108 



Scraps for the Economical. — Fruits. 



Vol. XII. 



has been found beneficial for the turnip crop. 

 Turnips have been obtained in abundance by 

 the application of this manure; I have never 

 yet heard of a failure. In almost all soils 

 there is lime, so that the phosphoric acid 

 will find something to neutralize it, and can- 

 not injure the plant. Turnips find the bone 

 dust prepared tor them in the minutest state 

 of division. This manure is also suitable to 

 other root crops. In a general way, you ex- 

 port no turnips from the land; you would 

 take more from the farm land were you to 

 export the turnips year by year. In the lat- 

 ter case, you would take away such a large 

 amount of potash and soda, and other things 

 which the turnips require, and which the 

 bones do not give, that I think you would 

 find it very difficult to grow them year after 

 year, without a very considerable application 

 of other manure. That question may be set- 

 tled very easily; but in the case of the ordi- 

 nary turnip crop, it seems pretty well ascer- 

 tained that if you apply phosphate of lime, 

 you can grow the turnip; and every one 

 knows that if you can grow the turnip you 

 can get the three subsequent crops. Now, 

 with respect to lime, that is an excellent 

 manure. In the analysis which I made of 

 the hop, I found lime, more particularly in 

 the coarser hops. In all cases, I find that 

 lime has done good to the hops, but great 

 care ought to be taken in applying it. I 

 have known parties apply it in a way which 

 was certain to do mischief; they have ap- 

 plied it with manure; and when lime is ap- 

 plied with manure, it must drive off all the 

 ammonia contained in it. I have here sam- 

 ples of manures containing ammonia ; there 

 is some beautiful Peruvian guano — exhibit- 

 ing a small glass bottle containing the sub- 

 stance. I will just show you the effect of 

 mixing lime with this. A friend of mine in 

 Kent, who had found lime good for his hops, 

 having heard that guano was a good manure, 

 mixed the two together, and thus drove out 

 all the ammonia. My opinion is, that the 

 best plan is to apply the lime first to the 

 land, and the manure afterwards, so as to let 

 the lime become what is called mild by the 

 action of the air, and after that to apply the 

 manure." 



Scraps for the Economical. 



If you would avoid waste in your family, 

 attend to the following rules, and do not de^ 

 spise them because they appear so unimport 

 ant — "many a little makes a micklo." 



When ivory-handle knives turn yellow, 

 rub them with nice sand paper or emery; it 

 will take off spots and restore whiteness. 



Silk pocket handkerchiefs and deep blue 



factory will not fade if dipped in salt water 

 while new. 



Spots in furniture may be easily cleaned 

 by rubbing them with a flannel wet with the 

 same thing that took the colour — if rum, wet 

 tlie cloth with rum, &c. 



Lamps will have less disagreeable smell 

 if you dip the wick yarn in strong hot vine- 

 gar and let it dry. 



Clean a brass kettle before using it for 

 cooking, with salt and vinegar. 



If you wish to preserve fine teeth, always 

 clean them thoroughly, at\er eating your last 

 meal at night. 



Linen rags should be carefully saved ; 

 they are useful in sickness; if dirty or worn, 

 wash them or scrape them into lint. 



Vials which have been used for medicine, 

 sho\ild be put into coal ashes and water, 

 boiled and suffered to cool before rinsed. 



Cotton, wet with sweet oil and paregoric, 

 relieves the ear-ache very soon. 



L. M. Child. 



Improvement of the Smaller Frnits. 



What can be done for the raspberry? 

 Perhaps less than for most other kinds of 

 small fruit. It is not clear that the flavor of 

 the raspberry could be at all improved. 

 There is probably not much to be gained in 

 the way of imparting to it variety of appear- 

 ance. The best varieties at least possess 

 the property of size, in a considerable de- 

 gree; and though this might be enlarged 

 upon, yet it does not seem to strike one as a 

 very necessary change; some of the present 

 varieties, when welt grown, may indeed be 

 considered large. In what way, therefore, 

 could our present race of raspberries be im- 

 proved on? 



There does seem to be one point at least 

 on which an improvement might be wrought. 

 Notwithstanding that the fruit is held in 

 such universal estimation, the raspberry sea- 

 son is but of short duration. True, there is 

 a double bearing variety, as it is called, 

 which fruits later than the other kinds: this 

 is valuable, so far, in itself: but we also take 

 it as the earnest of something further. It 

 is, in fact, just the thing to work witli; and 

 we have no doubt that a little well-directed 

 energy would very shortly produce from it 

 varieties which would materially prolong' 

 the raspberry season. 



What cnn be done for the gooseberry? 

 That the gooseberry cannot resist the power 

 of improvement to which we are referring, 

 there is ample evidence in the production of 

 the prize varieties for which Lancashire is 

 flimous. But the Lancashire growers breed 

 only for size; that quality they have indeed 



