garden. 
24 
BEASOSABLE HINTS. 
Spring Protection.—'Shete is a gi'eat deal 
said about winter protection of Strawberry 
and other plants, while the importance of 
spring protection is but rarely considered. 
During the severest part of winter, when 
snow covers the land and the soil remains 
frozen solid for some months in succession, 
there is little danger for the plants. The 
critical period comes toward the end of 
February and in March, when the increasing 
warmth of the suu^s rays thaws the ground 
in day-time to freeze again during the night 
following. 
Strawberry Beds should therefore be ex¬ 
amined carefully as soon as free from snow. 
Wherever the mulching material has been 
carried away by winds, it should be replaced 
at once. Plants not covered previously will 
be materially benefited by mulching at this 
season, especially on heavy and wet soils. 
A few hours’ time spent for this purimse may 
make all the difference between a plentiful 
crop and no berries at all. 
Scraping of Fruit Trees is often carried to 
excess. A healthy, vigorous tree does not 
I’equire to be scraped at all; it needs all its 
natural bark for protection against the cold, 
drying winds of winter, and agaiust the 
parching sun of summer, as much so as birds 
need their feathers and wild beasts then- fur. 
The superfluous scaly part of the bark of a 
healthy tree is continually thrown off by its 
own expansion. Yet when trees become feeble 
and sickly, and their trunks and branches over¬ 
grown with moss and lichens, a general scrap¬ 
ing and washing may become serviceable, 
not only for the destruction of these para¬ 
sites, but also to expose and destroy the 
hiding places of the legions of injurious 
insects which make their winter homes and 
deposit their eggs under this dead and 
decaying matter. 
Mow to Scrape a Tree.—As trees are gen¬ 
erally scraped, more harm than good results 
from the operation. Great care .should always 
be taken not to disturb or injure the lower 
and living part of the bark. There is an 
instrument, a “tree-scraper,” made for this 
purpose, but a common mason’s trowel or a 
short-handled hoe answers the purpose fullv 
as well. •' 
Washes for Fruit 21-ce.s.-Ordinary white¬ 
wash, as frequently used, has very little 
effect except to disfigure the trees. To 
destroy the insects and eggs hidden in the 
crevices of the trees very much stronger 
applications have to bo used. Soft-soan 
reduced to the consistence of a thick painf 
with the addition of a strong solution of 
washing soda, makes one of the most effect¬ 
ive and most lasting washes. A solution of 
one pound of commercial potash, in from 
two^to four gallons of water, is also very 
Petroleum Emulsions as insecticides esne 
cially for the destruction of scale insecfr 
Ant t prominence 
After a long series of experiments with a 
great many substances, milk was found not 
only the most available but also one of ti? 
very best substances for the product/ 
petroleum emulsions. Production of 
A GBAPE BLECnON, 
To select a limited Zjts, is not 
varieties of Grapes or anyo ^ ^ 
so easy a matter as ^ pecul- 
fixst glance. f sidtable 
iarities which may mah® ^Mchfact 
for certain locaUties 
explains thediversityofopimons,evenamong 
those most competent to judge. 
The discussion on *^^'8 subje , 
recent session of the New Jersey State Hm 
ticultm-al Society at Camden, was 
usual interest. Of special value may be 
considered the result of a Grape election 
taken in answer to the following question . 
“Which are the six best and most desir¬ 
able varieties of Grapes for home use and 
general cultiu-e —two black, two red, two 
white—quality,hardiness,andgeneral health¬ 
iness considered ? ” 
The result of the vote was as follows: 
Black—Concord, Worden. 
Bed— Brigh ton, .Jefferson. 
White — Pocl'Hngton, Duchess. 
Although there were about two hundred 
persons present at the meeting, only twenty- 
three voted; but as among these were nearly 
all the most prominent and most experienced 
fruit-growers of the State, this list may well 
be considered the most judicious and reliable 
selection that could be obtained from any 
source. 
The highest number of votes, regardless 
of the color of the fruit, was given to the 
Brighton, which received 20 of the twenty- 
three votes cast; Concord received 16 ; Wor¬ 
den, 14; Pocklington, 13; Duchess, 12; 
Moore’s Early, 11; Jefferson, 7; Delaware, 
6; Lady Washington, 5 ; Lady, 4; Martha, 3 ; 
Prentiss and Wilder, each, 2 ; Champion and 
Herbert, each, 1. 
