60 Fruit Gathering. 



BUSHBERG CATALOGUE. 



Preserving Grapes. 



observe this tiny, handsomely 

 colored liug, or its larva, will 

 have no trouble in convincing 

 himself of its usefulness. It is 

 really amusing to see how this 

 small bug, and its still smaller 

 larva, not only assiduously 

 suck plant-] ice and insect eggs 

 of all sorts, but also pounce 

 upon worms much larger than 

 themselves and pierce them 

 with their short, three-jointed 

 beak. They roam about every- 

 INSIDIOUS FLOWEB-BUG. where on the plants in search of 

 prey, and are frequently found within the Phylloxera- 

 galls playing havoc with the lice. The Insidious 

 Flower-bug (Authocoris insiduosus, Say) belongs to the 

 Order Heteroptera, or True Bugs, and may be known 

 by its handsome coloration, being black, reddish-brown 

 and white above. Its larva is orange-colored, and 

 closely resembles in general appearance that of the no- 

 torious Chinch-bug. 



Besides the insects, you will still have other enemies 

 to combat ; foxes and birds, and, worst of all, some 

 two-legged beings in human shape thieves, who will 

 steal your grapes if you do not watch and threaten to 

 keep them off with powder and shot. We do. 



GATHERING THE FRUIT. 



Whether it be for the table or for wine, do not pick 

 the grape before it is fully ripe. livery grape will color 

 before ripe ; some do so several weeks before, but when 

 thoroughly ripe the stem turns brown and shrivels 

 somewhat. The finest qualities, the sweetness and 

 aroma of the grape juice are fully developed only in 

 the perfectly matured grape ; and we consider the late 

 ripening varieties as far superior, especially for wine, 

 to the early kinds, but, of course, only in such locali- 

 ties where late grapes will mature. This noble fruit 

 does not ripen, like some other fruit, after being ga- 

 thered. Always gather the grapes in fair weather, and 

 wait till the dew has dried off before commencing in 

 the morning. Cut off the clusters with a knife or grape- 

 scissors, and clip out the unripe or diseased berries, if 

 any, taking care, however, that the bloom be not rnb- 

 bed off, nor any of the berries broken, if they are to be 

 -sent to market, or to be kept into winter. The bunches 

 should be placed in shallow drawers or baskets, in 

 which they are to be taken to the packing-shed, or 

 some place under cover, and there assorted and packed. 



For packing grapes for market, shallow baskets or 

 boxes, holding from three to ten pounds, and especially 

 manufactured for the purpose in all the principal grape , 

 regions, costing about one cent per pound, are used. 

 In packing in boxes, the top is first nailed on and a 

 sheet of thin white paper put in ; whole bunches of 

 grapes are first put in ; the vacant places left are filled 

 with parts of bunches, of same kind and quality, so 

 that all the space is occupied and the whole box pack- 

 ed, as closely and full as possible, without jamming. 

 Another sheet of paper is now laid on and the bottom 

 nailed down. By this means, when the boxes are 

 opened, only entire bunches are found at the top. The 

 boxes are put in crates, or light large boxes, for ship- 

 ment. Do not ship mixed inferior fruit it will never 



pay ? while uniform, good grapes will establish a repu- 

 tation and command the best prices. Skill in hand- 

 ling and packing is only acquired by practice. 



Grapes could easily be preserved for months by 

 means of a cool room or cellar, where the temperature 

 could be kept between 35 and 40 F. In a warm, damp 

 atmosphere grapes will soon rot. Fuller recom- 

 mends, for preserving grapes, to bring them first into 

 a cool room, spread them out and let them remain 

 there for a few days until all surplus moisture has 

 passed off; then pack them away in boxes, placing the 

 bunches close together, and thick sheets of paper be- 

 tween each layer. When the boxes are filled, put them 

 away in a cool place ; examine them occasionally and 

 take out the decayed berries, from time to time, as 

 they appear. If the place is cool and the fruit ripe and 

 sound, they will keep from three to four months. 



Another method by which grapes are sometimes 

 successfully preserved till late in March, especially in 

 France, is this : Cut a branch having two bunches of 

 fruit attached and place the lower end, threugh a per- 

 forated cork, in a small bottle of water ; seal the upper 

 cut end of the branch and also the cork with sealing- 

 wax. A little charcoal in the water preserves its pu- 

 rity. The bottles are then placed in a dry, cool room 

 where the temperature is pretty even and never falls 

 below freezing point, and are kept in an erect position 

 (usually by a rack made for the purpose), care being 

 taken that the clusters do not touch each other, and 

 that every imperfect grape be removed as soon as it 

 shows signs of failing. But very few persons, however, 

 can bestow this care, and still less have a fruit room 

 or cellar that can be kept so cool (40). 



A simpler method to preserve grapes is the follow- 

 ing, lately recommended by a practical grape-grower, 

 which seems to us well worth trying : About a week 

 before the grape is fully ripe, the bearing cane with 

 its clusters is bent down to the ground and laid into a 

 ditch, about one foot (30 cm.) deep, made for this pur- 

 pose, without separating the cane from the vine. The 

 bunches are dusted with flour of sulphur, then covered 

 with soil to protect them from frost, and so made that 

 the rain will run off. Grapes thus preserved were 

 shown in March, which had retained their natural 

 color and freshness, and tasted better than grapes of 

 the same kind preserved in any other manner. 



We have seen and tasted Concord grapes kept fresh 

 and beautiful in a porous, unglazed earthen jar, manu- 

 factured for this purpose by T. J. Price, Macomb, 111., 

 who says : The clusters are to be laid carefully in them 

 as soon as.picked, and then taken to the cellar or base- 

 ment, or some cool place where they can have both 

 ventilation and moisture. The pores of these jars are 

 filled with a salt solution as they corne from the kiln, 

 then the inside coated with a common thick limewash. 

 The salt solution in the pores is intended to absorb the 

 moisture and thus to produce a cool and even tem- 

 perature inside the jar, and the lime is to prevent 

 mould. These jars can be used again from year to 

 year, only they should be first soaked in strong brine, 

 and then whitewashed inside, before they are filled 

 again with grapes." 



Various other methods of preserving grapes fresh 

 until late in winter have been recommended, but ex- 

 periments have generally not been as satisfactory as 



