494 



THEY SA V. 



losses and failure without repinings, perseverance to 

 persist in spite of misfortune, and prudence to prevent 

 him from attempting to do too much. — fVf/i. Jackson, 

 before Soiitlicrn Illinois Horticultural Society . 



A New Peach Disease. — A new peach tree enemy 

 has appeared upon the Michigan lake shore in the shape 

 of a fungus which attacks the young shoots, causing the 

 trees to drop their leaves and the shoots to become dis- 

 colored. Professor Taft thinks that the fungus is simi- 

 lar to the raspberry blight or anthracnose. His recom- 

 mendations, in the Allegan (Mich.) Gazette, are as fol- 

 lows: "In case the trees are killed to the ground, dig 

 them out at once and burn them. If the branches only 

 are dead, I would cut them back to short stubs, say from 

 two to four feet from the tree trunk. I would then 

 apply from a peck to a half bushel of unleached wood 

 ashes (or twice the quantity of leached ashes). These 

 should be applied broadcast over a space from eight to 

 fifteen feet in diameter, according to the size of the tree. 

 It will be well also to wash the trunk and stubs with a 

 solution of green vitriol, say one pound to ten gallons of 

 water. The orchard should be cultivated every two 

 weeks until the middle of August. The disease gener- 

 ally occurs on trees that have been neglected and have 

 not been cultivated. 



"It is sometimes induced by late cultivation, which 

 causes a second growth or prevents the proper ripening 

 of the wood. No injury may be apparent the next spring, 

 but, if a dry summer follows, the anthracnose may ap- 

 pear, and will so weaken the trees that they will not be 

 able to withstand even a mild winter. By examining 

 apparently healthy trees, you will find the last year's 

 growth covered with light yellow spots. Whenever 

 they are present the branch should be cut off and 

 burned. 



"This is in no way caused by insects, and it is nothing 

 like yellows, although it may prove even more destruct- 

 ive than that disease after a dry period and under a 

 slack system of cultivation." 



Mulching Vines. — In a dry season especially, I have 

 several times found it an advantage to mulch tomato, 

 squash, cucumber and melon vines, and one of the best 

 if not the best material to use for this purpose is par- 

 tially rotted bagasse from a sorghum mill. Stir the 

 soil thoroughly, killing out all the weeds, and then 

 apply. We are subject to drouth here and the ridge 

 land dries out very rapidly, and unless some protection 

 is given the crops will prove a failure. The bagasse 

 will not dry out so easily as the majority of other ma- 

 terials usually used for mulching, and if properly ap- 

 plied will be of considerable benefit. — A. 



French Mushrooms Made to Order! — A "mush- 

 room manufacturer" is the latest thing in novelties, 

 even in these days when commercial license is often 

 carried to the utmost possible length. An individual 

 living in the department of the Aveyron, struck by the 

 high price at which mushrooms were being sold in his 

 district, conceived the idea of fabricating the delicacy 



out of turnips. He cut the turnips into rounds, dried 

 them, and after giving them a dab of the paint-brush, 

 disposed of them to unsuspecting customers as the gen. 

 nine article. 



For some time he drove a thriving trade, but unluck- 

 ly for him he one day sold a batch to a gourmet who 

 was not so easily taken in. Indignant at the trick play- 

 ed on him, the gourmet brought an action, which has 

 just resulted in the condemnation of the mushroom 

 manufacturer to two months' imprisonment. It was in 

 vain that he pleaded that he had enabled his fellow- 

 citizens to regale themselves on a vegetable which they 

 regarded as a good specimen of the mushroom at a cost 

 far below that commanded by the real article. Vain, 

 too, were his efforts to demonstrate that his mushrooms 

 could be consumed without entailing disastrous conse- 

 quences on lovers of the delicacy. The court turned a 

 deaf ear to his specious arguments, and has allowed 

 him two months' leisure to meditate on the error of 

 substituting dried turnips for honest mushrooms. — 

 London Telegrapli . 



Dried Tomatoes. — Housekeepers who have many 

 tomatoes can easily preserve a large quantity of this 

 very easily-cultivated fruit by drying it. This method 

 requires little outlay, and comparatively little trouble. 

 Scald and peel the tomatoes, as for canning. Boil them 

 slowly in a porcelain kettle or stone jar until the original 

 quantity is reduced one-half. Then season them in the 

 proportion of a teaspoonful of salt, and half-a-cupful 

 of sugar to a gallon of stewed tomatoes. Spread on 

 plates and dry quickly without scorching. As the mois- 

 ture dries away, and the stewed fruit loses shape, scrape 

 it up so that both sides may dry, and let the contents of 

 several plates, heaped up lightly, stand in bright sun- 

 shine a little while before putting away. Store in bags 

 and keep dry. When wanted for use soak them in a 

 quantity of water for several hours, or over night. Stew 

 in same water long and slowly — three or four hours — 

 keeping boiling water at hand to add if it grows thick, 

 and so is in danger of burning. It should be quite thin 

 when done, and may be thickened with bread crumbs 

 and seasoned. 



A New Spinage Disease. — A new fungus has been 

 discovered upon spinage in New Jersey, by Dr. Halsted 

 and by him named Entyloina Ellisii, in compliment to 

 J. B. Ellis, the noted mycologist. " The infected leaves 

 had lost all their normal green color and were of a pale 

 yellowish white shade — in fact, presented much the 

 same appearance as succulent foliage may take on after 

 having been frost bitten some time before. Upon a 

 closer examination, however, the surface of the whiten- 

 ed leaves was found coated in spots with a fine light 

 substance that under the hand lens was seen to be in 

 minute tufts." To botanists this new plant is unusually 

 interesting because the entylomas have not qeen known 

 to attack spinage-like plants. The disease is not known 

 to be serious. 



Machine for Hilling Celery. — A Michigan man has 

 patented a machine for doing this laborious work. On 



