230 



THE POMOLOGIST AJSTD GARDENER. 



1871 



and exclude cold air, etc. The formation, manage- 

 ment, etc. of the hot bed must be deferred to an- 

 other article, closing this by noticing cold frames. 



Cold frames are made the same as hot bed frames, 

 with this difference : the back side is not as high, 

 giving less slope to the sash; the back is only about 

 six inches higher than the front; these are used 

 where bottom heat is not essential, for sowing seed 

 of lettuce, cabbage, cauliflower, etc., and also for 

 preseri ing such plants during the winter. They are 

 also useful in forwarding many other plants in 

 spring. 



4 — *—* 



Grapes and tlielr ITses. 

 Bt D. B. Wier, Lacon, III, 



Ed. Pomologist and Gardener : — I have of 

 ten been surprised that so few people know of no 

 other use for grapes than to eat them from hand 

 or to make them into wine. Why, they are good to 

 cook / Yes, strange as it may appear, they are 

 most excellent stewed for sauce, make a very rich 

 tart or pie, the nicest of jellies, no fruit better can- 

 ned. Can be dried with less trouble than most any 

 other fruit. But the seeds, the great rough 

 seeds, what do you do with then\ ? We rough coun- 

 try folks care nothing for the seeds, we eat " 'em." 

 But if yon do not wish to eat them, all you have to 

 do is to procure a brass wire seive (they are on sale 

 made expres.sly for the purpose,) with' the meshes 

 between the wires just coarse enough so that the 

 seed will not pass through, squeeze the pulp and 

 seeds from the skins, throw the skins into one ves- 

 el, and then rub the pulp through the seive into 

 another; but when well cooked, if stirred a little, 

 the seeds will mostly settle to the bottom, and be 

 out of the way. The Concord is much better for 

 cooking when half ripe, or when red, not black. 

 Ives' seedling is the best for cooking purposes we 

 have yet tried. To dry them, cut the canes with 

 the fruit and all the leaves on them, and hang 

 them in the sunshine. They will dry in a few 

 days, and can then be packed away for winter use, 

 when they will be found better when properly 

 cooked than most any other dried fruit. 



And the best thing about the whole grape busi- 

 ness is, that the coarser, easiest grown and most un- 

 palatable of our grapes are the best for cooking pur- 

 poses. And I have no doubt but that there are now 

 and will be produced a line of grapes too pulpy and 

 austere to be eaten raw at all, that will be very fine 

 for cooking, like some pears. I have now a large, 

 beautiful and productive white grape that will keep 

 fresh and sound through the winter, and though en- 

 tirely unfit to eat, I have no doubt but that it will 

 prove "splendid" when stewed. The finer grapes, 

 like the Delaware, &c., are not near so nice or so 

 good for this purpose as the coarser sorts. The 

 Clinton is "awful nice if freed from skin and seeds 



and eaten with sugar as a sauce for dessert, "you 

 bet." So let us utilize the easiest of all fruits grown 

 in all ways. 



Pleasures of Gardeniug. 



A writer in the Gardener's Mngazine remarks: 

 " The pleasures arising from the culture of flowers 

 are harmless and pure ; a streak, a tint, a shade, be- 

 comes a triumph, which, though obtained by 

 chance, is secured alone by morning care, by eve- 

 ning caution, and the vigilance of days. It is an 

 employment which in its various grades excludes 

 neither the opulent nor the indigent; teems with 

 boundless variety, and affords an unceasing incite- 

 ment to'emulation, without contention or ill will. 

 There is no pursuit alike calculated for peer or 

 peasant, in'which the distinctions are so trivial ; for 

 the cottager may possess and enjoy the same beau- 

 teous rose or fragrant mignonette iu his plot or 

 window, that occupies a place in the garden of the 

 richest. The clear light of heaven, the sweet, fresh 

 air, the verdure of the field, a delicacy of form and 

 richness of color with which bounteous nature sup- 

 plies us on every side, in the .almost inexhaustible 

 variety of her horticultural and floral treasures, are 

 all sources of the most unalloyed pleasures; and it 

 is a wise dispen.'sation of the Giver of all good, that 

 this gratification of the senses of sight and smell 

 whilst beholding the eleg.ant shape of plants and 

 inhaling the exquisite perfume of their flowers, is 

 an enjoyment within the reach of all who choose 

 to seek it. There arc few surer tests of a happy 

 home within, than the flower - decorated window 

 and neat - kept garden ; and there is no occupation 

 for the leisure hour more calculated to keep it so, 

 or to soothe the mind. It yields pleasure without 

 surfeit ; the more we advance, the more eager we 

 become. And how unlike this is to most of our 



worldly engagements." 



« ♦ » 



Honr to Destroy Insects In General. 



I have used the following mixture for some years 

 cce ss in the destruction of such pests as mil- 

 dew, scale, mealy-bug, red-spider, and thrip ; in fact 

 it is my only remedy in the case of trees, shrubs, 

 and stove and green-house plants, but much care is 

 required in its use as regards strength, and thorough 

 syringing afterwards : 2 oz. Flower of Sulphur 

 worked into a paste with a little water, 2 oz. Wash- 

 ing Soda, \4, oz. common shag tobacco, and a piece 

 of quicklime about the size of a duck's egg; put 

 them all into a .saucepan with one gallon of Water' 

 boil, and stir for a quarter of an hour, and let the 

 whole settle udlil it becomes cold and clear. It 

 should then be poured off, leaving the sediment. It 

 will keep good for a long time. In using it add 

 water, according to the strength or substance of the 

 foliage. 



