Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1886-06-04
BRIEFLETS.

my account OF Il me specimen Oh inc
grapevine growing in the open air ut
Monticello, near Santa Barbara, and
which is known rs "Dona Marcelnas
grapevine This grapevine, which
is the pride and marvel OF the neighbor-
hood. traces its origin to slip brought
BY Dona Marceina from q young vine
yard ut San Antonio mission for a horse
whip, and. though it was nearly wither-
ed from the effect OF the long journey,
she determined TO make the trial to
plant it. Notwithstanding further de-
lay. the slip took root, budded, and
ever since prospcred, proving itself the
main support, for the large Dominique
family, (thcir being seven sons and rs
many daughters, and through them up
wards Of hundred descendants sur
wing the old lady at her death; she
left II son Jose. IS years old, who has
grand chidrcn). Between 1850 and
1860 the vine had been trained over an
area of so f3ct in circumference. the
stem measur NJ then twelve inches III
diamctcr. and attaining height of iif-
te n feet from the ground. Some years
it has borne over six thousand lunches
upward Of eight thousand poands ofripe
grapes"
a private firm traning-school has re-
Gently zone into operation in England.
Ii II IN The center of q large mixed
farm of one thousand acres three miles
from Tamsworth railway station, on
The London and Northwestern Midland
main lines The aims OF the new I'M
aertaking, rs described in a prospectus.
arc chiefly these: To provide, at
moderate cost, such opportunities as
will enable the students 10 be well pre-
pared to encounter the difficulties of
home or colonial farming. The pupils
arc to receive good general educa-
zion, and education in the sciences con-
nected with agriculture, and the meth
DDS to be practically applied in the
daily farm work. During the school
sessions all are to receive lessons daily
in farm practice. and join in lis rou-
line, according to age and ability. The
nature of the soils, rotation OF crops,
seeds. manures. and distinctions of
breed in cattle. sheep, and swine. will
form part of the curriculum, rs well As
blowing. drilling, fencing, draining,
and the use of farming implements,
machinery, and tools. The education
given is intended to fit the students to
become farmers, graziers, stewards
land agents, or sheep farmers.
DIR. Cyrus Edison writes to The Anler-
icdn Grocer: In an examination of cop
oer-colored pickles made in 1884 under
my direction BY Prof. Waller, of Column
Din college, some interesting facts were
recorded. In number of samples an
alyzed the maximum amount of copper
found was 2.5l5 grains per pound, and
.hc minimum 0.7S6 grains. At that
Cme the board of health, acting on the
evidence l furnished it, forbade the
manufacture of these goods in this city.
subsequently one firm persisting in the
use of copper for coloring had its goods
condemned and seized. A peculiar
TACT brought out by the analyses was
that the pickles contained more copper
than the liquor in which they were i'm
mersed, and individual pickles in the
same lots contained different amounts
of the poison. This showed that the
structure of the pickle had special
affinity for copper. and that the method
of coloring (immersing copper plate
IN the vat containing the pickles. causes
those pickles nearest the copper to re-
ceivc larger dose than those situated
little distance off. OF course this
would also be true in the case of any
other vegetable.
At recent meeting OF the Elmira.
N. Y, Farmers club a member stated
that the best crop of potatoes he ever
lad was on land which he cultivated
and plowed eight times. Thorough
and deep pulverization is especially
valuable as preparation for planting
potatoes. He found that a single sub
soiling with light two-horse subsoil
pillow, in addition to the ordinary plow-
ing, increased the crop of tubers from
25 to 80 per cent If the season hap
pened to be dry, it prevented the effects
Of drought; Il it was wet it received and
neld the surplus water till wanted.
An old farmer, in past Years, was asked
the secret OF his uniformly luXuriant
crops: He replied: Il tell my men to
harrow the ground till it is narrowed
twice rs much as it ought to be, and
then tell them it is not narrowed half
enough" Everything else was, of
eourse, performed in the same thorough
manner.
A method Of keeping potatoes is thus
described in French paper. A large
vessel Of water is placed over the fire,
and its contents raised to the boiling