CbRRENT GARDEN LORE. 



703 



coil of block tin, which is surrounded by hot water or 

 steam, kept at a temperature of between 140 to 160 

 degrees F. From here the cider flows through the re- 

 maining portion of the coil, which is surrounded by 

 cold water and is so arranged that all the heat is taken 

 from the cider before it is conducted into the barrels in 

 which it is to be stored. After a barrel has been filled, 

 it is necessary to exercise the greatest caution in ex- 

 cluding the air. The bung is driven tight and a coat 

 of thick varnish is applied to the entire barrel. The 

 cider will then by slow fermentation gather flavor and 

 carbolic acid gas and will soon be ripe enough for use. 

 Cider made in this way is simply the plain juice of 

 the apple without the introduction of drugs, animal 

 gelatines, or albuminous compounds of any kind, and 

 it has all of the brilliancy, bouquet and flavor which 

 are so much desired. — California Finit Cyoivi'r. 



Improved Lawn Cleaner. — The illustration repre- 

 sents a machine designed to effectually clear grass, 

 leaves, etc., from lawns and similar places, and which 

 will take up the grass cut by a lawn-mower, leaving the 

 lawn perfectly clear. It has been lately patented by 

 Charles Bailey, Winnepeg, Canada. The frame of the 

 machine is preferably made of bar iron, and in its side 

 bars, near the rear, is journaled a shaft on which the 

 drive wheels are keyed. On this shaft, near one of the 

 wheels, is loosely mounted a groove pulley, having a 

 toothed periphery contiguous to the drive-wheel. This 

 toothed periphery is engaged by pawls pivoted upon the 

 drive-wheel when the machine is moved forward, thus 

 revolving the pulley, but when the machine is drawn 

 backward the pawls slip over the teeth. Near the cen- 

 ter of the frame is journaled a rake-head, with teeth 

 projecting at right angles from its sides, as shown in the 

 small view, one end of the rake-head having rigidly 

 attached thereto a small pulley connected by a belt 

 with the pulley on the drive-wheel shaft. As the refuse 

 is thrown upward by the rake when the machine 

 advances, it is received in a box-like receptacle provided 



Grass-gathering Device. 



with a detachable cover, this receptacle neatly fitting 

 within the frame of the machine, and having a trans- 

 verse bottom opening, within which the rake revolves. 



When the box has been filled with grass, leaves, etc., it 

 may be lifted from the frame, the cover removed, its 

 contents emptied, and the receptacle again replaced 

 without trouble. — Scienlijic Anientaii. 



Fruit Nippers. — The fingers and thumbs are often 

 wounded in ,.ris— r'S:;;^^ 

 picking black- /'tJ^TiS /'Ts, , ^\ 



berries and ^-^^-'^ ~~"^(S^^>n. 

 r a s p b e r ries, as^^^^^fcs^^^^''^"^ 

 preventing ^^^^ 

 rapid work. It ^TrfU—i K i 



is often un- ^-ki^^-.^.x^g^^'-'-' ''"^'^^'"Bfe, 



handy, too, to 



pull off pears Fruit Nifper. 



or apples with- 

 out bruising the fruit or pulling too much of the stems. 

 Most of the work of " nipping " off fruit is done with 

 the thumb nail pressed against the forefinger. Many 

 florists and small-fruit men permit the thumb nail to 

 grow very long for this purpose. The latest device for 

 providing a stout and sharp substitute for the thumb 

 nail here illustrated is only a short, thick pair of shears 

 made to fit between the thumb and forefinger. This 

 effort to save the thumb is a commendable one. The 

 thumb is of more importance than any finger. — A'lira/ 

 Ne-iv- YorJ;e>\ 



Vinegar Making. — One of the best ways of working 

 up apples that cannot be marketed to good advan- 

 tage, is by making into cider vinegar. Use sound apples, 

 and have the fruit, the machinery and the vessels clean. 

 Rotten apples will not make cider vinegar, and should 

 not be used. Wash the mill and the barrels out clean 

 before commencing the work. When the apples are 

 ground up, some water may be poured over the pomace 

 before pressing out ; then press as thoroughly as possi- 

 ble. Do not fill the barrel more than three-quarters 

 full at first. This will save work. Tack a piece of 

 fine netting over the bung-hole after laying the barrel 

 down on its side, putting old rails or sticks underneath 

 as a support to keep the barrels off the ground. It will 

 commence working in a very short time. Let stand in 

 the sun until this quits, and then draw off carefully 

 into other barrels, filling full, and let stand until cool 

 weather. But do not allow it to remain out too late, for 

 it should not be allowed to freeze. By carefully follow- 

 ing these directions, good cider vinegar can be made a* 

 a small cost per gallon, and much fruit that would either 

 be fed the stock or allowed to go to waste, be converted 

 into a marketable product. — IVesteni StOikiuan. 



Amateur Gardening. — This can be made a nuisance 

 and an injury to the working gardener when it is 

 brought into direct competition with him. It is so 

 when the rich man pays a rate of wages or establishes a 

 system of hours of labor that cannot be copied by those 

 who cultivate the soil for profit rather than pleasure, or 

 when he disposes of his superfluous products in the 

 market at less than the ruling price, thus forcing prices 

 down below the cost of production under careful 



