THE POMOLOGIST. 



Jan. 



Odoriferous Constituents of "Wine. 



It is well known in perfumery that freshly 

 distilled waters have not the pleasant smell, 

 jiarticularly whea they are prepared from 

 newl_y culled plants, which they acquire 

 after a lapse of time. So it is with wine, 

 which requires cellaring to obt;iiu its "bou- 

 quet." Oenauthic ether, a fluid that was 

 first examined by Liebig and Pelouze, is 

 generally supposed to occasion the vinous 

 odor, but we tind on examination that it 

 does not. The odor of this t-ther is some- 

 thing like wine wliich has been exposed to 

 evaporation, and is far from being agreeable ; 

 it makes in young wines the fragrance of 

 aromatic principles, which do not appear 

 until the oenauthic either has undergone 

 decomposition. 



Brandy wliich is added to port wine, in 

 the proportion of one twelflli, may at first be 

 detected by its smell, but after lying three 

 years the smell willdis;ippear. 



The most odoriferons iugredients predom- 

 inate in wines containing free acids — tartaric 

 acid, for example. Very sweet wines, how- 

 ever, such as tliose of Turkey, Spain, and 

 Italy, are much h-ss fragrant tliau those of 

 France and the Rhiru\ Among the many 

 peculiar odoriferous principles whose exist- 

 ence has been ascertained in wine, we only 

 mention the important : Acetic ether appears 

 ill most, if not in all aromatic wines, and is 

 developed in them by time. The adulterators 

 of wine are well acpiaiated with this fact, 

 and know how to make use of it. Botli 

 butyric and ciprylic ether, very volatile 

 liciuids, with the odor of pine ajipUs, have 

 also been found in it. Caproic ether, which, 

 has the smell of melon and golden zeineth 

 and acetate of capryl, are other singularlj' 

 fragrant ingredients. '1 he pelargonic ether, 

 a fltiid found in remarkable quantities in 

 Irisli whiskey, and the capric ether, which 

 is met with in the fusil oil of potatoes, are 

 also piesent in the fermented juice of grapes. 

 Acetal appears to be principally foitnd in 

 Hungarian wines. 



Nothing, iierhaps, will prove more strik- 

 iugly the fallacy of the common text-book 

 theory, that sugar only undergoes one pro- 

 cess of fermentation, viz., that into alcohol 

 and carbonic acid, than the presence of so 

 many of the aliove ingredients. And we 

 might add that not all vegetables which 

 contain «ugar, and ferment, will yield alcohol, 

 since onions, tliough they are very saccharine, 

 will yield entirely different products when 

 fermented. 



The simple fact that a few drops of wine, 

 left in a bottle, will ctiuse the latter to retain 

 the vinous smell tor weeks, is sufficient to 

 show how very strong tlie odor of those 

 principles must be, and still they do not ap- 

 pear in greater quantities than 1-10000 by 

 weight. 



The boU(|uet of wine is much improved by 

 the ethereal oil that is found in the grape 

 blossoms, and is best imparted to the wine 

 by coljeeting and drying them carefully, and 

 putting a little paciiet filled with them in 

 the must. This method was recommended 

 by the celebrated Liunaeous, on the ground 

 that Smyrnian wines have been much im- 

 proved by it. 



Scliubert evaperated wine till only one 

 fifth of its original volume remained, and 

 then confined it in a bottle, when at the end 

 of fivi' years, he found that it had a boiujuct 

 like wine of one hundred years of age. He 

 therefore holds that the bouquet has nothing 

 to do with the alcohol ; but this view is cer- 

 tainly erroneous, since we detect many com- 

 pounds of alcohol among the odoriferous 

 oonstiluenfcs of wine, — Selected. 



