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POPULAR GARDENING. 



February, 



Dried Grapes and Raisins. 



Desiring to be exactly right, as to the dif- 

 ference between the above-named California 

 products, we wrote to Mr. B. N. Rowly 

 editor of our able contemporary the Cal- 

 ifornia Fruit Grower, San Francisco, who 

 kindly contributed the following informa- 

 tion : 



" There is a very wide difference between 

 Raisins and dried Grapes. True, Raisins 

 are dried Grapes but dried Grapes are not 

 Raisins. There are but two varieties of 

 Grapes used for the purpose of making 

 Raisins, the White Muscat of Alexandria 

 and the Gorda Blonc. There are two other 

 varieties which are occasionally used, the 

 Malaga and Fehei Zagos but they make a 

 very poor quality of Raisins and are not 

 accepted by dealers at the price paid for 

 Muscats. Grapes for Raisin purposes must 

 contain 25 to 28 per cent, of sugar before 

 being sufficiently ripe to be cured for 

 Raisins. The time required when cured in 

 the sun, by the method employed in this 

 State, is from fifteen to eighteen days. 



" Now for dried Grapes, This term signi- 

 fies any Grape dried sufficiently well to be 

 packed in sacks, the usual method of hand- 

 ling the same. Principally wine varieties 

 are used, such as the Zinfandel, Mission, 

 Malvoisie, Black Hamburg and others. 

 They are clipped from the vine and spread 

 on wooden or paper trays and occasionally 

 upon the, ground and allowed to dry after 

 their own fashion which requires from eight 

 to ten days, according to the locality. They 

 are then run through what we term a stem- 

 mer to remove the stems from the Grape 

 and packed in white cotton sacks holding 

 about 80 or 90 pounds each. Dried Grapes 

 from California are not Raisins In any sense 

 of the term and never could be cured so as 

 to make a Raisin of them as they are not 

 from the variety known as the Raisin Grape. 

 "In other words, Raisins are only made 

 from a variety of Grape grown especially 

 for that purpose while any and all varieties 

 of table or wine Grapes are cured in the sun 

 and sold as dried Grapes." 



New Blood for Peaciies and Po- 

 tatoes. 



.Some time ago Prof. .J. L. Budd, of Iowa, 

 made the statement that the greater suscep- 

 tibility of the Peaches of our time to yellows 

 is probably due to lowered vitality, either 

 in consequence of our system of propaga- 

 tion, or in consequence of less congenial 

 climatic and soil conditions. 



The remedy he suggested, is the impor- 

 tation of varieties from Turkestan and 

 Bokara where the Peaches are always 

 luscious and large, although no other 

 method of propagating the trees is practiced 

 but by growing them from seed, without 

 budding or grafting. We wonder if any- 

 thing is being done to carry out a sugges- 

 tion which appears far too valuable to be 

 passed over unheeded. If the poniologist 

 of the Department of Agriculture has not 

 yet taken hold of the matter, we would de- 

 sire to know what work of as much or 

 greater importance to pomology has ever 

 been accomplished, or is now being carried 

 on at Washington? At any rate, a reminder 

 will not be out of place. 



Prof. Budd loses his faith in the ultimate 

 success of the proposed experiments on the 

 experience with Potatoes. Rot had ruined 

 the crop almost totally, when Rev. Chaun- 

 cey Goodrich of Utica, N. Y., introduced 

 tubers from Chili, Peru, etc., in the hope of 

 starting by seedling production a revitalized 

 " set of varieties, and soon gave us the 

 "Garnet Chili," "Early Goodrich," and 

 others, which to the surprise of all retained 

 sound foliage and tubers, even when grown 

 on infected ground. All our popular sorts 

 are direct descendents from Goodrich's in- 



troductions. Perhaps the renewal of such 

 efforts might also be suggested as timely, 

 and made with Goodrich's energy would 

 most likely meet with something like Good- 

 rich's success. 



Here again is a promising field of labor 

 for our Department of Agriculture. Why 

 not devote some of the moneys and efforts 

 now wasted in the distribution of " cheap " 

 seeds, to an object so worthy as the revital- 

 izing of our disease-affiicted Potato? 



Fine Ceiery Plants Cheaply Grown. 



A lot of White Plume Celery plants, which 

 we received last summer from a grower in 

 Kingston, Pa., was so exceptionally fine, 

 and ottered at so low a rate (-*1..50 per thous- 

 and), that we felt anxious to learn more 

 about the method by which the plants were 

 produced, and the profits, if any, that would 

 be realized when selling at such a "ruin- 

 ously " low price. 



In regard to the latter point, the grower 

 on inquiry, stated that he produced plants 

 by the htindreds of thousands, and the gross 

 returns were from $1,000 to .$1,300 per acre. 

 Of the method of cultivation, our friend, 

 M. G., gives the following method: 



Soil. The soil is an important factor, 

 because if uncongenial or ill adapted to the 

 work, no preparation will insure success. 



In this respect we think ourselves favored, 

 having a river bottom, deep, sandy loam, 

 easily tilled, and such seldom lacks for 

 moisture. We grow the plants on the same 

 ground a number of years in succession. 



After the plants are removed, the ground 

 is sown with Hungarian Grass, having pre- 

 viously sown broadcast a half-ton to the 

 acre of good commercial fertilizer. We use 

 Mapes' Cottage Manure, but that for Pota- 

 toes will answer equally well. Before the 

 seed gets ripe, in fact while yet in the 

 " milk," the grass is plowed under. 



