184 
October, 1890. 
/ ORCHARD /rnd \ GARDEN \ 
956 Concord vines, sixteen years old. trained 
to stakes seven feet high. The first treat- 
ment was made onApril 29, when the 
leaves were just beginning to unfold. May 
12 the second treatment was made, and 
the others, six in number, followed at 
intervals ot ten days. The total cost of 
making the whole number of applica- 
tions was from 1 1-3 to a little more than 
3 cents per vine, depending upon the mix- 
ture. This cost is about one-third larger 
than it would be in treating a large vine- 
yard with a single mixture. 
The Bordeaux mixture saved 99.2 per 
cent of the fruit. The ammoniacal solution 
saved 97.5 per cent, The carbonate of 
copper in suspension saved 93.6 per cent. 
The Bordeaux mixture and ammoniacal 
solution saved 92.2 per cent. All of the 
fruit from the check plots was diseased. 
None of the untreated vines yielded any 
healthy fruit. 
If any of our readers used any of the pre- 
parations named above for preventing the 
rot of grapes or the fungus diseases of other 
plants, we would be very glad to learn the 
result. 
Notes on October Work. 
There is little to be done in the vineyard 
this month except where wine is made. For 
this purpose the grapes should be gathered 
in dry weather, and all imperfect berries 
picked off ; then run through a crusher 
made for that purpose, and pressed out. 
Wine of good aud uniform quality cannot 
be made without a saccharometer or must 
scale : for the fresh juice after pressed out 
must weigh at least 80 degrees on the scale, 
and if not of that weight sugar must be 
added to make up the deficiency. A pound 
of sugar is equal to forty degrees, so that if 
the must is deficient 10 degrees, for instance, 
there must be one-fourth of a pound of 
sugar added. But in all cases of this kind 
the grapes are found to contain an excess of 
acid which must be diluted with water to 
bring it up to the standard of good wine. 
Experience has proved that for every defic- 
iency of 10 degrees the must requires an 
addition of one-tlnrd water, and to this 
water must be added two pounds of pulver- 
ized sugar. For example, if the must 
weighs 70 degrees on the scale, add one- 
fourth of a pound of sugar for every gallon; 
then one-third the amount of water, with 
two jiounds of sugar to each gallon. Mix 
the whole together and put in good, clean, 
sound barrels, with sand bags placed over 
the bung holes, until it has done fermenting, 
when it should be bunged up tight. A 
gimlet hole should be made in the bung, and 
a spile put in to give vent occasionally, as 
oftentimes fermentation has not quite 
ceased, or may begin again. The barrels 
should be put in a clean cellar and not dis- 
turbed until time for racking off. 
Young vines too tender to winter safely 
in the open ground should be taken up, 
assorted, tied into small bunches, and heeled 
in. Young hardy vines that are to winter 
out will be benefited by throwing a light 
furrow of earth against them for protection. 
Vines can be transplanted as soon as a hard 
killing frost kills the leaves. — J. Stayman. 
Pruning Vines in Autumn. 
Just as soon as the growth has ceased, 
and the leaves begin to fall, this work may 
be profitably done. Some growers will start 
into the vineyard with strong pruning 
shears, cutting and slashing where needed, 
and have others follow to cut the loose 
wood from the vines, and carry the canes 
out. This is well enough if the wood is not 
v anted for cuttings ; and even in the latter 
case and there is only one variety, the 
wood can be carried into the cellar, or under 
shelter somewhere, to trim into cuttings on 
rainy days, or in the long winter evenings. 
But where there are only a few vines of each 
variety, and the wood is to be saved. I 
prefer to go ahead, and first cut all the 
vines loose, clipping off the tendrils, all 
unripe wood, and such as is too small to 
make suitable cuttings, I then trim as may 
be desirable, dressing the wood into cuttings 
at once, and putting the cuttings of each 
variety at the base of its vine. After all 
are trimmed, the cuttings are tied in bundles 
with willow ties, and labeled with painted 
labels secured by copper wire. These bundles 
may be easily carried in a basket until a load 
is gathered, when they sre taken to a high 
piece of ground and buried so that there is 
about three inches of soil over the tops ; 
when winter approaches throw some litter 
over the place. This is much better than any 
cellar or pit. Some invert the cuttings, but 
I find it makes but little difference, as they 
will all grow, except, perhaps, some of (he 
hard wooded varieties, such as Delaware 
and Norton, and even these will succeed 
much better when buried in the fall. 
