8 



POPULAR GARDENING. 



October, 



A Convenient Fruit Sorter. 



BEMLE. NEWPORT CO., R. I. 



As fruit growers come to realize more 

 fully the increased value in the markets of 

 well graded fruit, more care is bound to be 

 taken in the matter of sorting, and for this 

 business it is easy to secure some assistance 

 in a device suited to simplifying the work. 



The fruit sorter herewith sketched, I have, 

 with four years of use, found altogethersatis- 

 factory, and, being simple in construction, 



A CONVENIENT FRUIT SORTER. 



one may easily be made at home, and at al- 

 most no expense, by any person. The sup- 

 port consists of four legs h, b, crossing each 

 other X shape, and held together at the mid- 

 dle by a wooden or iron pin. To the upper 

 ends of these supports are attached two 

 light two by three bed pieces, extending 

 lengthwise, each supporting a side-board 

 o of Inch stuflE, four inches wide, with a 

 similar piece across the back, also. 



The bottom, c, of the sorter is made of can- 

 vas, this being well tacked at the upper 

 edge on the side and end pieces, with slack 

 enough to form a trough three to five inches 

 deep and hanging free from the sides, in- 

 teriorily. The cross section view gives the 

 right idea as to its form when ready for use. 

 This canvas, it should be added, extends 

 forward some two or more feet longer than 

 the frame, for reaching down into the pack- 

 ing barrel, as shown by the dotted lines. 



In using it, the extreme end of the canvas 

 in the barrel is held up by an iron hook, 

 which is attached over the rim of the barrel, 

 thus forming a pocket into which the first 

 fruit in the barrel falls, without injury; 

 then when this pocket is full the hook is 

 freed, and it is gently lowered to the bottom 

 of the barrel and emptied. The front end 

 of the sorter is of a height to allow of a 

 barrel being set underneath, and the other 

 is three inches higher to admit of the fruit 

 being easily moved along the canvas as it is 

 being graded. If more pitch is desired, this 

 is secured by further tilting up the back 

 end of the sorter. When not in use, this 

 sorter can be compactly folded up, by 

 loosening the end pieces. 



become a sulphury yellow. Indicative of 

 disease; in the former case the vines took 

 on a new growth, and in the latter the 

 foliage turned to a healthy green color. 



Its good effect on Pear trees is noticeable, 

 in one case transforming, by its action, fruits 

 which were formerly hard and gritty into 

 good, mellow fruit. Roses, Geraniums, Vio- 

 lets, and other plants are mentioned as re- 

 ceiving benefit from its use on them. From 

 these trials it is to be observed that copperas 

 can be employed to advan- 

 tage on garden crops at the 

 rate of two hundred and 

 fifty to nine hundred pounds 

 per acre, using it in a solu- 

 tion of one and one half 

 per cent, repeating the ap- 

 plication three or four times. 



Copperas or Sulphate of Iron as 

 Manure. 



Under the direction of Professor Muntz, 

 at the farm school of Vincennes, France, 

 experiments have been made with this 

 article and reported upon. A solution of 

 one per cent of sulphate of iron was used 

 one time; the quantity corresponding to fifty- 

 eight pounds per acre. On equal lengths of 

 rows, the increase was ten per cent of Dwarf 

 Beans, and within a fraction of ten per cent 

 increase on Carrots. 



A second application would have been 

 still more beneficial, as is confirmed by M. 

 Fischer, President of the Section of Horti- 

 culture, at Chaillevois, by whom an increase 

 of thirty-six per cent of crop is noted by use 

 of two hundred and seventy pounds per 

 acre. Other instances are: Thirteen hun- 

 dred pounds per acre on Peas, which pushed 

 with extraordinary \igor and grew to a 

 gigantic size, bearing an immense crop; 

 copperas at the rate o£ 800 pounds per acre 

 was used on Lettuce; the plants were thrifty 

 and fine with leaves erect. It was also suc- 

 cessfully used on Strawberries. 



Its use on vines is most beneficial, as was 

 shown, especially on some that were en- 

 feebled and supposed to be in a dying con- 

 dition, and on others whose leaves had 



was 

 this 

 , It 

 because 



Notes on Growth. 



E. P. POWELL. ONEIDA CO., N. T. 



I do not find the Brighton Grape a poor 

 bearer after it has reached some age; young 

 vines proved such shy bearers that I 

 afraid they must be discarded. But 

 year the five year old vines are loaded 

 is not from superior fertilization 

 it happens that my Brightons alone 

 stand out of the vineyard, and at quite a 

 distance from all other sorts. The only 

 Grape that has ever had black rot in my 

 vineyard is Massasoit. I had intended to 

 dig them, but as my man John suggested 

 giving them one year more of trial, I con- 

 ceded to his wish, and now there is none 

 healthier than the delicious Massasoits. 



