Sometimes our labors seem as lost 



And all our j'earnntgs seem in vain. 



And blessings that we pn^e the most 



Are blown in winds or dropped in rain 



Michigan's Big Berry Crop. — Probably the largest 

 shipment of berries that ever left Benton Harbor on a 

 single night was put aboard the steamboats June 22, for 

 Chicago and Milwaukee. It is estimated that there were 

 in round numbers 1 1, 000 crates of fruit, 10,000 of which 

 were strawberries and the rest cherries. About 2,000 

 crates were shipped to Milwaukee, and the balance to 

 Chicago. The streets were blockaded with teams for sev- 

 eral hours, there being as many as three to four hundred 

 berry-wagons in sight at one time. Nearly 10,000 crates 

 were shipped from St. Joseph, including the receipts by 

 train and river boat, making an aggregate shipment of 

 over 20,000 crates for the night. 



The receipt of Michigan strawberries on South Water 

 street, Chicago, June 23, was 38,000 crates, or 19,000 

 bushels. The total shipments from Benton Harbor, in 

 two weeks, exceeded 100, oco crates, or about 60,000 bush- 

 els.— {Miih.) Gazette. 



New Method of Grape Pruning. — M. Dezeimeris, a 

 French grower, is announced by the inspector-general 

 of agriculture in France as having discovered a new 

 method in pruning the grape, which is described as fol- 

 lows : The cut is made at the node above the point where 

 it is intended the end of the wood shall eventually re- 

 main, at the same time destroying the bud found there. 

 The stump thus left is removed the following year, when 

 its death is complete, and when at its base a collar has 

 been formed which soon closes after the dead wood has 

 been removed to its level. The theory is, that under 

 this method the wood dies slowly, and without decom- 

 position of the tissues. Stocks treated according to the 

 new method for three years, when sawed lengthwise, 

 appear to confirm the truth of the theory; and some old 

 stocks, treated in the new way, had found an unhoped 

 for vigor, which clearly manifests itself by the difference 

 in size of the remaining stumps. The shoots of the year, 

 very long, have a diameter double that of last year, 

 which, themselves, are much larger than those of the 

 year proceeding. There is an abundant production of 

 fruit, while on neighboring vines, pruned by the old 

 method, the production is very small. 



The Burbank and Satsuma Plums. — I procured 

 plants in the spring of 1889, one of each of which has 

 lived, and both are bearing this year. The Burbank is 

 in a shady place while the Satsuma is fairly well situated. 

 The latter grew over 30 feet the first season, and is now 



carrying over 300 plums of uniform size as large as the 

 Wild Goose, and has withstood the curculio very well. 

 Over two dozen plums started on a bud of one year's 

 growth. Marianna, Robinson and Wild Goose are also 

 full of fruit. The trees have not been jarred, but have 

 been covered three times with Paris green. The Satsuma 

 foliage is liable to be burned with the poison — D., Conn., 

 in Rural iVe-w- Yorker, July 10. 



Grape Marmalade, Grape Jelly — Ambrosia from 

 the Vineyards. — A valuable suggestion to grape growers. 

 — One of the many pleasant memories of a summer upon 

 Chautauqua Lake, New York is the recollection of the fra- 

 grance of the vineyards. When the grapes are fast ripe- 

 ning, a ride past a vineyard gives ' ' odors from Araby. " I 

 longed to try to carry those odors away — and succeeded. 

 About the first week in September, the C. L. R. R. conduct- 

 or brought me 100 lbs. of Concords fresh from the vine- 

 yards near Brocton. The kind host at ' ' Green's " gave me 

 permission to use his kitchen as my own. The result was 

 100 glasses of ' ' Brocton Marmalade. " I wish you could 

 have smelled it and then tasted it ! The odor was that 

 of the sun-kissed grapes which grow best where the winds 

 from Lake Erie play with their leaves ; and until the last 

 glass was sadly emptied it was a regular part of the menu 

 to pass the marmalade around the table for all to inhale 

 its inviting fragrance. Why cannot farmers' wives there 

 keep the market supplied with the same delicious jelly ? 

 I append the exact directions for making as I made mine 

 — but a person in her own home could make far more 

 than I did. Out of 100 pounds father, mother, five sons 

 and a daughter had eaten liberally, as only hearty people 

 can, before the cooking began. Brocton Marmalade. 

 Gather the grapes when fully ripe and leave them out 

 on a porch over night to chill them — but not when cold 

 enough to freeze. Next morning pick quickly from their 

 stems, handle as lightly as possible. Wash by merely 

 dipping into water. Put a porcelain kettle full upon the 

 fire and crush a few to release the juice, When so 

 thoroughly boiled that the skins are very small and seeds 

 boil up to the top, take from the fire. Pour through a 

 colander fine enough to retain the skins and seeds. To do 

 this well will require some pressure with a silver or wood- 

 en spoon. Measure the juice carefully ; add to each pint 

 one pound (two cups) of the best granulated sugar and 

 boil for twenty minutes, then put into tumblers as fast 

 as possible. Lay a piece of writing paper on top of the 

 jelly as soon as it hardens and then paste a larger circle 



