246 HORTICULTURE, FORESTRY, FLORICULTURE 



basket which is not packed closely will never carry the fruit in good 

 condition; and, as the fruit is sold by weight, close packing is eco- 

 nomical. The name of the variety, as well as the name and address 

 of the grower, should be stenciled on the tops of the covers before 

 they are put in place. Mixed or inferior fruit will seldom pay for 

 shipping and will never add to the good reputation of the grower. 



Nearly all grapes which ripen while the weather is still warm, 

 are difficult to keep any great length of time without placing them 

 in cold storage, which is expensive. They can be kept a short time by 

 wrapping each bunch in paper and putting them in a cool place. 

 Still better results will be secured byf placing a layer of cotton batting 

 in the bottom of a box, then a layer 'of fruit covered by another layer 

 of batting. Not more than two layers of fruit should be placed in a 

 box, and the upper layer should have a thick covering of cotton. 

 Neither of these methods will be found profitable for market pur- 

 poses, but will often be desirable when a little fruit is to be kept for 

 some special purpose. There is considerable difference in the keeping 

 qualities of different varieties, and, in general, the late-ripening sorts 

 will keep longer after being gathered than will those which ripen 

 early in the season. (F. B. 118.) 



SOME USES OF THE GRAPEVINE AND ITS FRUIT. 



Perhaps no plant and its products are used in so many ways and 

 for so many purposes as the grapevine and its fruit. The leaves may 

 be applied to medicinal or surgical uses. For cuts and fresh w r ounds 

 they are esteemed a sovereign remedy. Decoctions of the juice of 

 the leaves may be used in poultices. An agreeable tea may be made 

 from the leaves, which is said to greatly strengthen the nerves. The 

 leaves are also excellent forage. The "tears" of the vine may be used 

 medicinally. This is a limpid exudation of the sap at the time the 

 plant begins budding, and is found on the vine where the slightest 

 wound occurs to the plant. The liquid is collected by cutting off the 

 ends of the canes, bending them down and sticking the ends into the 

 neck of a bottle, which will be filled in a few days. The wood and 

 branches have been used in the manufacture of baskets, furniture, 

 rustic work, bark for tying material, etc., and w r hen burned furnish 

 potash and salts. 



The grapevine responds most generously to care and attention. 

 Thus, we find certain forms of it in the natural state aspiring to 

 overtop the mightiest monarchs of the forest and single plants over- 

 spreading areas hundreds of feet in circumference, while other forms 

 are grown under cultivation as mere bushes, 2 or 3 feet in height, 

 yet yielding crops ranging from 1 1-3 tons to as much as 22 tons of 

 the finest fruit to the acre. A single vine at Carpinteria, Cal., sup- 

 posed to be the largest in the world, has produced in one season more 

 than ten tons of fruit. 



We enjoy the grape in the fresh state, or, when dried, in the 

 form of raisins or "currants" ; the unfermented juice, and wine are 

 important items in household economy and medicine, while from 

 the grape many other products and by-products are made. Aside 

 from their economic value, vines are often cultivated for purely orna- 



