442 



THE LANCASTER FARMER. 



[ September, 



rupled with a few years. Those market gardeners 

 who have fought the worm with persistence are re- 

 ceiving from 15 to 20 cents a quart against 4 and 5 

 cents received in former years. Then again, instead 

 of the small currant, improved and larger varieties 

 are cultivated. The Ked and White Dutch and 

 Cherry varieties are a vast improvement on the old 

 berry. The size of the Cherry will always give it an 

 extra value in market, but for the family there is 

 nothing superior to the old standard Red and White 

 Dutch. Currants will grow in any soil where corn 

 grows. The fruit, however, is best in a rich sandy 

 loam, kept well pulverized and free from weeds. It 

 is one of the peculiarities of fruit growing that high 

 cultivation increases the pulp and lessens the seed. 

 Wood ashes make the best fertilizer for currants. 

 Where ashes are not to be had, the bushes should be 

 mulched wi'h leaves or leaf mold. The best mode 

 of propagating is by slips or cuttings. The slips, a 

 foot long, may be cut in the fall and planted imme- 

 diately where they are desired to grow permanently, 

 or thickly in some day soil where they can be left till 

 spring. The worm has done less damage than usual 

 this season than heretofore; all that is needed to 

 rout him is a complete peppering with helleboie. As 

 no fruit, not even apples, is more easily raised, and 

 as the money returns are more compensating, an 

 extensive, well-cared for patch of currants will cer- 

 tainly pay handsomely. 



The Blackberry. 



The blackberry requires nearly the same treatment 

 as the raspberry ; but being a more rampant grower 

 it should have more room, and needs more pruning 

 or pinching. The distances of the rows may be 6 to S 

 feet apart, and the plant, if kept single, two feet in 

 the row. Sometimes they are allowed to grow 

 thickly or in a continuous line, in which case they 

 should be well cultivated and properly pruned. Con- 

 stant cultivation is always better than much manur- 

 ing. Pruning the blackberry is commonly but little 

 understood. We hear comp aints of the rambling 

 and straggling growth of the bush, extending across 

 alleys, tearing dresses, at the same time proving un- 

 productive. This is owing to a neglect of summer 

 pruning. As soon as the new shoots have reached 

 2J4 or 3 feet in height the ends should be pinched ofl' 

 with the thumb and finger, which will cause the 

 protrusion of laterals. These in turn are to be 

 pinched off when they have grown from 12 to 18 

 Inches. It will be necessary to pass along the rows 

 every two weeks in doing this work, as new shoots 

 will be constantly thrown out during the entire sum- 

 mer. The plants, being thus kept within bounds, 

 will present neat, compact and productive bushes, 

 instead of the unproductive stragglers, as if left un- 

 touched. 



Famous Apples of Lancaster County 



Origin. 

 Charles Downing, of Newburgh, N. T., the 

 famous horticulturist, writes to the Countrij Qen- 

 tlenian that inquirtrs after the history of the Belmont 

 or Gate apple will tind it in the transactions of the 

 Ohio fruit growers and nurserymen, held at Co- 

 lumbus in September, 1S47. The following is an 

 extract; "The residence of Mamma Beam, mother 

 of Jacob Nessley, sr., was uear Strasburg, Lan- 

 caster county. Pa. The Gate apple is from a seed- 

 ling which grew at her gate, from which circum- 

 stance it was called by the family the 'Gate apple,' 

 though by the neighbors it was called Mamma 

 Beam, after the old lady. It was brought to the 

 Ohio river, above Steubenville, by Jacob Nesslev, sr. 

 a nurseryman, about the commencement of the 

 present century, and propagated throughout the 

 West." Dr. J. K. Eshleman, who introduced the 

 beautifnl and excellent "Fanny" apple informed 

 Mr. Downing that it originated within one hundred 

 yards from where the Gate apple did, and on prop- 

 erty formerly owned by Jacob Beam. 



Huckleberries. 



Speaking of the culture of berries, the Massachu- 

 setts Plottylitnan says : "Tlie culture of the straw- 

 berry has been carried to such perfection that it has 

 become a staple article of produce as much as corn 

 or potatoes. The blackerry is fast coming into gene- 

 ral favor. Huckleberries have been popular from 

 our earliest recollection, yet we know of but few in- 

 gtances where any of our market gardners have tried 

 to improve any of the numerous varieties which can 

 be found wild on almost any hillside. If the wild 

 strawberry can be made to produce, by cultivation, 

 such fruits as we have seen in the markets this sea- 

 son, cannot the huckleberry be made to grow pro- 

 portionately large ? We hope those of our market 

 gardeners who have not already begun, will give 

 this small fruit the attention it deserves." 



Hotbeds with Muslin Sashes. 

