1S6 



THE GENESEE FAEMER. 



EXPERIMENTAL GARDENING-NEW AND VALU- 

 iiBLE PLANTS TO CULTIVATE. 



i^Contiinied from page 125.) 



The Apple Pie Melon. — We have grown this 

 melon for the past two seasons, and we are more 

 than ever convhieed of its value. It attains a large 

 size; we liave grown specimens the past season, 18 

 inches in length, weighing from 30 to 35 lbs. They 

 are cylindrical in shape; color, when ripe, golden 

 tint; Hesh tinn and close-grained; color of seeds, a 

 dark green. They prove perfectly hardy and easy 

 of culture; should be planted 8 feet apart, and two 

 plants in each hill is sufficient. Gathered when 

 ripe, and kept in a cool place, free from frost, they 

 will keep fresh and good a year or more. In 

 California, they have been kept two years, sound 

 and good (so says the editor of the California 

 Farmer). We have tested them for pies and pre- 

 serves, and find them very delicious. To prepare 

 them for .pies, peel and cut up the melon small, 

 taking out the seeds, soft pulp, etc. Put them in a 

 preserving kettle, with just enough water to keep 

 them from burning, and stew over a tolerably 

 brisk fire for three or four hours, or until the whole 

 is reduced to a soft, pulpy mass, free from lumps 

 and thoroughly done. Add sugar and a little lemon 

 or tartaric acid, and make up with crust in the 

 usual way, and you will find them as good, if not 

 superior to an apple pie. If you desire a pumpkin 

 or custard pie of the melons, stew as above, but 

 emit the acid^ and bring the pulpy mass to the 

 proper thickness and consistency by adding sugar, 

 milk and eggs. Little of either of these ingredients 

 will be found necessary — only sufficient to give the 

 color and flavor. For preserves, add one lb. of 

 Bugar to one lb. of the fruit. 



"Winter iOiiEKKY {Physalls viscosa). — We have 

 grown this fruit for several years, under the name 

 of " Cape Gooseberry," but perhaps " Winter Cher- 

 ry "is a more appropriate name, as the fruit can 

 be kept through the winter without any prepara- 

 tion, only to lay it in its capsules out of the way 

 of the frost. As we learn how to use this fruit, we 

 are more than ever convinced of its value. For 

 preserves, one lb. of sugar to one lb. of fruit, add 

 a little lemon or tartaric acid, stew down, as for 

 other preserves; it has a superior pine-apple flavor. 

 We use the fruit for pies, pickles, etc., and most 

 persons, especially children, are fond of the ripe 

 fruit, without any preparation. Cultivate the same 

 as for the tomato. 



Sweet Martynea. {Martynea fragrans., or pickle 

 plant). — An annual, very hardy and easy of culture. 

 The seed pods, when young and tender, are highly 

 esteemed for pickling. Tliis plant is very peculiar 

 in its form, and, when in bloom, imparts a very 

 fragrant odor. 



Of Canteltjpes, the following three varieties we 

 ■ find to be of extra quality : Jenny Lind, Pine 

 AppU^ and TurFs Cap. They are of a globular 

 shape, green flesh, and netted rind. 



Califounia Prolific Bean. — In the spring of 

 1859, we received from Wm. B. Phelps, Esq., of 

 Stockton, Cal., a sample of these beans, for which 

 we are under many obligations, as also for other 

 valuable seeds. Tliis bean is of a medium size, of 

 peach-blow color, and very prolific; requiring only 

 one, or at most two plants in a hill, as it produces 

 many lateral branches. It is a short runner, only 



from three to four feet in height. We find, in, 

 planting them with corn, one bean in each hill 

 answers the purpose well. By cooking these beans 

 in the following manner, they constitute a savory 

 dish, and need only to be tasteil to be appreciated. 

 Having cleaned these beans, put them in cold water, 

 add a liltle salt, and boil until done, but not so 

 much as to have them crack open. Have ready a 

 frying-pan, with some lard, which heat until it 

 nearly boils. Then take the beans out with a 

 skimmer, and put them into the frying pan, and fry 

 them until they absorb nearly all the fat. Then 

 add about a pint of the bean liquor (of which you 

 must reserve a i)lenty); boil, or rather fry a few 

 moments, stirring it gently; but be sure tlje liquor 

 does not all boil away, as it is this which gives the 

 beans such a delicious flavor. They are then ready 

 for the table. l. n. 



CRANBERRIES AND THEIR CULTURE. 



Eds. Genesee Farmer: — To the question so 

 often submitted, what lands are best adai)ted to 

 the culture of the cranberry ? I reply, so tar as my 

 observations and experiments have extended, that 

 low, wet land is much better than dry upland. 

 Basins, or marshes that are sometimes flooded, re- 

 taining, as the water runs off" or sinks away, alluvial 

 deposits, seem to be the best adapted to the growth 

 of the cranberry. It is what might be termed 

 a semi-aquatic i)iant, flourishing best on that part 

 of the farm usually thought to be useless. 



The ground, during the summer, may be too wet 

 as well as too dry. To guard against this, it wiU 

 be necessary to cut drains sufficient in number and 

 capacity to lead off" the surface water. 



These drains may be closed in the fall, after the 

 berries are gatliered, so as to overflow the 

 meadow during the winter to prevent weeds from 

 growing in the tall and spring, and to destroy 

 insects that might prove injurious to the vines. 



The surplus water being drawn off", the ground is 

 now ready for the plants, if it be free from weeds 

 or grass. Where the land has not been sufficiently 

 covered with water to prevent the formation of a 

 sod, it will be necessary to pare off", with a spade 

 or plow, the sod to a depth sufficient to remove 

 the roots of the grass. The sod so removed, if 

 snugly piled, will soon form a valuable compost for 

 fruit trees. In the clean surface thus exposed, 

 open, ehallow, parallel trenches, eighteen inches or 

 two feet apart, and in these trenches place vines, 

 varying from one to four feet in length, slightly 

 covering them every six or eight inches, which 

 completes the labor of transplanting. 



The month of April or May is best for tranS' 

 planting, as those transplanted in the fall are liable 

 to be thrown out by the frost. They are rapid 

 growers, covering the ground within two or three 

 years after setting, and often producing fruit the 

 first year. I see no reason wliy cranberry meadows 

 may not be permanent, when once started, Thei 

 vines on Martha's vineyard have yielded berries 

 ever since 1805. The vine which I cultivate, the 

 Low-land Bell, is an annual bearer. 



No fears need be entertained as to the success of 

 transplanting. Only take care to set in moist soil. 

 The soil devoted to cranberry culture will need no 

 enriching from year to year, since they do not im- 

 poverish the soil like the grasses and grains. 



