drive away insects, and as a fertilizer. It 
is not an uncommon thing to see ten or 
twelve car loads of soot leaving a town or 
city for the farmers in the country. Were 
the uses of soot more generally known we 
should have fewer complaints about insects, 
—Prairie Farmer. 
Preserving* Grapes for Winter. 
S AUTUMN approaches, we receive a 
number of inquries as to the method 
of preserving grapes for winter use. It ife 
not generally understood that tlure is as 
much difference in grapes, with respect lo 
their keeping, as there is with other fruits. 
No one would expect to keep Early Harvest 
apples or Bartlett pears for the holidays, 
and it is so with the most generally culti¬ 
vated grape, the Concord; it can not be 
made to keep in good condition long after 
it is fairly ripe. With other varieties it is 
different. There are some localities where 
that grand old grape, the Catawba, can still 
be cultivated with success, and, where this 
is the case, one need hardly to look for a 
better variety, The Isabella still succeeds 
in some places, and is a fair keeper. Better 
than either, if not the best of all grapes, the 
Iona gives good crops in some places, as 
does the Diana. Where either of these, the 
Isabella, Catawba, Iona, or Diana, can be 
grown, there is no difficulty in keeping 
them until the first of the New Year, or 
later. The grapes are allowed to ripen ful¬ 
ly; they are picked, and placed in shallow 
trays, in which they remain in an airy room 
to “cure.” The operation of curing consists 
merely in a sort of wilting, by which the 
skin becomes toughened, and will not break 
when the fruit is packed. The clusters, 
when properly “cured,” are packed in box¬ 
es, usually of three or five pounds each. 
The bottom of the box is opened, the larger 
clusters laid in carefully, and smaller 
bunches packed in upon them in such a 
manner that it will require a moderate 
pressure to bring the cover (or, properly, 
the bottom), of the box to its place, where 
it is nailed down. The pressure used is 
such that when the top of the box is open¬ 
ed, the grapes next to it are found to be 
somewhat flattened. The fruit must be 
pressed in such a manner that it cannot 
shake in travel, and this can only he done 
with grapes the skins of which have been 
toughened by being properly cured. If 
clusters were placed in the box as they 
come from the vines, and subjected to the 
needed pressure, the skin would crack a- 
round the stems, liberating tHe juice, and 
the whole would soon pass into decay. To¬ 
wards Christmas and New Year s. many 
tons of the varieties we have named come 
to the New York market in excellent con¬ 
dition. New varieties of grapes, of great 
excellence, have recently been introduced, 
but we have yet to learn as to their keep¬ 
ing qualities. With the Concord and relat¬ 
ed varieties, the skin is too tender to allow 
of long keeping, and it does not seem to 
toughen in the curing process. Still, with 
these, the season for home use may be con- 
siderybly prolonged. The late Mr. Knox 
found that he could keep the Concord for 
some time by placing the thoroughly ripen¬ 
ed clusters in baskets or boxes, with he 
leaves of the vine below and between them. 
We do not know how long this will keep 
these grapes, but we saw some in excellent 
condition several weeks after the harvest 
was over. Those who set grape-vines should 
be aware that no one variety will meet 
every requirement, and that the earner the 
variety, the less likely it will be to keep. 
—American A griculturist. 
—J. H. Hale says “The secret of success 
in growing large strawberries is water— 
water, and then more water.” He has 
found it in a small way to double the size 
of the fruit in 86 hours, and he would rath¬ 
er have ten acres of strawberries which 
eould be irrigated at moderate cost than 
the best 100-acre farm in the state. 
—The editor of the Germantown Telegragh 
regards the Beurre Gifford Pear as the 
most desirable variety among early pears, 
and he thinks it ought to be found upon 
every farm and in every garden. It is a 
rampant grower, an early and constant 
bearer and of excellent quality. 