 RufuB Mason in the Cincinnati Orani/e Bulletin 

 says : "Three years' experience with muslin sashes, 

 where the thermometer ranges from twenty degrees 

 below zero to seventy degrees above, satisfies me of 

 their superiority. I make a frame of one and one- 



fourth inch stuff with a single bar of the same size 

 down the middle, cover it with common, heavy, 

 unbleached muslin; paint it over two coats with 

 boiled linseed oil and find it far better than glass. 

 Have had no freezing or scalding, but better colored 

 plants, more stocky, and. better able to withstand 

 early transplanting. After the hotbed is filled 

 with manure, lay in the soil so as to come within 

 three inches of the muslin, sloping exactly as it 

 does. As the season advances the bed will 

 settle about as fast as the growth of the plant 

 requires it. This plan prevents the plants from 

 becoming long-legged, which is the main cause of 

 the slow aftergrowth, and in the cabbage family, of 

 so many plants failing to make solid head." 



Pruning Grape Vines. 



Trim in autumn after the first hard frost. Re- 

 move tlie ojd wood as much as possible, leaving six 

 canes of present summer's growth which are the 

 largest and most thrifty, and as near the base of the 

 vine as canbe found. All of the other wood is cut 

 out, being probably fully nine-tenths of that which 

 is on the vine. This comprises all of the trimming 

 needed for the whole year, with the exception of 

 removing the extra buds in spring. Go through the 

 vineyard often to see if anything is amiss, and to 

 admire the magnificent bunches of fruit as they are 

 growing, but scrupulously avoid handling them, as 

 Dame Nature has provided a delicate bloom for a 

 covering, which, if rubbed off, destroys the luscious 

 ripening process. 



The Quince. 



The quince, of the fine old orange variety, is mak- 

 its appearance in our markets from California, and 

 commands a good price. Their cultivation has been 

 generally abandoned in this region, owing to the dep- 

 redations of the worms in the roots. As the roots are 

 at the very surface of the ground it is difficult to 

 protect them by covering, as we have suggested the 

 dwarf-pear should be, the stock of which is quince. 

 There is no other way to dislodge the worm than by 

 ferreting them out twice a year with a wire. The 

 only other way to get quinces is to let the worm 

 alone in its operatious and always have a fresh lot 

 of trees coming on. They will bear six years before 

 Requiring renewal. 



Suckers Around Apple Trees 



are permitted in some neglected orchards, disfiguring 

 the trees and doing them harm. Now is the time to 

 clear them oif, and so that they will not sprout again. 

 Seize them by the tops with both hands, place the 

 cowhide boot which you wear upon them, between 

 the sucker and tree, and one stamp with the foot 

 and corresponding jerk with the hands will tear 

 them off at the base. If too large cut them out 

 with a gouge and mallet ; do not leave a stub to 

 sprout again. 



Domestic Economy. 



Breakfast Bacon. 



There is something sensible in the suggestion con- 

 tained in the following article which we clip from 

 ihe Western Stock J ournal . There is no good reason 

 why farmers should not have the choicest and most 

 substantial food in the land — unless it be that lack 

 of skill necessary for properly preparing the mater- 

 ials is a good reason. We quote: 



"For country town or village, the most convenient 

 and to many persons acceptable dish for the morning 

 meal is breakfast bacon. Yet, while it is charged 

 upon the farmer that he lives upon pork, breakfast 

 bacon, that which is worthy of the name, is seldom 

 seen upon the farmer's table. In any first-class 

 hotel in the larger cities it is regularly found upon 

 the bill of fare, and to say that it is a popular dish is 

 the least we can say. But mind you, these houses 

 don't buy the tough, flabby old meat known among 

 the soldiers as "sow belly," nor the thick, greasy, 

 over salted and over-smoked sides of a three-year 

 old, four hundred pound hog. The farmer's 'wife 

 who reads this, and knows not of the reputation 

 which the standard bill of fare breakfast bacon has 

 before travelers and what are termed genteel board- 

 ers, is ready to ask: "Well, tell us exactly what it 

 is?" We will tell you how to make it. When new 

 corn is ready to feed, select two or three early spring 

 pigs that are strictly healthy, yet are thin in flesh. 

 Feed these up rapidly, thus causing the fiesh to be 

 tender. At butchering time take the sides and hams, 

 and the shoulders if you like, into your own keeping. 

 Sugar-cure these in the most careful manner, using 

 plenty of sugar, and a small amount each of salt 

 and saltpetre; after being about six weeks in this 

 preparation, smoke moderately, not for a month or 

 two, steady, until the meat is as brown as the skin 

 of a mulatto,three-fourth6 black,but gently browned, 

 and having the flavor of the curing process slightly 

 through the meat. Do not pursue that abominable 

 practice of leaving the meat in the smoke-house to 

 be treated to a heavy dose of smoke once a week, to 

 keep the flies away, but encase each piece separately 



in heavy paper and pack away in dry wood ashes. 