Nothing further is done until spring. As 

 soon as the ground begins to change color 

 on the surface, we begin to plow for Celery 

 plants and Onions. We like to improve the 

 first favorable opportunity to get the seed 

 in, because it frequently happens with us, 

 that a week or so_of good weather is almost 

 sure to be followed by a corresponding 

 amount of the opposite kind. 



Sowing. The ground is plowed, about a 

 half-ton of high grade complete fertilizer to 

 the acre, is applied broadcast, together with 

 fifty bushel of wood ashes, harrowed in 

 with the Acme harrow, the Meeker smooth- 

 ing harrow, and a plank fioat completing 

 the preparation. 



We sow with Planet Jr. drill, going 

 according to the directions given. If the 

 seed is good, it will be plenty thick enough. 

 Drills are made a foot apart, and seed is 

 just covered, no more. If the ground has 

 been harrowed, and firmed properly, so that 

 a man will not sink in over the sole of his 

 shoe, there will not be much need of rolling 

 after sowing the seed. 



But this spring it was pretty dry for 

 awhile and for fear something might happen, 

 we got an old belt wheel from one of the 

 mines, weighing about forty pounds, with 

 a face of three or four inches. With this 

 we improvised a wheelbarrow, put a few 

 stones in to make it a little heavier, and 

 put a Hunn to wheeling it over the rows, a 

 decided improvement on Mr. Henderson's 

 method of walking " heel and toe."' 



The seed of our own growth, grown the 

 year previous, was up plain enough to see 

 the rows, in twenty days from date of 

 sowing, while some purchased seed was 

 fifteen days later, and only about one in ten 

 grew then. As soon as the rows can be 

 seen plainly, the double wheel hoe is put in 

 straddling the rows, if any weeds are visible 

 they are removed by the thumb and finger. 



Some growers have found quite a gain in 



placing the seed in a stout bag and burying 

 it in the ground for a couple of weeks before 

 sowing, but with fresh seed I have not 

 found it ueccessary. After the rows are 

 plainly visible and the rough leaves begin 

 to show, a heavy steel rake is drawn cross- 

 wise of the rows. This is important, and 

 may have to be repeated, in order to thin 

 the young plants sufficiently. If twenty to 

 twenty-flve plants to the running foot are 

 allowed to grow, it will usually be enough 

 to make first-class plants. 



After being properly thinned, the only 

 attention required will be to keep the ground 

 free from weeds, and an occasional appli- 

 cation of nitrate of soda, 1.50 pounds to the 

 acre. Of course it will be understood that 

 no crust must be allowed to form or remain. 



We usually mow the tops off with the 

 scythe two or three times during the season. 



Shall We Allow Insects to Whip Us? 



E. P. POWELL, ONEIDA CO., N. Y. 



I suppose most of the failures in horticul- 

 ture are from a lack of ability and willing- 

 ness to fight insect foes. Throughout Cen- 

 tral New York the Apple orchards are de- 

 creasing in number. This is owing in part 

 to the work of the borer and the codling 

 moth ; and lately to the enormous increase 

 of tent caterpillars. 



For three years this caterpillar has had 

 its way in four orchards out of five, with 

 little it any opposition, and the result of 

 defoliation has been to devastate the ma- 

 jority of the trees beyond any possible 

 maintainance of health and usefulness. It 

 seems strange that anyone, who, by a little 

 persistance and courage could clear his 

 orchard, should sit down and be crawled 

 over by these vermin. 



In 1888 and 1889 the houses were invaded 

 by the vermin as they left the trees so that 

 the doors and windows had to be kept shut. 

 The remedy is to pick off the sacks of eggs 

 glued on the young shoots of the limbs ; 

 and burn those that escape and hatch, with 

 a torch or rag saturated with kerosene, 

 on a pole. The codling moth is certainly a 

 troublesome thing to combat ; for to spray 

 our trees with arsenical compounds is very 

 likely to do more mischief than good. We 

 must study to find a better weapon of de- 

 fense than arsenic, both in this and other 

 cases. If our orchards could be generally 

 used as pig pastures and hen yards, we 

 should very greatly reduce the moth if not 

 exterminate it. 



The Apple tree borer is more easily man- 

 aged. One should go twice a year, first in 

 August and again in November or in April 

 with a sharp knife and a stout but flexible 

 wire ten inches long. When the grub 

 shows his presence by a pile of sawdust, 

 cut freely till the trunk is well opened, and 

 then probe with the wire very thoroughly 

 until the grub is crushed. A little practice 

 will make the work easy. The Apple crop 

 if well secured is one of the best paying in 

 the country. It is not pleasant to see the 

 farmers whipped by the bugs and giving up 

 the noble fruit. 



I am equally anxious about the Quince, a 

 grand fruit, but also attacked frequently by 

 the same borer. My remedy besides killing 

 the grub is to pack about the tree a half 

 bushel of coal ashes. This is porous and 

 allows the air to reach the tree but hinders 

 the insect from laying her eggs. The 

 Quince needs a high tight board fence on 

 the west and north sides of the orchard. I 

 wind mine while young with straw or fine 

 hay each winter. Draw the limbs first 

 together with Hop-twine, then tie on the 

 protection. 



The Plum is in reality one of our easiest 

 crops to raise. The tree can be kept free of 

 knot if carefully gone over twice a year 

 with saw and knife. Cut out the knots and 



