AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
165 
and sound woman impair the blood of either, whether 
they are brother and sister, first cousins, or fourth cousins ? 
The thing is impossible, unless one gratuitously assumes 
vices which it were just as logical to assume in the mar¬ 
ried life of any other parties. And if the marriage of near 
kindred can not impair the blood of parents, how is it 
possible for healthy parental blood to weaken the con¬ 
stitutional powers of its offspring 1 This, too, is equally 
impossible. Parents communicate deformity and imbe¬ 
cility to iheir children, not because they may happen to be 
cousins, or their grandmothers were such, but from er¬ 
rors, defects and maladies which have an entirely differ¬ 
ent origin. If it were proper to use the argumentum ad 
hominem, and were the writer addressing a legislative 
body, it would be easy to name some of the blood-corrupt¬ 
ing poisons which eat like a cancer into the constitu¬ 
tions of more than one generation. It is not necessary 
to our argument that we point out any of the pregnant 
follies, vices and crimes which civilization breeds with 
extreme fecundity, to show that the occasional mar¬ 
riage of first cousins is not one of the number. Pure 
blood is never contaminated by what it parts with; but 
by what it receives that is impure." 
Sir. Clay’s remarks on, 3 —experience ; and, 4— special 
proof, require no further remark from me, as no point 
, of argument is particularly concerned. Put, in regard 
to the “ Stud-Book ” and horses, I have somewhat to 
say, and will ask the privilege to do so in your next 
paper, as I have already tresspassed too much in the 
present number. 
---- 
For the American Agriculturist. 
Hints on Preparing “Garden Truck” and 
other Country Produce for Market - • -II. 
BY B. STEVENS-WASHINGTON MARKET, N. Y. 
Small Fruits— In sending fruits to market, it 
is highly important that they should be so packed 
and carried that they will not only look well when 
started, and keep fresh while on the way, but also 
that they should have an inviting appearance 
when offered for sale. The price obtained is 
governed quite as much by the looks and style of 
putting up, as by the quality of the article itself. 
The neatness of the containing basket, box, or 
package, is of the first moment. A pint of straw¬ 
berries, for example, will sell much higher, and 
far more readily, if in a neat, clean, tastefully 
made basket, than if in an old, crumpled, soiled 
one. Uniform size and quality is necessary. A 
few large berries among a lot of smaller, poorer 
ones, makes the latter show bad by contrast. 
Many persons think it best to “top off” a pack¬ 
age well, putting the poorer qualities at the bot¬ 
tom. This species of deception generally reacts 
upon the seller, and more is lost than gained by 
it. Few persons will buy any article without 
looking into it, and the discovery of the slightest 
inferiority below the surface has a decided depre¬ 
ciating effect upon the whole—more than is really 
deserved. A better plan is to sort out the differ¬ 
ent sizes and qualities into different baskets or 
packages. A second class quality placed by itself, 
will usually sell better than the same article 
slightly covered or mingled with a better grade. 
Many of the old growers have a specific reputa¬ 
tion in this respect, and their produce has a fixed 
value, and when the reputation is good, they en¬ 
joy a decided advantage over others in the ready 
sale they find. 
It is also very necessary that in the small fruits 
the packages should be uniform in size, and 
hold a specific quantity—as a half pint, pint, or 
quart, so that the retailer may know precisely 
how much he is selling. In strawberries, par¬ 
ticularly, the baskets should hold not less than a 
pint, though the usual size is about half a pint. 
Strawberries should be picked dry, and free 
from sand, in baskets holding a full pint; and for 
very superior fruit, white bowls, holding a pint, 
are used. The bowls should be in chests or 
crates, on shelves—the shelves having holes to 
icceive the bottom of the bowl. The chest 
should have plenty of holes bored in it, so as to 
admit plenty of air. The baskets are usually 
packed in barrels bored full of holes, and having 
rope handles at the sides, to carry by, and cover¬ 
ed with muslin ; or slatted crates are used, with 
a close cover to keep the dirt from falling on top 
of them. It is best to let the berries stand in 
the shade a short time aftter picking, to cool off 
the sun heat; as when packed warm they are 
apt to heat, mold and sour. It is also well, 
when practicable, to cover each basket with a 
walnut or chesnut leaf, as they will sell more 
readily, and at an advanced price, for shipping or 
sending out of the city. The early berries from 
the South usually come in square quart boxes, 
packed in chests, having plenty of air. Be sure 
to mark each package plainly, also the number of 
boxes or baskets inside. 
Raspberries of the common sorts are generally 
picked in small baskets, such as are used for 
strawberries ; but the better kinds are picked in a 
fancy basket, holding one-half pint, also in pint 
bowls, and packed in chests giving plenty of air. 
Be careful to keep cool and dry ; reject all soft 
and bruised berries, and don’t be afraid of filling 
the baskets, as they settle in getting to market. 
Blackberries should be picked after the dew is 
off and they are perfectly dry. Be sure to not 
put in any bruised or soft berries. Pick them 
directly in quart boxes in the field, so as to handle 
them as little as possible. Set them in the shade 
to cool the sun heat off, then pack in crates hold¬ 
ing eighteen or twenty-four Doxes, as that is as 
many as can be handled easy. Fasten the lid 
down tight to keep the dust from the top layer. 
