102 Notes and Gleanings. 



Too MUCH Fruit. — There are some men in this world, undoubtedly sent 

 into it for a wise purpose, who seem to be naturally and constitutionally croakers; 

 and these gentlemen, from time to time, favor us with the pleasant information tliat 

 the fruit business is either overdone or just going to be, and this is the story they 

 have told time out of mind. They do not consider, that, besides the natural in- 

 crease of population, the taste for fruit is much greater than formerly, and is con- 

 stantly growing: so that the quantity which would have sufficed ten years ago is 

 quite inadequate for the same number of persons now, and will be still more scanty 

 ten years hence. But the best evidence that the supply of good fruit is not yet 

 sufficient is the constantly-advancing price. The quantity of strawberries raised 

 around Boston is variously estimated at from ten to twenty times as many as were 

 grown ten years ago, yet the price has advanced from fifty to a hundred per cent. 

 Pears are now raised by nnany growers by hundreds of bushels, while the time 

 once was when twenty-five bushels was a great crop for one grower ; yet the 

 general complaint is of advancing rates, and some of the choicest specimens 

 bring almost incredible prices. We remember when a dollar a dozen was 

 thought a good price for the finest autumn pears ; but probably as many pears 

 are now sold for six dollars a dozen as were then sold for one dollar. Even the 

 currant, which could once hardly be given away, now commands from fifteen to 

 twenty cents per pound although it is most easily raised of all the small fruits ; 

 and the apple, once almost a drug in the market, now commands five and six 

 dollars a bushel for fine specimens of the Williams and Gravenstein. 



Large Collection of Potatoes. — A farmer in Southern Berkshire, Mass., 

 planted this spring a hundred and thirty-six varieties of potatoes, all the known 

 named varieties, except four, and he hopes to obtain these in time for planting. 

 He proposes to thoroughly test them all, giving to each the same soil and culti- 

 vation, and carefully weighing the crop obtained in a rod of drill. 



Budding Trees. — August is the month for budding, or, as it was formerly 

 called, "inoculating" trees. There is one point apt to be neglected by begin- 

 ners, because little understood by them, to which we desire to refer. They are 

 sometimes surprised to find, after budding a lot of very thrifty young stocks, that 

 almost every bud has failed, and are quite at a loss to account for it; but expe- 

 rience shows that the failure is caused by the over-luxuriance of the stock, and 

 the thin, watery condition of the sap. If the operation had been deferred until 

 the sap had thickened, the result would have been reversed, and, instead of only 

 one in a hundred succeeding, there would have been only one per cent of fail- 

 ures. The cherry is more liable than any other fruit to " drown out " the bud, 

 as it is called ; and the best time to bud cherry-stocks is just as soon as they 

 begin to slacken their growth, and show a yellow leaf here and there. If this 

 time is chosen, and the work done skilfully, there need be little fear of failure. 

 Trees which are not growing vigorously should be budded early. As soon as 

 wood sufficiently ripe to furnish buds can be found, will frequently not be too 

 early. When a large quantity are to be budded, the work should be taken in 

 hand early, so as to get through in season, commencing with the least thrifty. 