Not having paid much attention to my 
vineyard for some time past, and having 
recently been confined to the house with 
sickness for a few weeks, I found on going 
out that the leaf-roller has taken the field 
in full force. The injured leaves will all 
be stripped off and consigned to the flames 
on the brush heap, which may lessen the 
numbers of the invading army next year. 
An agreeable surprise was given to me not 
long ago by the receipt of a box containing 
about a dozen new seedling grapes, all 
strange, and every one well worth growing, 
some among them, I think, equal to the 
best in the country. John Burr, the origi- 
nator of the Jewell and a host of other 
superior sorts, sent me a basket of superb 
grapes also, and I also have received one 
from an old friend in the West, a cross 
between Concord and Clinton that strikes 
me as a coming wine grape. 
My crop of grapes nearly all rotted, as I 
neither sacked nor sprayed them, but next 
season, if spared so long, the sacks will go 
on by T the thousand. — S. Miller. 
U. S. Mail. 
[All our readers are Invited to write to the editor of 
this department. In regard to any matter In which 
they are Interested. Extracts from letters will be 
printed each month.! 
Mrs C. R. N., Pennsylvania, writes : 
“I don’t believe anybody can make flrst-class Jelly 
out of nothing but cores and parings, even of quinces ; 
but I can tell ‘Martha’ and all the others how to 
make the nicest quince butter they ever tasted. Also 
how many know that baked quinces are delicious ? 
These are my recipes. 
QUINCE BUTTER. 
“Boil the peel in just enough water to cover, strain 
through a thick cloth. Add enough water to this Juice, 
to cook the quinces, which should be cut in quarters. 
When soft, mash smooth, weigh, and add three-quarters 
of a pound of sugar to a pound of fruit. Use the juice 
of three oranges for every three pounds, and boil fifteen 1 
minutes. Pour into jars while hot.” 
BAKED QUINCES. 
“Rub each quince thoroughly, take out the core, and 
fill with sugar. Add a little water, and cook until 
tender. Serve with whipped cream.’’ 
The following directions for making soft 
gingerbread have been sent for the benefit 
of “Housekeeper” : 
“Rub together one cup of sugar and one-half cup of 
butter. Add one cup molasses, one egg, one cup milk, 
two teaspoons ginger, one-half teaspoon cloves, one 
tablespoon cinnamon. Stir in flour till rather stiff, 
then add one-half teaspoon soda dissolved in hot water 
This makes two loaves.” 
Mrs. Munson, New Jersey, writes a pleas- 
ant letter, in which she gives the following 
directions for 
BAKED SWEET POTATOES. 
“Peel and cut In large dice, lay in a baking dish, 
sprinkle with salt, pepper, and bits of butter. Cover 
with milk and grated bread crumbs, and bake three- 
quarters of an hour.” 
October. 
Owing to the scarcity of fruit this season, 
October finds very few housekeepers with 
their usual supply of jellies, spiced and 
canned fruits or preserves. Fortunately 
there is a large supply of cranberries, so 
there need be no trouble about jelly and 
sauee for the dinner table ; while late pears 
and quinces abound in some localities, and 
will furnish the most delicious of preserves 
and marmalade. 
Indeed the la> k of native fruit is not 
nearly so serious a matter now as formerly, 
for imported fruits are cheaper and more 
abundant every year. In a small city in 
northern New York, pineapples sold at fif- 
teen cents apiece during the holiday season 
last year, while a dish of sliced oranges 
with sugar cost no more than the same 
amount of canned fruit. Since uncooked 
fruits are served on so many tables once or 
twice a day, there is not the same necessity 
for preserves that there was in our grand- 
mothers’ time. Many other things may be 
served more acceptably than the cake and 
preserves which were once considered in- 
dispensable ; and no doubt wide-a-wake 
housekeepers, in place of the sweets, will 
provide their families with a greater variety 
than usual of appetizing dishes this winter. 
