Jan. 



THE POMOLOGIST. 



Gleanings, Wants and Helps. 

 Transmission ok Scions. — The Iransmi!;- 

 sion of a few choice scions for a long dis- 

 tance safely, may be done by putt ini^ them 

 into a glass vial, or any glass bottle long 

 enough to contain the sciou.s, and a small 

 piece of dry sponge. Press it to the bottom, 

 and water sufficient to .saturate it. Then 

 put the .scions in the bottle witii a wet 

 sponge on top, and seal the vial hcrmeticallj'. 

 Wrap in strong paper, and tlicy may be sent 

 by mail almo.st any distance, and will be 

 found perfectly fresh. 



— A Sau Francisc) paper looks forward to 

 the time when grapes from California, by 

 the Pacilic Railroad, will be retailed in tlie 

 Atlantic States for five cents a pouud. 



— Apples decay more rapidly in tlic light 

 than in a dark place. 



Wax For Top Grafting. — A correspon- 

 dent of the Massachusetts Phnujhman gives 

 the following directions for making wax for 

 lop grafting: Resin, three pouads; bee.s- 

 wax, one and oue-half pounds ; linseed oil 

 o.ie pint. Thoroughly melt the beeswax 

 and resin, then add the oil, and boil over a 

 slow fire .some time, then pour it iato a vos- 

 s; 1 of cold water. Whea take.i out, a few 

 mii.ules' working a id it is Jit for use, even 

 on a cold day, and that without a bucket of 

 hot water, to keep it in working order ; 

 neither will it run in hot weather. This I 

 know from experience. This is for old 

 fashioned top grafting. 



— Rapid growth makes a mild flavor, slow 

 growth a strong (me; therefore, grow vege- 

 tables (piick and fruit moderately. The ex- 

 ceptions are only where size is valued liigher 

 than flavor. 



Vinegar for Pickles. — The be.st vinegar 

 for pickles of any kind, is made by mixing 

 one quart each of vinegar and molassess 

 with five quarts of water, (soft water is the 

 best,) and it is ready for immediate use. 

 AVhiskey, on account of its adulteration, is 

 unfit to use in the place of alcohol. 



Wine that will not Intoxicate.. — Tlie 

 juices of any sound, ripe fruit, may be 

 C4inned, or put in jugs, and sealed up air- 

 tight, while it is scalding hot, just as we put 

 up capned fruit, and maybe kept any length 

 of time, if properly put up. A small bottle 

 of such juice may be opened at any time, 

 and mixed with water and sugar, makii;g a 

 jileasant drink, or wine that is not iuto.xiai- 

 ting. — Ex. 



It is advisable to keep fruit preserves in 

 small jars, containing just the quantity you 

 would wi.sli to use at one time, as exposure 

 to the air injures most kinds of sweetmeats. 

 Store in a dry, cool place, and if the jars are 

 put in dry sand the fruit is less likely to 

 tVrment. 



—In fruit culture, as weU as iu any other 

 business, it requires tact, energy, and a large 

 amount of perseverence to 'enable any one 



to succeed. 



A NICE Dish. — Apples for immediate use 

 arc very nice prepared in the following 

 manner ; Take good sized, tart apjilcs, re- 

 move the core without paring them, place 

 the apples iu a tin pan, fill the Iioles with 

 sugar, add a small pinch of cinnamon if you 

 like it. To a dozen apples put half a pint of 

 cold water; bake till quite soft. They will 

 not keep well more than two or three days. 



Apple Cream. — Boil twelve apples in 

 water till .soft, take off the peel, and press 

 the pulp tlirough a hair .scive upon half a 

 pound of pounded sugar; whip the whiles 

 of two eggs, add them to the apples, and 

 beat all together till it becomes very still" and 

 looks quite wliilc. Serve it heaped up on a 

 dish. 



To Harden Tallow for Candles. — 

 Sdinctimes an animal gets .so fat as to yield 

 tallow too soft to make gooil, hard candles. 

 When the tallow is placed in the kettle to 

 fry out, sprinkle over it one pound of alum 

 and one pound of saltpetre, pulverized and 

 mixed. Candles made of such tallow will 

 give a clear light and not run. 