Be sure to fill the boxes full, so that they will 
not shake down any, and let them have plenty 
of air at the sides of the crates. They are also 
packed in quart baskets having a cover to them, 
like the old-fashioned dinner-basket of the school 
children. This is the very best package for 
blackberries, as, after years of experience, they 
are still found to keep the fruit better than any 
other plan ; probably from the free ventilation, as 
fruit of all kinds requires plenty of air to absorb 
the moisture and keep it cool; but the baskets 
being unhandy to pack, the quart boxes are gene¬ 
rally used, and if made with holes in them, so as 
to ventilate well, they will keep the fruit equally 
well. The packages should be handled with care, 
as the fruit bruises or rubs the points off, which 
sets it bleeding, and it then soon sours. Black¬ 
berries are also sent to market in bulk, in boxes 
holding from a peck to a bushel, but it is a bad 
practice. The loss of price, when sent in this 
way, would soon pay for small packages. 
Whortleberries are sent to market in boxes hold¬ 
ing about a half bushel. These are made long 
and shallow, so as not to bruise the fruit more 
than possible. The boxes are not covered, so 
that they have plenty of air. They will hardly 
pay the expense of using quart boxes, but baskets 
holding two or four quarts can be used to good 
advantage. Keep dry and cool, and handle care¬ 
fully, being sure to throw out all bruised berries. 
Grapes should be gathered with care, trimming 
out all the -green or decayed berries, and when 
perfectly dry and cool, packed in tight boxes about 
the size of starch boxes. Put them in layers, 
with a sheet of paper between each layer. Keep 
out all broken bunches, and pack them by them¬ 
selves as seconds. Fill the boxes full, so that 
the cover will press on them, to keep them from 
moving about in handling. Be sure that the top 
layer is a fair sample of the whole box. Let the 
weight of the fruit, and also of the box, be mark¬ 
ed on the boxes. 
Gooseberries are picked green, and sent to mar¬ 
ket in barrels and baskets. All that is neces¬ 
sary is to pick them clean and throw out all 
unsound berries. 
Currants are picked ripe, Care should be taken 
to handle gently, so as not to mash the fruit. 
Keep the bunches whole, and see that they are 
perfectly dry and free from leaves. Put them in 
shallow baskets or boxes. They are sold by weight. 
Apples and Pears should be picked carefully by 
hand, and after thoroughly sweating, put careful¬ 
ly in clean barrels. Fill them so that the head 
will press hard on the fruit, that they may not 
shake in the least in handling. Sort them out so 
as to put up none but sound, fair fruit, for market. 
If the head flattens the upper layer so much the 
better, as the rest will come out the fairer. Let 
the barrels be tight if the fruit is perfectly ripe. 
Do not put any straw or hay in the barrels, and 
let the top layers be a sample of the whole barrel. 
-a»-4- un a-^ gi I -»-«*■-■ 
Provide the Hay-Caps. 
This valuable improvement still fails to receive 
that attention which it deserves. We have al¬ 
ready written so much upon the subject that we 
need offer little more now. W r e will say, how¬ 
ever, that we are more than ever convinced of 
the great advantages resulting from their use. 
They may be cheaply and quickly made of coarse 
cotton, l£ to 2 yards square, roughly hemmed, 
and provided with loops at each corner for stakes, 
or stones sewed into the corners, as weights to 
keep them from blowing off. A quantity of these 
always at hand to throw over cocks of uncured 
or cured hay, when a storm comes up, will not 
unfrequently save more than their cost on a sin¬ 
gle occasion, while they may be used for many 
years—not only to cover hay, but grain left in the 
field. A full description of them, with illustra¬ 
tions, was given last July (see vol. 17, p. 207). 
We have usually advised farmers to make them 
at home, but many will not take even the slight 
trouble required for this, and we would call the 
attention of such to the advertisements in our last, 
and also in the present number. As they are made 
on a large scale, and sold reasonably, and as some 
manufacturers prepare the cloth so as to be wa¬ 
ter-proof, and still open enough to allow moisture 
to evaporate through them, we think it may be 
quite as economical to purchase those ready man¬ 
ufactured, as to make them at home—that is, 
where they are on sale at a convenient point. 
But, however procured, let us again urge all hay 
makers, who have not done so, to make the ex¬ 
periment of using a few hay-caps this year. They 
will not be abandoned after one trial. 
Hot too Late to Plant Corn. 
The prospect of better prices for farm produce 
should lead every one to get in all the crops pos¬ 
sible the present year. It is by no means too late 
to plant corn during the first week in June. Some 
good farmers purposely delay their principal corn 
planting until the last of May or the first of June. 
Their experience has taught them that, as a gen¬ 
eral rule, corn planted June 1st is as forward by 
the end of July, as that planted May 10th. They 
say, that when planted late, the ground is warm 
and quickly germinates the seed, and starts it at 
once into vigorous growth, and that it will soon 
overtake and go ahead of the early planted. They 
also argue that one hoeing is saved by the late 
working of the soil previous to planting, as a 
large number of weeds which have started, are 
then killed. This year it is safe to act upon this 
theory, where there is a spare plot that may be 
used. The quick growing varieties, like the 
King Philip, are most desirable for late planting, 
and for filling up vacant spots in that already 
above the ground. Of course, it will not do to 
I mix in the different varieties where pure seed is 
! to be gathered. 
