FIRST FRUITS. 



175 



upon him the necessity of making a change in the pro- 

 posed plan. 



The officers elected are : President, F. W. Taylor, 

 Omaha ; ist vice-president, W. R. Harris, Tecumseh ; 

 2d vice-president, W. F. Jenkins, Arcadia ; secretary, 

 R, N. Day, Tekamah ; treasurer, Peter Youngers, Jr., 

 Geneva. C. A. DeFrance, Ass' t Sec'y. 



Ohio Horticultural Society Meeting at Zanes- 

 viLLE. Bagging Cherries. — Professor Lazenby said 

 that an experiment was conducted at the Ohio State 

 University during the past season to determine the 

 effect upon the fruit of bagging cherries. The clus- 

 ters of cherries soon after they were set were bagged 

 in a manner similar to that of bagging grapes, and 

 left covered until the uncovered cherries ripened and 

 were ready to be gathered. On gathering them the 

 bagged cherries were found to be larger, of a brighter 

 color, juicier and more tender than those left uncov- 

 ered. The latter were firmer in texture and would 

 bear shipping better than the bagged fruit. Bagging 

 produced fruit finer in appearance, and perhaps of bet- 

 ter quality, and secured it against the ravages of the 

 birds; but is the difference sufficient tor the cost of the 

 bags and putting them on ? 



Ground Moles. — Theodore Longenecker gave an ac- 

 count of his experiments undertaken to determine what 

 is the food of the ground moles. It is the opinion of 

 many that this insectivorous animal feeds upon bulbs 

 the roots of plants, sprouting corn and other seeds and 

 other vegetable substances. These experiments seemed 

 to prove conclusively that they will not eat vegetable 

 substances. Quite a number of moles were caught and 

 placed in cages containing earth in which they could bur- 

 row. Soaked corn, bulbs, 

 seeds, roots and various other 

 vegetable substances were put 

 into the cages. But in 110 

 instance did they devour 

 any vegetable matter, even 

 when left without other food 

 until they starved to death, 

 as they would within thirty- 

 six hours when left without 

 insect food. After twenty- 

 four hours they would some- 

 times partake of food ; but 

 would die within a few hours 

 afterwards. They seemed 

 most fond of the white grub 

 and angle worm. After being 

 in the hands a few times the 

 moles become quite tame and 

 will eat the grubs and worms 

 while being held. They feed 

 several times a day and will 

 eat twice their weight of Fig. i. — Strawberry 

 grubs in three days. Plant Trimmer. 



Cross and Self-f eriilization of tlie Cherry. — The details of 

 an experiment madeat the Ohio State University to de- 

 termine the extent to which cherries are cross-fertilized 

 weregivenby Professor Lazenby. Six branches, contain- 

 ing from one hundred to one hundred and fifty perfect 

 blossoms were selected and covered with 

 cloths to protect them from insects and 

 the action of the wind — all imperfect 

 flowers being removed. Six similar 

 branches were selected in the same way 

 and marked, but left freely exposed to air 

 and insects. But 3.6 per cent, of the 

 blossoms from which insects were ex- 

 cluded had fruit set, while an average of 

 21.7 per cent, of the exposed blossoms 

 were fruit. In other words, of every six 

 cherries produced we are dependent upon 

 the agency of insects and the wind for five 

 of them. 



Fig. 2. — Mod- 

 ified Handle 



FOR No. I. 



Peacli-Cherry Hybrids. — The pollination 

 of the cherry blossom with peach pollen 

 was successfully performed at the State 

 University, and several fruits reached maturity. Pollen 

 of the plum was also applied to the cherry blossom and 

 fruit obtained. The pits have been saved and will be 

 grown if possible, and much interest attaches to the pos- 

 sible result. 



Strawberry Plan! Trii)nuer — Figs, i and 2. — E. W. 

 Reid described an implement for trimming straw- 

 berry plants in hills, which is much used in eastern 

 Ohio. It consists of a piece of heavy sheet-iron about 

 twenty-eight to thirty inches long and six inches wide, 

 the ends riveted to form a cylinder about nine inches 

 in diameter and six inches long (Fig. i). Attached to 

 one end of the cylinder and on opposite sides' are two 

 pieces of strip-iron which extends about six inches be- 

 yond the end of the cylinder and join on the line of the 

 axis to a handle of wrought-iron with a wooden cross- 

 piece at the top, to be grasped in using the implement. 

 The distance from the lower edge of the cylinder to the 

 top of the handle should be about three feet four inches 

 so that the workman will not have to stoop in using it. 

 Instead of a cross-bar the handle shown in Fig. 2 may 

 be used. With this it is easier to direct the blows and 

 the use of the implement is less tiresome because the 

 position of the hands can be changed. The projecting 

 handle should be about the same distance above the 

 cutting cylinder as the cross-bars in Fig. i, and the per- 

 pendicular projection should reach twelve or fifteen 

 inches higher. The edge of the implement should be 

 kept very sharp to prevent pulling and disturbing the 

 plants when using it. By walking between two rows, 

 and setting the implement down over two hills on one 

 side and then two on the other, the runners can be 

 trimmed off very rapidly and the plants be kept in neat 

 round hills. The implement appeared to be a valuable 

 thing for facilitating the work of the strawberry grower. 



W. S. Devol. 



