FRUIT NOTES. 



121 



Sand for Insects. — A California man has invented 

 a machine for throwing sand blasts, either hot or cold, 

 against orange trees to destroy the scale. 



The dwarf Juneberry has come to stay. "Success" 

 is probably the best variety. If the fruits are dried 

 they make delicious pies and sauce. 



Pruning of Grapes and Small Fruits should be 

 done before the busy days of spring come. Study 

 methods thoroughly, then adopt the best one suited to 

 your conditions. 



Probably the Best Blackberries for general pur- 

 poses in the colder parts of the north are Snyder for 

 early, Ancient Briton for mid-season, and Stone's Hardy 

 for late. 



We are rapidly coming to a time when we shall 

 have no greater fear of the codlin moth and the curculio 

 than we have of the potato-bug. We will spray our 

 trees as regularly as we prune them. 



Laws for the Protection of Vineyards. — A decree 

 has lately been issued in Switzerland, making the treat- 

 ment of vines for mildew obligatory. The enforcement 

 of the law is in the hands of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture, from which source also instructions proceed. Upon 

 the failure of the grower to comply with this law, the 

 authorities are to conduct a spraying at the grower's ex- 

 pense ; the failure furthermore subjects the grower to a 

 fine of from $2 to $18. — F. D. Chester. 



Mulching Strawberries with Coal-ashes. Three 

 years ago, says Professor Goff, at Dr. Sturtevant's sug- 

 gestion, a bed of Sharpless strawberries was planted out 

 and heavily mulched with coal ashes. The object was 

 to see if this material would not act beneficially in 

 keeping down weeds. It has done this in a marked de- 

 gree, but this is not all. The yield from the plants has 

 been more abundant than from another bed of the same 

 variety that has received excellent culture of the ordi- 

 nary kind. The plants have been almost entirely free 

 from blight, though the Sharpless blights badly here 

 when grown in the ordinary way. I should have stated 

 that the bed has received no culture since the mulching 

 except to remove the weeds that were strong enough to 

 grow through the three inches of coal ashes. 



The Crandall Currant. — (Am. Garden, Sept., page 

 309.) Frank Ford & Sons, introducers of the Crandall 

 Currant, send fine photographs of the variety in full 

 bearing, together with notes, from which we make ex- 

 tracts. The photographs are made from plants three 

 and four years old, and the amount of fruit which the 

 canes held is remarkably large. "In handling such a 

 bush, and taking it a mile to the photographer's, of course 

 some of the fruit fell off, yet it holds pretty well to the 

 stem when dead ripe even." "A great many single ber- 

 ries taken in these photographs were five-eighths inch in 

 diameter and a few nearly six-eighths inch, and very few 

 were less than three-eighths inch." "With us the ber- 

 ries hang on the bushes longer than most small fruits 

 after they are ripe, so that, for making jelly this season, 

 we picked them nearly clean." 



Grape vines should be pruned before spring opens. 



Varieties of Plums for Massachusetts are dis- 

 cussed as follows by J. F. C. Hyde: 



There are many good varieties of this fruit, but for 

 market we should advise the planting of very few sorts. 

 We have found tKat a large blue plum sells better than 

 a green or even a red one. The public will not buy a 

 delicious Green Gage so quickly as they will the large, 

 showy Bradshaw. 



For market purposes, we should name the Bradshaw, 

 which is a large early purple variety, of fair quality, 

 that always sells well, because it is large and handsome, 

 and also because it may be put into our market before the 

 same is supplied from New York and elsewhere. The 

 tree is a thrifty, upright grower and is comparatively 

 free from the black knot. 



Smith's Orleans is of good size and showy, covered 

 with a deep purple bloom, and sells well, though only of 

 fair quality. 



The Lombard is a well-known fill-basket variety of 

 medium size and fair quality. It is reddish purple in 

 color, and the tree is an enormous bearer. This variety 

 needs to be thinned to secure fruit of good size. 



We are inclined to stop here for market sorts, but if a 

 yellow plum were to be added, it would be Prince's Im- 

 perial Gage. 



' For home use we should make a diftereflt selection — 

 Green Gage, Washington, Jefferson, Yellow Gage, Reine 

 Claude de Bavay, Lawrence's Favorite, McLaughlin and 

 possibly a few others. 



Black-rot and Mildew of grapes can be kept in 

 check by the Bordeaux mixture. Get the materials 

 ready during the winter, buy a spraying pump, and be 

 ready to make an application as soon as the buds swell, 

 A good formula for Bordeaux mixture is as follows : 

 Slake 4 pounds of quick-lime in a little water, and when 

 nearly cool stir it into 22 gallons of water in which 6 

 pounds of copper sulphate has been dissolved. 



An Apple Story.— The Middletown ( N. Y. ) Press 

 launches forth the following item for the benefit of stu- 

 dious horticulturists: "An apple tree on the premises 

 owned by John Bransfield has attracted considerable 

 attention during the past few days. The fact that it has 

 come in for more than its ordinary share of attention is 

 from the fact that there is a single blossom on the tree. 

 On one side is the blossom as fresh as the first breath of 

 spring and on the other ripe fruit. A further peculiarity 

 of this tree is the fact that since it was large enough to 

 bear fruit it has blossomed regularly three times a year." 



Nomenclature in England. — It is interesting to note 

 that our brother horticulturists of England are taking up 

 the question of suit able names for varieties. Just now 

 the discussion is almost wholly confined to conifers, but 

 it is to be hoped that it will broaden out and accomplish 

 the reform so much needed. The total disregard for suit- 

 able names has been the direct cause of the introduction 

 of many old varieties of vegetables, fruit and flowers in 

 to this country under new and fanciful names. 



