324 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[August, 
out supplying it. Liming is therefore a stimu¬ 
lating process, and can only be practised with 
success upon sod that is already rich in plant 
food. Freshly burned lime is the most ef¬ 
fective, as it quickly and thoroughly reduces 
organic matter to an available form. Ground 
limestone, so highly recommended, is of no 
special value, except on clay soils, or those 
destitute of lime, where it acts as a direct fer¬ 
tilizer, and not as a reducing agent. 
The Spotted Grape-Beetle, (Pelidnota 
punctata, Linn.) 
Whoever works among Grape-vines in al¬ 
most any part of the country, is quite sure 
to make the acquaintance of this insect, as it 
is found from Canada to Florida, and even in 
the West Indies ; it is abundant as far west 
as Missouri, but what are its western limits, 
we are not informed. It is the largest of all 
O 
THE SPOTTED GRAPE-BEETLE. 
the beetles that infest the vine, and is shown 
in the engraving of its real size. Its color 
has been variously described as clay-yellow, 
tile-color, and dull brownish-yellow. There 
are three black spots on each wing-cover, 
and one on each side of the thorax; the 
underside and the legs are of a deep bronzed- 
green color. The larva of this Beetle bears 
a close resemblance to the common White 
Grub, but is of a purer white color, and is 
distinguished from that by a heart-shaped 
swelling at the rear end ; this is shown sep¬ 
arately at d. The grub lives in the decayed 
roots of different trees ; while it is not ex¬ 
actly known how long it remains in this 
state, it is supposed to be for upwards of 
three years. When it has completed its 
growth, it forms a cocoon of its own excre¬ 
ment and the surrounding wood, within 
which it forms a pupa, b, and in eight or ten 
days comes forth as the Beetle. The insect 
is found on the wild grapes and on the Vir¬ 
ginia Creeper; in some seasons it is abun¬ 
dant on cultivated vines, especially in July 
and August, feeding upon the foliage. Hand¬ 
picking is the only remedy, and easily applied. 
Tomato Seeds.— These are furnished 
with an abundance of a slimy mucilage, 
which many find it difficult to remove. If 
the seeds are dried as they are taken from the 
fruit, they will adhere in a mass, and be 
difficult to separate. Remove the masses of 
pulp which contain the seeds, place them in 
a bowl and cover with water. Let them re¬ 
main where they can be examined daily ; fer¬ 
mentation will soon take place, and when the 
seeds are found to be free from the mucilage, 
wash and dry them. This will not injure the 
vitality of the seeds, if the fermentation is 
stopped as soon as they are clean. 
Marketing Fruit and Vegetables. 
Those who regularly send their products to 
the large cities are aware that, in order to 
meet with a sale, they must conform to the 
customs of the market. In some western 
cities, strawberries and other small fruits are 
received in large trays or drawers, from 
which they are measured out to the cus¬ 
tomer. If a New York dealer were to receive 
a consignment of fruit in this form, he would 
find it difficult to get rid of it, and it would 
probably end at the “dump-heap.” Those 
who send their produce to market regularly 
need no advice in this matter ; but it often 
happens that farmers or others, who are not 
regular market growers, have an excess of 
fruit or vegetables which they would like to 
dispose of. As a rule, if they are near 
enough to any considerable village or town, 
especially if a place where there are large 
factories in which many hands are employed, 
they will do better to take their produce 
there than to send it to New York or other 
large city. In disposing of fruit and vegeta¬ 
bles in this manner, a proper attention to 
appearances will pay. If a farmer has a lot 
of early apples, he is apt to shake them from 
the trees, pick them up, large and small, 
bruised and sound, and throw them all to¬ 
gether into the body of his wagon ; here, on 
the way to the place of sale, they are still 
further bruised, and are not very tempting to 
the purchaser. Even for a near market, it will 
pay to present the produce in an attractive 
manner. Instead of this rude way with 
apples, let them be picked and assorted, mak¬ 
ing two grades to take to market, and one to 
leave at home for the pigs. Instead of 
throwing them in a heap into the wagon, 
they should be placed in boxes, baskets, or 
even barrels, for transportation. It will pay 
the farmer to have a number of bushel boxes, 
like that figured in May of last year. These 
would be most, convenient for occasional 
marketing, and for many uses at home. 