To Kill Aphides, or Plant Lice. — The 

 veteran pomologist, Thomas Rivers, says: 

 "For aphides of all kind.s, in-doors or out, 

 winter or summer, 4 ounces Quassia chips 

 are boiled ten minutes in a gallon of soft 

 water, and while cooling, 4 ounces of soft 

 soap dissolved in it. Many hogsheads of 

 this are us:.'d here in summer, and always 

 with efttct. S jmetimcs two dippings of the 

 shoots, or bru^hings of the under surface of 

 the leaves, are required. This innocucms 

 mixture has superseded filthj^ tobacco juice 

 and many disiigrceable compounds." It 

 would be well to try this upon the aphis that 

 is now so troublesome on the young shoots 

 of cherry and other trees. As the prepara- 

 tion is unexpensive, it could be used on a 

 large scale by means of a garden pump or 

 engine. 



Observations respecting Meat. — In 

 cold weather meat is much improved by 

 being kept several days previous to using it. 

 Beef and mutton should be kept at least a 

 wei'k, to render the meat tender ; and poul- 

 try three or four days. When meat is fro- 

 zen it should be soaked in cold water to 

 extract the frost before putting it to the fire, 

 else it will not cook well. A thick roasting 

 piece requires soaking several hours to ex- 

 tract the fro.st. Meat packed in snow will 

 keep sweet as long as the snow keeps from 

 melting. Have a thick layer of snow in the 

 bottom of your tub, or box, then pack your 

 frozen meat, placing a thick layer of snow 

 between each layer of meat until your meat 

 is all packed, then cover completely with 

 snow and over all spread a Idanket or other 

 woolc'U goods. Poultry .should be filled with 

 snow before packing. 



— ^When preserves f<'nnent, .scald and add 

 one-quarter of a pound of sugar to each 

 pound of fruit. 



15 



Spiced Ctirrants. — Five pounds of cur- 

 rants, four pounds of sugar, one pint of vin- 

 eger, cinnamon, cloves and allspice to taste. 

 Boil an hour, or till it is thick. Nice with 

 meat. 



Beet Dressing. — One teacup of vinegar, 

 two eggs well beaten, one teaspoon of .salt, 

 one teaspoon of mustard, butter size of a 

 walnut; scald and add half a teacup of 

 cream. If one has no cream, use milk and 

 more butter. Pour over the boiled beets. 

 It is also very nice for cabbage. 



Those who claim to have tried the experi- 

 ment say that scions cut from bearing trees 

 will make bearing trees one or two years 

 sooner than those taken from unbearing 

 trees, whether standard or nursery trees. 



— AVeeds will grow, and insects will de- 

 vour while we sleep, and the rain, which we 

 are told "falls alike on the just and unjust," 

 will often interfere with our well-arranged 

 plans; but such things mu.st be e.\pected in 

 all the walks of life. 



— In melon culture, a naturally rich sandy 

 loam produces the sweetest and best fruit. 



— Fruit culture is just as safe a business as 

 any other ; but no one need embark in it 

 expecting that wealth will flow into his hands 

 witiiout seeking it earnestly and persever- 

 ingly. 



— Fuller .says the German Prune can be 

 grown wherever the common plum can be. 



Number of Plants to the Acre. 

 Tlie following is a very useful table for the 

 gardener and orchardist, showing as it does, 

 the number of trees or plants that may be 

 raised on an acre of ground when planted at 

 the distances mentioned. 



DisttiDce apart. No. of Plaats. Distance apart. No. of PlaQt3 



1 foot 43,.560 9 fe et 537 



1 1-2 feet . . . in,:J0O 13 feet .303 



2 feet 10,«)0 1.5 feet 193 



a 1-3 feet (J,U()9 18 feet 134 



3 feet 4,440 21 feet 98 



4 feet 2.723 24 feet 7.5 



5 feet 1,743 27 feet 59 



G feet 1,510 30 feet 48 



The plum worked upon the wilil plum 



stock comes into bearing earlier and is more 

 fruitful and more liardy than if wm-ked upon 

 its own stock. 



Fruit Trees for Shade. 



A correspondent of the Country Gentlenum 

 thinks that if fruit trees were planted in- 

 ste;id of maples, we could have both shade, 

 ornament and fruit. Practical illustrations 

 of the benefits of such a course are often 

 seen. AVe have in mind two tiirmers whose 

 hind borders on the road. One of them has 

 a nice row of maples, which furnish nothing 

 but shade, and seriously injure his land. The 

 other has a sjilendid row of apple trees. 

 They furnish shade, are ornamental, and do 

 not injure the lan<l near as much as maples. 

 They al.sn furnish a large supply of valuable 

 fruit. Believing the last example much the 

 bisl, we would recommend it for imitation. 

 — nortindturist. 



If shade be an object, the end would be 

 accomplished more expeditiously, and much 

 more eflectually by planting nut bearing 

 trees, such as the Chestnut and the Walnut. 



