THE V SA Y. 



owns a walnut orchard a few miles above his store at 

 old Los Nietos, which he told us yields him a net profit 

 of $15,000 every year. As the orchard contains 100 

 acres, this is at the rate, year in and year out, of I150 

 from each acre. J. H. Burke has a 40-acre orchard near 

 Rivera, which, although not in full bearing, last year 

 gave him a return of within $40 of $6,000. These fig- 

 ures show that the English walnut is a good tree to plant. 

 —Los Augc-Zc-s Herald. 



About Bananas (See American Garden for June, 

 page 332). — In some parts of Cuba the fig or date ban- 

 ana is grown, so called locally on account of its small 

 size. It is there regarded as the finest of varieties, as it 

 possesses a rich aromatic flavor not contained in the 

 dead sweet sorts known to commerce. It is seldom ex- 

 ported because of its dwarfed appearance, and few peo- 

 ple aside from West Indians comprehend its superiority. 

 A popular tea dish is prepared by simmering it in cheap 

 but pure tart wine. Some use claret. A small lump of 

 butter is placed in the liquid when hottest, and the fruit 

 nearly cooked. Other bananas can also be used in this 

 way. A Cuban lady mentions the method for cooking 

 bananas by roasting. This should be done in hot wood 

 ashes. They are considered a delicacy for persons whose 

 digestion repels the raw fruit. Ordinarily they can be 

 served with rich, sharp cheese. 



Native Plums. — The Wild Goose is yet perhaps the 

 most profitable of our native plums. Marianna is in no 

 respect superior, and in my opinion, not as valuable ; 

 but it may be a valuable stock for better varieties, as it 

 can be grown readily from cuttings. Deep Creek comes 

 soon after the above, is not as large, but far superior in 

 quality ; in fact, it is about the best. De Soto is nearly 

 as large as Wild Goose, and much better in quality. It 

 is an excellent variety. Louisa is one of the best, taking 

 all things into account ; large as Wild Goose, three weeks 

 later, dark red and of extra fine quality. Golden Beauty 

 is the latest of all plums, except the Damsons. It is about 

 two-thirds the size of Wild Goose, immensely produc- 

 tive, round inform, and is beautiful, sweet and pleasant, 

 but not high flavored. It should be picked from the tree 

 before fully ripe. These are all I have fruited, except 

 except one, the Bassett, a sweet little free-stone of no 

 practical value. 



As to profit I can not say much, as we have never sold 

 many. When peaches fail they may be profitable, if 

 people will eat and use the Wild Goose, which is per- 

 haps the most profitable of all our natives. They rot 

 under the trees by the bushel with us, as the price they 

 bring will not warrant us boxing and shipping. The 

 Lombard is my choice for profit. 



I have the Caddo Chief, Shipper's Pride, Early Red 

 from Texas, and Robinson, growing, but not yet fruited. 

 I secured a crop of plums on all my bearing trees the 

 past season by smoking the trees frequently with coal- 

 tar and mouldy hay ; the latter seems as good for the 

 purpose as the first, and is easily used. 



I am trying all the new natives as fast as they can be 



obtained. I graft on large native plum trees, and soon 

 have them fruiting. — Samuel Miller, Missouri. 



Marketing Fruits. — The following points in the mar- 

 keting of fruits, by E. Hallister, before the Southern 

 Illinois (Alton) Horticultural Society, are worth careful 

 attention : " If you have produced fruit of the best qual- 

 ity and have picked, assorted and packed with skill, you 

 may reasonably expect to get reward commensurate. It 

 will be well for the shipper to occasionally follow his 

 fruit, note its condition on arrival, see what and how 

 others are sending. Such an object lesson will prove 

 well worth the time and expense. Another point he will 

 make by such a trip, is to see the market and style of cus- 

 tomers at the different places. Some will take one grade 

 or class of fruit, another a different, perhaps better 

 grade ; such personal knowledge will be of great benefit 

 and is essential to success in this business. By knowing 

 the character of your market, you can discriminate as 

 to quality, not daring to send to one what would readily 

 move in the other. We always have two grades to ship, 

 and one we reject, which may, in part at least, find use 

 in the family. 



" In order to know how the packing of fruit has been 

 done, I adopted the plan of marking each package with 

 a number or initial, keeping a record and notifying con- 

 signee. The fruit grower has at times some fancy ber- 

 ries, peaches, etc.; these have found highest prices in 

 the large cities, such as Chicago or Kansas City. My 

 best prices on such was one dollar per basket for peaches 

 in the latter place, and early in the season as good prices 

 there on asparagus as at Chicago. For your shipments 

 select good commission men in a few markets ; keep in 

 constant communication with them ; use the wire freely ; 

 send them the best and in the best shape, and they will 

 want your fruit. " 



Fruit Shipping. — The scheme adopted by the Chi- 

 cago Sc West Michigan railway for running its fruit train 

 provides that shippers are to load into the cars, and the 

 station agent is to act as receiving agent, checking off 

 the fruit and giving receipts to those who desire them. 

 Fruit is to be delivered at the expense of the shipper. 

 This is very nearly the " granger" system of the Illinois 

 Central, and there can be no question that it, or some 

 modified form of the same, will prove highly satisfactory 

 and successful. — Allegan [Miiii.) Gazette. 



Grapes and Wild Cucumbers. — A very common 

 complaint last season was the premature decay or 

 falling off of the leaves of the Niagara and other white 

 grapes. Whether this was due to continuous wet weather 

 or to the work of insects, I am not prepared to say ; but 

 as a preventive or means of saving the crop, I have ac- 

 cidently, I think, discovered what may be the means of 

 saving the crop another year. It is well known that 

 when the grape vine loses all its leaves the fruit does 

 not come to perfection, but becomes insipid. 



A sicyos or wild cucumber vine found its way up 

 among the leaves of a Niagara grape vine growing in my 

 yard, and, whetder by its shade or the attraction of in- 



