90 THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



expect poor results. Cane juice in its crude state contains a variety of 

 impurities, such as fragments of cane, particles of earth and like matter 

 that can be removed by filtration. As cane juice in its raw state contains 

 a certain per cent, of acid which needs to be removed, this can be done by 

 the use of lime. As cane that is gro wn on manured land contains a larger 

 per cent, of acid, it can best be tested by litmus paper. A strip of blue 

 litmus paper being dipped into cane juice will be changed from blue to red. 

 Lime should be added until no tint of red appears. If too much lime has 

 been added^ by dipping a strip of the red litmus paper into the juice it will 

 be changed from red to blue. More juice should be added until no tint of 

 blue appears on the red litmus paper. No juice should be allowed to stand 

 more than six hours ; better to boil immediately after being ground out. 



FIG CULTUEE AT THE NOETH. 



BY G. F. NEEDHAM, WASHINGTON, D. C. 



The secret of growing figs in the Middle and Northern States lies 

 in the fact that the wood must be ripened before it is laid down in 

 autumn or it will rot. As with all decMuous trees, the leaves fall 

 when the wood is matured. But if the frosts destroy the leaves the 

 wood cannot mature. This difficulty is not confined to the north. A 

 note before me, recently received from a fig grower in the State of 

 Georgia, says : " All our fig trees were killed in the latter part of 

 November, by a sudden cold snap which caught them in sap." Cer- 

 tainly it could not be worse at the north I 



An old fig producer has said, " Only a little care is necessary to 

 grow this fruit, but they must have that little." And no fruit of any 

 kind can be grown without care and pains. Yet it pays. My pamphlet 

 shows how easily figs may be grown. The fig will endure a cold of 

 40 degrees Fahrenheit, and one can make sure whether the thermometer 

 will go below that figure before the next morning. Should the indi- 

 cations be that it will, the fig bushes must be covered with whatever 

 may be at hand, brush, paper or cloth caps, boards, a barrel, etc., to 

 shield them from the present cold. After one or two frosts we have 

 mild weather, in which the wood wUl ripen, when they may go inta 

 winter quarters, as per instructions. 



Eeader, you can grow figs in abundance, and those just as delicious 

 as the imported, for you can have them fresh. 



