growth from cuttings 

 that were five feet high and half an inch in 

 diameter at the base. My hopes in it were 

 the foundation of our future Pear trees, and 

 it is possible that as a stock it may still 

 prove of much value. 



Some of the New Stuawberiues. Jessie 

 needs no description, as that has been given 

 often enough, but one feature has not been 

 given which in my estimation gives it addi- 

 tional value. When the first ripe fruit w;is 

 picked from my plants there were quite a 

 number of blossom.s, so I am satisfied that 

 the season will he near a month, thus mak- 

 ing it the berry for family use. 



Bubach No. .5 is a monster. Shows pro- 

 ductiveness and great vigor of plant ; qual- 

 ity fair. At the dinner table one day I really 

 was obliged to cut one berry into four pieces 

 to mouth it well. 



From Gaudy's Pride on plants set out this 

 spring I have some grand berries, and think 

 it will prove to be a most valuable early 

 variety. Plants are vigorous. 



Monmouth has a few berries, but they are 

 late. Plant is not strong enough. 



Belmont is not fruiting. Sterling and 

 Henderson gave out last summer from the 

 heat. A lot of seed of the Bubach crossed 

 with Jessie are now in the hot-bed, and if 

 we live may see what will come out of it. 



On the FKiiTiuziNci OF Flowers. In 



reading a report in the Illinois Horticultural 



Society's Report of l.ssT, I find that one man 



had a large orchanl of Wild Goose Plum 



trees that did not bear except 



where he had other sorts close 



by to fertilize the blossoms. 



I once heard that there 

 were two kinds of Plums out 

 under that name, and am in- 

 clined to believe it, for we 

 have two large Wild Goose 

 Plum trees on our place, and 

 four at another place. The 

 large ones have not failed to 

 bear a full crop for si.v years 

 past, as have the others ever 

 since they got large enough. 

 Now, there is not another 

 Plum tree within a hundred 

 yards of either of these trees. 

 Why should the.se bear 

 and that man's fail ? His 

 must be a different variety 

 sure. The same writer shows plainly that 

 the Plum may be fertilized by the Peach, 

 and vice-versa : that the Cherry blossoms 

 will also fertilize the Plum. That the Mar- 

 ianna is a hybrid, between the Plum and 



/'Yo/71 a 



Cherry. These are developments and discov- 

 eries that may lead to valuable results. 



The Belltlower Apple is a variety that 

 seems to be deficient in its blossoms, and is 

 a shy bearer when alone, but when sur- 

 rounded with other Apple trees, or when 

 grafted on another variety bears well. Only 

 by close observation can 

 these things be discovered, 

 and in time we may be able 

 to regulate these things 

 to our satisfaction. 



And now I am going to 

 put a question for the more 

 scientific to solve. In a 

 vineyard on my place I set 

 out some Mary Stewart 

 Strawberry plants. It is a 

 pure pistillate, and some 

 other staminates were 

 planted in other rows. On 

 the principle of the sur- 

 vival of thefittestthe Mary 

 Stewarts are still there and 

 bear every year, while 

 there is not a staminate, 

 nor has there been, within 

 UKJ yards for five years. Is 

 it possible that when once 

 fertilized that it will re- 

 main so ? Even the run- 

 ners bear well. This is 

 what I would like to have 

 . explained if any one can 

 favor me by so doing. 

 A New Potato: The 



Fiff.2. FhrmingTrce 

 Roar. It. I.aat in'itrx 

 n trunk 



PoLAHls. Why this is not 



shoot tct'pt to f 



to be rut oirn\i in Itir 



Fall. h. rrcsentiirarx lowna lu the price-lists of 

 ?Z';,7;/;S°"';';,r':;tl>e growers seems to me 

 shoots nil tmt one a little straugc. 



isrril) to he f.-rj>t rr- ^ 



lanini hi, i,ii,.hinfi, Last sprmg a year ago 

 t^iTs^ron^;.!ia:;,i received a few tubers 

 shoot to rcmatn for from the Department at 



next year's trunk ,,.^ , ■ ^ , 



reaching extent o/ WilshlUgtou, and as they 



dotted hne by Fall. ^^^.^^ j.^j^^ ,^„,^ (he Season 



was very dry and hot, they yielded al)out 

 half a bushel. These were all planted this 

 spring. They seemed to take the lead where 

 about sLx varieties were planted, but a late 

 frost and next the Colorado beetle, has 

 given them a hard row to travel. At this 

 date they are double the size of any others 

 except Early Ohio, with which they are 

 about even. It is of a Hue form, color nearly 

 white, quality excellent, and keeps well 

 during winter. They are now fit to use, but 

 still having old ones we let them grow. 



I set it and Chas. Downing out together. 

 Sprouts started quite late, a-s 1 did not get 

 the latter in time to set early. 



I find that when the Potato bugs have got 

 a start the best planis to take a wide-mouthed 

 bucket, go along the row, bend the tops of 

 the i)lants over the mouth and shake or laj) 

 the plants. Do this every day for awhile 

 and the battle is won. I know that if we 

 had not persevered in this my half acre would 

 have been afailure. In goingoverthe patch 

 one day I am sure we captured at least one 

 bushel of bugs. 



The Moon's Inkluence upon Veoetation. A 

 committee has been appointed by the Govern<u* 

 of Trinidad, to determine what iiittuuncc (if uiiy) 

 the moon exercises on the plant life <Uiring its 

 dilTerent phases. The llfirht, heat, and gravita- 

 tion of the moon are taken into consideration, 

 and also whether it has any influence on the 

 diurnal variations of electricity. The sun is 

 calculated to give 61H,0U0 times as much li^cht a« 

 the raoim, but only 8;;,000 times as much heat. 

 Seeing that plants can accommodate themselves 

 to a consideratde variety of temperature, it 

 cannot be conceived that 17 millionths of a 

 centigrade degree would influence them very 

 much; yet this is all the heating i)owcr exercised 

 by the moon during its first (luartcr. When the 

 moon is full, the temperature is raised M mil- 

 lionths of one degree. So far, the results of the 

 inquiry have not shown that the moon hai* mate- 

 rial influence on vegetation,— Gardening World. 