GEAPE PETJNING, 
Grape-vines that have not already been 
pniued should now receive attention, and 
how to do it is a question on which there are 
a great variety of opinions. Occasionally wo 
find a person who opposes pruning alto¬ 
gether, as being contrary to nature, and who 
is satisfied with results obtained from this 
let-alone system; but the gi-eat majority of 
professional and amateiu* grape growers 
believe in pruning, and pruning close too, 
and find a profit and satisfaction in do¬ 
ing so. 
The novice who is not versed in this mat¬ 
ter should remember that this year’s fruit is 
borne on canes of this year’s gi-owth, but the 
buds producing them are to bo found on the 
young wood of last year. It is very seldom 
that a bud starting from old wood will pro¬ 
duce fruit the same season ; such gi^owth, 
therefore is only of use for renewing old 
wood and laying the foundation tor a crop 
of fruit the next season. It should also bo 
borne in mind that the toiidoncy of the sap 
IS to the extremity, and that tiio strongest 
"»•» 1 .. 
you will find the end buds l.„ 
strongest, and generally the biuls 
old wood started foebly/md fair 
are now dead because S’ 
them to the buds bevonri '^'oshed past 
pruning you confine your fruit nearer to th 
trunk of the vines. After your vines ha? 
once reached the limits desired, it is easy/ 
keep them there. ® 
Some judgment is also needed to prevent 
too thick a mass of shoots at any one poim 
which is apt to occur on old vines where a 
cluster of young shoots have been allowed 
to grow. With such vines, spur pruning to 
two buds is generally practiced, and not 
more than two spurs should be allowed at 
one point. These will make four shoots and 
set two or three bunches each, and a little 
study and thought will enable the operator 
to judge how the vine will look after growth. 
Care should also be taken not to overload 
the vines by imposing too great a burden on 
them. Probably there is no more prolific 
source of failure and dissatisfaction in Grape 
gi-owing than this overcropping, or one more 
generallyprevalent, even among professional 
Grape growers. An overtaxed vino fails to 
ripen its fruit, and becomes an easy prey to 
the attacks of mildew and rot. It is not an 
easy task to judge wth accuracy just the 
amount of fruit a vine will produce and ripen 
without injmy. It is far better to give a vine 
too little than too , much to do, which rule 
will apply to other things as well. 
Where shade is of paramount importance 
to fruit, longer pruning may be justified, but 
it is possible to seem-e both results by short 
pruning, and where extra fine clusters are 
desired, summer pruning and even thinning 
of the clusters is necessary. Summer prun¬ 
ing should also include the rubbing off of 
any superfluous buds that may start out on 
the body of the vines. Bear in mind also that 
the largest and strongest shoots ai’e not the 
best for fruit. A glance at the buds on a 
slower-grown but well ripened cane will show 
roimd, full, weU developed buds, that are 
better for fruiting than the smaller and 
pointed ones to be found on extra large 
canes. E. Williams. 
OEYSTALLIZED FEBIT. 
New industries are constantly springing 
up in California as if by magic. Among the 
latest is that of Crystallized Fruits. These 
fruits, for w’hich there is a largo sale in our 
priucipal cities, were heretofore all imported 
from Franco, and the honor of establishing 
the first factory for their production belongs 
to Messrs Bernard & Benedict of Los Angeles. 
The process practiced by the firm is, accord¬ 
ing to a correspondent of the Los Angeles 
Merald, as follows: 
“The fruit, whether White Pigs, Black 
Pigs, Oranges, Pears, Peaches, or other 
fruits, those being the principal ones used, 
is first relieved of its skin and sliced, after 
which it is placed in trays to dry a little. 
Next, they are dipped in water in which 
sugar is dissolved, then placed on trays of 
wile gauze, and put in the place where they 
are dried and become crystallized. It takes 
two or throe days to complete the process, 
as the fruits arc subjected to a slow heat in 
Older to make them as nearly perfect as pos- 
81 lo. The drying apparatus is heated by 
coal-oil stoves in zinc partitions underneath, 
ly which the heat is thoroughly regulated. 
tpiosont 1000 pounds of marmalade and 
crystallized fruit are shipped daily to various 
points, but the establishment is capable of 
producing 6000 pounds daily.” 
