LONG-BELL EXPERIMENTAL FARM 671 



task trimming them out when the fruit A preserving plant was therefore a 

 is set, so that the branches will not necessity, and it was constructed in the 

 break. Long-Bell style. The building is corn- 

 North of the house are long rows of modious and comfortable. The preserv- 

 grapes. To be exact there are thirty ing plant is equipped with six steam 

 rows of fifty vines each, and ten dif- jacketed copper kettles, each of seventy 

 ferent varieties. There are three rows gallons capacity. After being denuded 

 of each variety, planted in the order of their stems and carefully washed, the 

 that they ripen. There are ripe grapes figs are taken by a conveyor into the 

 on the Experiment farm from June 20 kettles and there boiled by steam in a 

 to September 10. The vines, which are 34 degree syrup made of granulated 

 trained up on wire stretched on a T- sugar for four and a half hours, 

 shaped trellis, are four years old this Only pure granulated sugar and 

 year. Last year the weather was un- water are used in the preserving proc- 

 f avorable to grapes, but the year before, ess, and no bleaching or coloring mat- 

 when the vines were two years old, ten ter is used. The figs, still retaining their 

 thousand pounds of grapes were gather- natural color, are then put up in glass 

 ed and sold. jars of four, ten and sixteen ounce 

 "There is no reason why this land capacity each, labeled. The utmost 

 should not produce paying crops of pains are taken to insure sanitary hand- 

 grapes," said Mr. Cranberry. "We \' m S and the fruit is not touched by 

 have experimented with many varieties hands after it receives its preliminary 

 and these represent our final selections, bath. 



They all resemble the muscadine type, The four ounce jars are put up for 



which seems to be natural to this soil the railroad dining car service mostly, 



and climate. I would advise the plant- and are individual jars. The 10 and 



ing of the thick skinned grape, rather 16 ounce sizes are generally retailed in 



than the thin skinned California varie- stores. Any fruit that becomes mashed 



ties, which do not seem to do so well." or marred in cooking is packed and 



Just west of the grapes are long rows ? old . as S 5 cor l d ^ ality - Last Seas n '< ^ 



of fig cuttings. They number 33,000, inquiry for 4,800 gallons was made for 



and were all put out this spring, and, the f r } llt ' ^ but so mucl ] f th ou ^ 



Mr. Cranberry said, would begin to bear ^V "*?- 6 '? f r that nly 



this" fall 2,000 could be supplied. 



"The demand for our fig is always 



THE PRESERVING PLANT. sufficient to clean up our supply," Mr. 



Cranberry said ; so far, we have pre- 



The pride of the Experiment farm served figs only, but if the peach crop 



now is its preserving plant, where figs is good, we may add peaches to our list 



are prepared for the market and whence this year. We would have put up some 



they go by the carload to Kansas City, last year, but the peach crop was short 



Chicago, New York, Baltimore, Phila- and our fruit brought two dollars a 



delphia in fact, to every large market, crate, which is a better price than they 



although most of them are marketed by would have brought preserved." 



the company's own Chicago agency. "Mr. Cranberry, what, in your 



In his experiments with the fig, Mr. opinion, is the most profitable fruit for 



Cranberry found no variety suitable for the ordinary grower on a small scale to 



marketing fresh, as the fruit will not raise?" he was asked, 



stand long-distance transportation. So "Figs, undoubtedly," was the reply, 



he sought the fig that would best answer "Figs are practically without insect 



for preserving purposes, and finally enemies ; they grow with the minimum 



settled on the Magnolia fig, on account amount of care and attention and begin 



of its attractive natural color as well to bear from the first year, and the pre- 



as it bearing qualities. served fruit has a large market which 



The farm now has 8,000 fig trees four can hardly be oversupplied. 



years old, and many others coming on. "I can furnish a concrete example 