If, instead of fruits, vegetables are taken 
to a near market, equal care should be ob¬ 
served in making a good appearance. Beets, 
carrots, and other roots should be washed 
and bunched, tomatoes carefully selected, 
and placed in boxes, to prevent crushing. 
Early apples sent to city markets, if of 
choice kinds and well selected, will usually 
bring good returns. They must be gathered 
before they become soft, and be carefully 
handled. Half-barrels are convenient pack¬ 
ages for these, but they may be sent in bushel 
crates, which one can make himself. 
To Make a Bushel Crate. 
Take two end pieces and one middle piece 
of planed one-inch stuff, each 9 by 15 inches; 
to these nail laths, 24 inches long, leaving 
spaces of one inch between them, if for ap¬ 
ples and other large articles, but allow less 
space if string-beans and such small stuff is 
to be packed. Leave off a few laths until 
the crate is packed. In packing apples, put 
them in carefully, shake down gently, and 
let the crate be so full that some pressure 
will be required to bring the last laths 
down to their places. 
If a piece of hoop is put around each end 
of the crates, over the laths, this will allow 
the air to pass between them, an important- 
matter if the fruit is long in transit. 
In sending produce of any kind to market, 
let both the name of the commission mer¬ 
chant and the sender be distinctly marked 
upon it, and always advise the consignee by 
mail of what is sent, and how it is forwarded. 
Hardy Perennial Plants. 
Hardy perennial plants are, as a general 
thing, so little trouble, that they are too 
often treated with entire neglect. Beyond, 
dividing the clumps when they have grown 
too large they get but little attention. 
These plants ought not to bloom in the same 
place in the border for more than three years 
in succession, whether they need division or 
not. In autumn, or in veiy early spring, 
they should be lifted and reset in another 
place. Some, especially the Paeony, should 
always be moved in early autumn; if dis¬ 
turbed in spring, the bloom for that year will 
be lost. To have perennial plants at their 
best, the soil must be enriched, a point that 
is often overlooked. While some of these 
plants produce little or no seed, others bear 
a heavy crop. Unless one wishes to save 
seeds, the flower clusters should be cut away 
as soon as the bloom is over. This is neces¬ 
sary, not only for the sake of neatness in the 
borders, but for the good of the plants. 
Seed-bearing greatly exhausts the plant, and 
the vitality expended in producing a crop of 
seeds that are to go to waste, should be de¬ 
voted to strengthening the plant for next 
season’s bloom. Those beautiful Perennial 
Phloxes, which now rank as florists’ flowers, 
are given to profuse seed-bearing, and are 
quite sure to degenerate, and produce smaller 
flowers and smaller clusters, if allowed to 
ripen an annual crop of seeds. Those who 
wish to raise Hardy Perennials from seeds, 
should recollect that the best time for sowing 
is as soon as the seeds are ripe. The young 
plants will usually become strong enough to 
endure the winter; if they do not, a slight 
covering of evergreen boughs will take them 
through safely. Such plants, if set out early 
the next spring, will usually bloom that year.- 
A Substitute Gate for a Wire Fence. 
Mr. “A. C. C.,” Dakota Co., Minn., has a 
device for opening a passage way in a wire 
fence. A lever of about 2‘/ 3 feet long and 2. 
inches at the larger end, is provided for each 
Fig. 1.—FIRST POSITION OF LEVER. 
wire. Two half-inch holes are bored in each 
lever, one two inches and the other eight 
inches from the larger end. The wood is 
sawed out on one side of the first hole, mak¬ 
ing a notch as seen in the engravings. The 
wires of the fence are cut, and a loop twisted 
to each end. Insert the loop in the notch, 
Fig. 2.—SECOND POSITION OF LEVER. 
fig. 1, and move the lever into the position- 
shown in figure 2, where it is held with a 
piece of wire The wires of a fence divided 
and arranged in this way, may be as tight 
and secure as before they were cut. 