No Trimming for Raspberries. Some 

 one writes: " Do I understand that you do 

 not trim your red Raspberries at all ? " I 

 answer " No sir, not at all." It is all work 

 thrown away. My Cuthberts stand six to 

 eight feet high, are tied to wires— one wire 

 stretched on posts, and are never cut. Of 

 course the old canes are cut out and super- 

 fiuous suckers are removed. Turners are 

 tied in the same manner, and suckers more 

 closely removed, but no pruning. If you 

 can get better crops than mine you will do 

 well; I am satisfied. 



Strawberries. I grow Strawberries 

 under my Grape trellises in the vineyard 

 and get excellent results. The Cumberland 

 and Sharpless are my main croppers. I 

 think the effect on the Grapes is beneficial 

 as the Strawberry plants keep the ground 

 cool and moist. After picking, the old vines 

 are cut off with hoes and left as mulch. A 

 few are left growing which soon cover the 

 groun d aga i n ; of course d ouble crop- 

 ping the ground requires double 

 feeding in return. 



Of course I grow other Straw- 

 berries in carefully prepared beds. 

 So far I have no varieties that are 

 superior to the above for home use 

 or for market. But am now trying 

 Itasca, Haverland, May King,.Jessie, 

 Jewett, Ontario, Logan, etc. Among 

 them I am very hopeful that Haver- 

 land is to be a standard as well as 

 Bubach. Ontario is essentially 

 Sharpless. Crescent is a beautiful 

 berry and wonderful every way, but 

 for eating, it is too keenly acid. I 

 shall make my next main plantings ot 

 Bubach, Haverland, Summit, Itasca, and 

 Ohio; the latter for my late— always hold- 

 ing fast to Cumberland and Sharpless. 



Crossing Experiments. I have done a 

 good deal for years, in the way of crossing 

 Beans, and Corn, and our small fruits: 

 among my cross bred Beans, I am establish- 

 ing a few very choice varieties. I have 

 secured white wax pods three inches 

 around and eight inches long, with a nearly 

 white Bean ; so near white that it cooks 

 white. Among my cross bred Corns a queer 

 freak occurs- a huskless sort. The ears are 



masses of silk, and worthless as Corn, so 

 far as I know. Several of my Corns are, 

 however, very fine, especially crosses of 

 Moores, Concord, and Blount's Prolific. 



Every farm and garden in the United 

 States should be an experiment station. 

 The children should be trained to try seed- 

 lings, and should be taught how to cross- 

 breed, and hybridize. They should especi- 

 ally be taught to recognize a good thing 

 when it is seen, and so a great many wild- 

 lings that now go to waste would be pre- 

 served. If some one had not at last recog- 

 nized the value of the Seckel, it would have 

 gone, where probably hundreds of Pears 

 quite as good, have already gone. If you 

 wish for intellectual boys and girls give 

 them something ncto to do and think of. 



Currants. Fifty years ago every home 

 had a few Currant bushes ; now very few 

 have any. It speaks poorly for our people 

 that they will let as easily killed a creature 

 as the Currant worm beat them out of a 

 superb fruit. We really have no fruit for 

 health to surpass the Currant. The white 

 Grape is, by considerable, the best for table ; 

 but it is surpassed in size by the Versailles. 

 The Cherry is Inferior to the above in 

 quality and In prolific bearing. The Fay is 

 in no way superior to Versailles; I see no 

 reason for growing any but the two sorts I 

 have mentioned. Dust on hellebore as soon 

 as the worms begin to hatch, and you will 

 have no trouble. For market the Currant 

 is always in demand. The black Currants 

 now in cultivation are trash, and we must 

 look to improvements of the Missouri Ribes 

 —of which the new Crandall is the first. 



Vineyard Trellis Bracing. 



WM. MILLER, OTTAWA CO.. OHIO. 



The accompanying sketch shows the 

 method of bracing the end posts of vineyard 

 rows, as practiced in this section by our best 

 Grape growers. It has several advantages 

 over that given in a recent issue. The let- 

 ters a, a, a, show the wires fastened to the 

 end post b, which is inclined outward from 

 the row. Near the top of this post is also 

 fastened a piece of medium weight galvan- 

 ized wire c of a sufficient length to reach 

 below the surface of the soil beyond the 

 reach of frost; the buried end is fastened 

 to a good sized stone, that will keep the 

 inclined post and also the wires in their 

 proper position. The ground about the 

 stone and wire should be well firmed. 



Vimeyard TieUis Bracing. 



Work for Women In Improving 

 Fruits. 



D. s. MARVIN, JEFFERSON CO.. N. Y. 



Do we realize what we are doing when we 

 hybridize two species, plant the germs and 

 aid in creating a new fruit? Do we appre- 

 ciate our ability and power to control the 

 forces of nature in creating new and better 

 and more beautiful organic structures? 



We have been so long accustomed to look 

 at the normal products of the garden, the 

 field and the forest as nature's best and 

 highest work, that we are yet blind to see 

 what art can do. It takes nature a hundred 