 When wanted, take one piece at a time from the 

 storage place. Cut thin, not half so thick as the 

 ordinary farmer's bacon is cut. Broiling is better 

 than frying, and as the saying is, " do it nicely, and 

 if you have prepared the bacon and hams from two 

 such pigs as a first venture, you will need to double 

 the allowance for the next season. 



Hints for the Kitchen. 



If your coal fire is low, throw on a tablespoonful 

 of salt, and it will help it very much. 

 A little ginger put into sausage meat improves the 



In boiling meat for soup, use cold water to extract 

 the juices. If the meat is wanted for itself alone, 

 plunge in boiling water at once. 



You can get a bottle or barrel of oil off any carpet 

 or woolen stuff by applying dry buckwheat plenti- 

 fully. Never put water to such a grease spot, or 

 liquid of any kind. 



Broil steak without salting. Salt draws the juices 

 in cooking; it is desirable to keep these in if possible. 

 Cook over a hot fire, turning frequently, searing on 

 both sides. Place on a platter; salt and pepper to 



Beef having a tendency to be tough canbe made 

 very palatable by stewing gently for two hours, 

 with pepper and salt. Taking out about a pint of 

 the liquor when half done, and letting the rest boil 

 into the meat. Brown the meat in the pot. After 

 taking up, make a gravy of the piU of liquor saved. 

 • A small piece of charcoal in the pot with boiling 

 cabbage removes the smell. 



Care of Farm Implements. 

 For farm implements of all kinds having metal 

 surface exposed, for knives and forks and other 

 household apparatus, indeed for all metals likely to 

 be injured by oxidation or "rusting," we know of no 

 simpler or more effective application than that fur- 

 nished by the late Professor Olmstead. He used it 

 on air pump telescopes and various other apparatus. 

 Take any quantity of good lard, and to every half- 

 pound or so add of common resin (rosin) an ampunt 

 about equal to half the size of an egg or less — a lit- 

 tle more or less is of no consequence. Melt them 

 slowly ^together, stirring as they cool. Apply this 

 with acloth or otherwise, just enough to give a thin 

 coating to the metal surface to be protected. It can 

 be wiped off nearly clean from the surface, where it 

 will be undesirable, as in the case of knives and 

 forks, etc. The resin prevents rancidity, and the 

 mixture obviates a ready access of air and moisture. 

 A fresh application maybe needed when the coating 

 is washed off by the friction of beating storms or 

 otherwise. There was talk of patenting this receipt 

 at one time, but Professor Olmstead decided to pub- 

 lish it for the general good. 



No Eggs so Good as Fresh Ones. 

 For the life of me I cannot see the sense in pack- 

 ing eggs for winter use, when, with proper care, 

 Brahma, Cochin or Plymouth Rock hens will keep 

 the family supplied with fresh-laid eggs. I have 

 tried all the ways that I ever heard of, but never 

 succeeded in keeping eggs over three months. At 

 the end of that time they were good for eating, bet- 

 ter than half the "fresh" eggs sold in cities, but 

 still I could tell them from new-laid eggs. At the 

 end of six mouths they "would do" for cooking — if 

 you could get none better — but it was like "tolera- 

 ble" oysters. After they had been in pickle eight 

 months I scrambled some (they looked best that 

 way), and tried to eat them, but my stomach re- 

 volted. 



Household Recipes. 



Spiced Cantaleup.— We prefer the rough skin, 

 firm fruit, though ripe. Take out the seed, cut and 

 pare, then cover the whole quantity with good cider 

 vinegar. We use a large earthen crock and let it 

 stand dver night. Next morning measure the vine- 

 gar and throw away half of it. Then to every quart 

 that is left add three pounds of sugar, and put it on 

 the stove with the fruit, and let it simmer until you 

 think it is done. 1 think we did ours over two hours. 

 Don't forget to cook with it half an ounce of cloves 

 and one oiince of cinnamon. I suppose that amount 

 of spice to every quart of juice is the right way, but 

 I only put thiit quantity to five pints of juice or 

 vinegar. I also use white vinegar, and think it cheap 

 as any. I know a good cook who does the most of 

 her spicing and preserving in tin pans, and I followed 

 her example and had no trouble; there is more 

 danger of burning preserves. — Becky, in Qerman- 

 towH Telegraph. 



Grape Wine. — As this is now the season for 

 making grape wine, I send you the following recipe, 

 which is so simple and produces such excellent wine, 

 that I hope every one having grapes will try it : 



Five Gallons IFme.— Express the juice from 

 twenty pounds grapes, rinse the pulp and skins in as 

 much water as will cover them, mash them and 