Floxvers for a Grave, 

 The question is sometimes asked us, "what 

 flowers are suitable to plant around a 

 grave?" The feeling which leads to the 



decoration of the last resting place of the 

 lf>ved dead is a natural one, ami one which 

 is in accordance not only with good taste, 

 but with the teachings of religion. It has 

 found its public expression in many beauti- 

 ful cemeteries all over the laud, where the 

 art of the sculptor has combined with that of 

 the landscape gardiner to beautify the city 

 of the dead, and make its walks attractive to 

 the living. While the general arrangement 

 of rural cemeteries is usually marked by skill 

 and taste, their efl'ect is frequently marred 

 by incongruities in the individual lots, the 

 owners of which show more zeal than dis- 

 cretion in their embeli-shmeut. One of the 

 worst things to jjut about a grave is an 

 elaberate iron fence, which looks like an 

 ironmonger's advertisement. If the bouud- 

 ery must be marked, let it be done by a low 

 hedge, but we prefer to see no bouudery. — 

 In a well ordered cemetery, the planting of 

 trees should only be done under the advice of 

 the Superiiitendaiit, as these become so large 

 that they soon contribute to the general 

 eft'eet and are as likely to be out of, as in the 

 proper place. But in these general consid- 

 erations we are led away from the subject of 

 flowers. In the first place we would avoid 

 all gaudy colors, and in the second jjlace, 

 select those which need but little care. This 

 last may seem an unnecessjiry caution to the 

 recently bereaved; but we are so constituted 

 that we can not always mourn, and we have 

 seen many instances in which, for good rea- 

 sons doubtless, these floral dicorations fell 

 into a neglect which .'-liowed tliey were not 

 well chosen. A good green foliage, with 

 white flowers, is the combination most ap- 

 propriate to a funeral wreath, and is that 

 which we prefer in floral decorations for the 

 grave, though colored flowers are adniisiible, 

 provided teey be of delicate tints. Ducttki 

 graeilk, a low shrub, covered in spring with 

 deliciite white flowers, will be suitaule where 

 climate is iio more severe than around New 

 Y(n'k.Dap?me cneormn, a low evergreen with 

 pink fragrant flowers and hardy. The 

 Black Hellebore, or Christmas-rose, with 

 large white flowers, blooming in November 

 and March, though not very common, is 

 well suited to the purpose, as is the peren- 

 nial Candytuft — Iberii semjierwrens, hardy 

 and blooming freely, full of trusses of w-hite 

 flowers. Among the most appropriate 

 flowers for the cemetery are the bulbs, such 

 as do not need lifting each year. These 

 spring up and flower, complete their growth 

 and die down, and repeat this year after 

 year, fit "emblems of our own great resur- 

 rection." White and bright colored Cro- 

 cuses, and the Snowflake, are desirable, and 

 bloom iu early spring, while the Meadwo 

 Satt'orn — Colchicum aiitumnale, flowers iu 

 attumn, with lilac colored bloom. Among 

 the annuals. Sweet Alj'ssum is one of the 

 best, and it is self sowing. All these will 

 answer with only occasional attention, but 

 where constant care can be given, a great 

 variety of bedding plants and annuals may 

 be used, avoiding bright 3-ellows, scarlets, 

 and all glaring colors — A. Agriculturist. 



Horticulture in Kansas. 



At a late meeting of the Kansas State Hor- 

 ticultural Society, Dr. Staynian, of the ad- 

 iuteram committee, read an interesting paper 

 on the conditicm and progress of fruit grow- 

 ing in that State, and from which we gather 

 the following: 



" Every yt ar's experience adds a new page 

 to Pomology. What required years to ac- 

 complish, can now be done in a few months. 

 We have very much reduced the 3'ears of 

 anticipation to actual realization, and have 

 kept close peace with the railroad and tele- 

 graph. It was once an old saying that we 

 plant trees for our children, hardly hoping 

 to enjoy the frait ourselves, but that old say- 



ing has passed into oblivion with the experi- 

 enced orchardist. 



We have seen many trees planted in or- 

 chards two and three 3'ears ago, bearing one 

 and two crops of good fruit, in many isolated 

 cases the trees breaking with their weight 

 of fruit. The trees are vigorous and healthy 

 and promise the coining season a more abun- 

 dant crop. The3' were grafted on short sec- 

 tions of roots and planted in nurseries just 

 seven j'ears ago this last spring. Such va- 

 rieties as Red June, Oldenburg, Early White, 

 Sewell, Joiiathan, Wine Sap, Ben Davis, 

 and Willowtwig, with the few new and rare 

 sorts. While bj' their sides stands others 

 planted ten and even twelve years ago 

 scarcely bearing any fruit ; such varieties as. 

 Red Astrichan, Early Strawberiy, Benoui, 

 Fall Pippin, Northern Sp3', and numerous 

 other kinds. While we do not discard all 

 late bearing varieties, we should plant a 

 large proportion of the early bearing kind in 

 a new country like ours, if we wish to reap 

 the reward of our own labor as well as keep 

 up with the progress of the age. 



We found all the different locations produc- 

 ing good fruit, some varieties like Earl3' Joe, 

 Tetofsky, Oldenburg, Summer Pearmaiu, 

 Fall Strawberry, Smokehouse, Ben Davis, 

 and Wine Sap, were apparently adapted to 

 all locjitions, while other varieties like Early 

 Pennock, Keswick, Codliu, Rambo, Fail 

 AVine, Fall Pippin, Fall Harvey, Smith's 

 Sider, Ladyfi. ger, McAlffles, Nonsuch, and 

 Esopus Sintzei.burg were only adapted to 

 special locations. 



It has been supposed that an open prairie 

 country was not good for fruit-growing, but 

 repeated observation here has long since 

 satisfied our mind, which has lieen more 

 full3' confirmed this season b3' a just comt 

 parison made with good fruit growing states. 

 We should be highty encouraged if the 

 specimens sent to Philadelphia took the 

 highest prize, for our orchards are young, 

 and have received but little care and cul- 

 tivation. Very few are twelve years old, 

 the greater number from four to eight. — 

 From all we have seen, 3'oung trees do not 

 produce the largest and finest fruit. If Kan- 

 Siis, now, under these disadvantages, should 

 be declared the banner State, what will she 

 be ten years hence with her present progress. 

 Notwithsfcmding these flattering prospects, 

 we should not coi.clude that there is nothing 

 for us to do ; we should ever be on the alert 

 for every insect enemy. The borer has done 

 more damage to the apple trees than all 

 other insects and diseases combined. We 

 can siifely say that at least twenty -five per 

 cent of ail the apple trees planted are lost 

 from that cause alone, which including cost, 

 interest, care and cultivation would ecpiai 

 fifty per cent, of the amount of money paid 

 out. 



This borer which costs us so much money, 

 labor and anxiety, can be prevented from 

 doing us any damage, by simply banking up 

 the earth steep around the trees about one 

 foot high, and keeping it there. On the 10th 

 of May a rain commenced, which continued 

 for three days, and on the 19th the Pear 

 blight madeits appcjirance at a mean tem- 

 perature of 65 denrees. 



On the 13th of June the Apple blight 

 had commenced severely at a mean temper- 

 ature of 68 degrees. From the 10th of May 

 to the 8th of June, it had rained 7.37 inches. 

 The blight continued up to the .'5th of Aug- 

 gust, when it ceased. From the time it com- 

 menced until it ended, was two months and 

 seventeen days, and it had rained during 

 that time 23,06 inches, being an average of 

 about one fourth of an inch per day. From 

 nine days previous to the blight ceasing,^ 

 until the first killinu' of frost, on the 24th of 

 October, it had rained 0.37 inches, being 

 nearly three months; about a daily average 

 of one tenth of an inch. 



