1900 



GLEANINGS IN BEE CULTURE. 



783 



draws it on the snow, and spreads it evenly 

 all over the plants. It keeps them out of the 

 dirt, and prevents the soil from getting on the 

 berries. This peculiar muck will not stick to 

 the fruit at all, but I am inclined to think all 

 swamp muck would not answer as well in 

 this respect. The light sandy loam of this re- 

 gion is the ideal soil for strawberry-growing. 



IMPOSTORS IN HORTICULTURE. 

 We clip the following from a recent number 

 of the 0/iio Farmer : 



Unfortunately for the amateur the strawberry-plant 

 is dumb or else it would prefer charges of forgery 

 against unscrupulous propagators and introducers, 

 who are with impunity defrauding innocent purchas- 

 ers out of thousands of dollars every season by attach- 

 ing new names to old berries of gre^t merit, and dispos- 

 ing of their plants at fabulous prices. In the spring of 

 1898 the writer received of a leading firm of more than 

 an average reputation for fair dealing six strawberry- 

 plants as a premium, accompanying a small publica- 

 tion devoted to small fruits. This berry was widely 

 advertised as the " Star of first magnitude among all 

 the strawberries." Here are some of the fulsome ex- 

 pressions of the introducer ; " Offered us any price we 

 would name for plants." " In productiveness we 

 have never seen its equal." "It matures all its ber- 

 ries in a dry season when all ordinary beiries are a 

 complete failure." "A vigorous, strong grower, w th 

 health}', green foliage, with perfect blossom." "For 

 profit we know of no berry that will equal it." "Its 

 superiority was very marked both in size, quality, and 

 productiveness." — Well, we nursed the plants up to 

 the point of becoming " starrageous." Imagine our 

 surprise and chagrin, when the true test, "by their 

 fruit ye shall know them," proved the half-doz-n 

 plants bore Sharpless berries which we had been pro- 

 ducing for nearly a quarter of a century. 



The characterless propagators of frauds of this 

 type, whether in grains, vegetables, or fruits, ought 

 to be given board, lodging, and a job by the State to 

 protect society from their impositions. If all would 

 resolve to purchase no new introduction until it had 

 received the approval of the experiment station (one 

 of their most important services to the farmer) old 

 fruits, etc., could not be palmed off on the people for 

 many times their true value. 



I wish to say amen to the above. There are 

 certain seed-venders who make it a point al- 

 most every year to introduce some old well- 

 known strawberry, potato, or something else, 

 with a spread-eagle flourish. Even though 

 our experiment stations do (eventually) tell 

 us again and again that the new thing is so 

 much like a well-known variety they can not 

 tell the difference, yet these fellows keep right 

 on. The fact that the variety sent out is a 

 really good one is no excuse — it is a fraud all 

 the same. Our readers may remember we 

 have a potato called the Poor Man's Friend, 

 and it is a very good potato in some respects ; 

 but after we had had it for two or three years 

 different people began remarking, "Why, 

 this looks exactly like the old Blue Victor of 

 years ago." And so it is. When I thought I 

 had something new I was fussing with an old 

 well-tried variety, in many places discarded, 

 because, although it is a large yielder, it is 

 poor in quality. As a rule I would advise our 

 readers to beware of any seed catalog that 

 makes a big flourish of being a friend of the 

 poor farmer in the way of "mortgage-lifter" 

 potatoes, "poor man's friend," etc. The 

 dollars that are pictured in such wonderful 

 plenty usually fall into the coffers of the man 

 who asks ten times what the goods are really 

 worth in the open market. By all means, let 



our experiment stations decide what is really 

 meritorious and what is not. 



MAKING CUCUMBER PICKLES ; PICKLE- 

 FACTORIES. 

 Inasmuch as we are in the pickle-factory 

 locality, several inquiries have come on in re- 

 gard to the way they manage the crop. I 

 wrote the matter up some two years ago. The 

 cucumbers, as they are brought in by the 

 farmers, are emptied into very large tanks, 

 and immediately covered with salt, and after- 

 ward water is poured on them, just enough to 

 cover them. I do not suppose it matters 

 much how much salt you put on, so the cu- 

 cumbers are kept under the brine. The fol- 

 lowing additional information is from Mr. 

 Greiner in a recent number of the Farm and 

 Fireside: 



The cucumbers are picked every other day in the 

 morning as the dew is off, and sorted into three sizes 

 from two to seven inches in length, each size packed 

 by itself. If possible, the packing is done in the after- 

 noon of the day they are picked. Barrels may be 

 used. When full the cucumbers are covered with 

 brine of sufficient strength to float a potato. No 

 more salt is to be added. After standing three or four 

 days, to settle, the scum sh uld be removed and each 

 barrel refilled from other barrels containing cucum- 

 bers of the same size which had been in brine of like 

 strength The barrels when headed up and marked 

 are ready for shipment. A forty-gallon barrel will 

 hold from five thousand to six thousand of the small- 

 est size, and from ten hundred to fifteen hundred of 

 the largest. The cucumbers must be cut from the 

 vines with a sharp knife, or, better, .scissors, leaving 

 on each a bit of stem. Cucumbers put up in this brine 

 will not shrivel, and need but little refreshing; but 

 housewives must bear in mind that they will not keep 

 through the second summer without adding more 

 salt. 



" Pickling. — Drain them from th° brine, fill any 

 receptacle two-thirds full, pour boiling water over, 

 and let remain twenty-four hours. If too salty (which 

 will depend upon the size) pour off the water, stir 

 thoroughly from the bottom, that they may freshen 

 evenly, and again cover with boiling water. After 

 twelve hours drain, and cover with boiling weak vine- 

 gar; three days later drain, and cover with cold vine- 

 gar of full strength sweetened and spiced or not, to 

 suit the taste. I will say, however, that I do not 

 know of any grower around here who ever sold his 

 pickles in any other shape than put up in brine. I 

 am not aware thit there is a wholesale maiket for 

 ready-made pickles; that is, for pickles in vinegar. 

 And even if there were, the average grower, lacking 

 the skill and experience necessary for putting up 

 pickles in vinegar or in any fancj; style, would do far 

 better to sell his pickles in the brine." 



THE LITTLE SPRAYER FOR KEEPING FLIES 

 OFF FROM CA.TTLE. 



I clip the following, from Fred Grundy, in 

 a recent issue of the Farm and Fireside; 



But for my little tin atomizer, or sprayer, and a good 

 supply of kerosene, I should have a tim'e milking. It 

 is astonishing how quickly a few whiffs of kero.sene 

 along the sides and among the legs of a cow will send 

 every fly to the floor or hunting for an opening to get 

 out of the stable. At first the cow does not like to 

 have the kerosene mist sweep over her, but she soon 

 gets u.sed to it; and when the stable door is opened 

 she will make a wild dash for it, to get rid of her tor- 

 mentors. The kerosene comes out of the sprayer 

 much like smoke, and but very little is required to 

 clear the flies out of a small stable. Sometimes flies 

 will gather on the walls inside the stable by the 

 thousands, apparentiv waiting for the animals to come 

 in. A few squirts afong the walls with the sprayer 

 will kill or drive them out in a hurry. Every one who 

 keeps horses or cows should have one or more of these 

 useful little tools in the stable. 



