The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-10-04
The FARM And The GARDEN.
THINGS WORTH READING BY EVERYBODY.
Old Knotty Apples Make Champagne ut %
o Bottle-Turn Them to front-now
Blood Will Tell-Msnure from Heaven.

IldL pest eldG u - h1O
the Irish potato almost an impossiDilty In
many localities, and became q curse to every
gardener IS we'll as the larger producer. But
such is the news now going around, and there
can be but little doubt that the Colorado
beetle is on tho decline. Colonel Thomas
whitehead. commissioner OF agriculture.
adds his testimony 70 this belief. and at
tribute. it TO the general use OF arsenical in
secticides and the work of a parasite ON the
order Of tho isdy-b which eats the eggs Il
the Colorado beetle. The parasite Is de-
scribed as being a small red, but a little less
round in shape than the ~lady-bug and with
black spots on his body. He IS very active in
searching the vines aud plants that tho
potato bug inhnbits. and destroys the eggs
while very small
Mr.. J. T.. Babcock. one OF the largest and
most successful truck growers IN Princes Anne
county. has also watched the work OF this
parasite. but he looks on the idea OF tho ex-
;inction of the potato beetle not so san
guinely "a others. He says that he has
noticed that while tho beetle when 1t first
made its appearance in this section laid its
eggs on the plant on which II lives. that for
the last few seasons they were laid on chips
and weeds and ihourished almost everywhere
they were deposited. He is therefore in
clined II believe that while the parasite is a
strong factor in its reduction that il will not
prove q means of determination md that the
/ potato bug will long remain n pest needing
watching. Il. T.. j. IN the Country Gentleman
SAYS:
Il think | can confirm a statement | have
seen in moro than ono agricultural and other
journals that the Colorado beetles reign is
declining. On my vines they did not appear
until about the lst OF June, md then In not
the usual numbers after a mild and dry winter
and spring. They were treated to a dose Of
ILL., e. ~ AIA
lime, and subsequently twice afterwards du-
ring my absence. Returning. / found scarcely
a bug, and to-day, though the vines have
been scorchcd md shrunk. the green leaves
left on them show a bug only here and there.
For the last ten years IL hes been impossible
TO fight potato bugs successfully after the lst
OF August, especially in q dry time. and |
think We may safely conclude that the reign
of the Colorado beetle is nearly over. and
look for hi. disappearance in two or three
years moro.
An npropos OF the yield Of potatoes. I
find n very decided increase both IN size and
number of that portion of the patch that was
planted with large two or three-eyed middle
pieces. the seed and stem ends having been
thrown aside and rejected"
EvApoRATING APPLES FOR PROFIT.
All fruit growers. and especially Of the
apple. know that much OF their fruit is unfit
for market. either being wormy, specked.
scabby, knotty or small. Now oil this fruit,
says a Missouri man, can be utilized by the
evaporation and placed upon the market at
remuneratiye prices. IL Is not necessary to
have a large establishment to accomplish this
result. There are drIers with their capaci-
ties ranging from one TO two bushels of green
apples per day up to thousands. The work
can be done Just as well and as cheaply on q
ten-bushel machine as in any of the large
factories. and my experience has been that
they are the least expensive. Often it will
pay TO eyapOrate the whole crop. | have
often realized more for oulls than for the
shipping fruit. One hand can run a ten
bushel drier, with twenty-five cents worth of
fuel, and make fifty pounds of white fruit per
day. which, at ter cents per pound, about tho
average price, would net four dollars and
seventy cents. making nearly fifty cents q
bushel. including the days work. and at this
years. prices would be over seventy cents.
and * the waste is dried. almost n dollar.
Again, one important point thus gained Is
in culling out your shipping fruit, making it
grade fancy, and thereby obtain the highest
market price for It. Market only the best.
evaporate the rest. Thus you would avoid
breaking down the market for the green
fruit. This is always done by inferior stock
being run on the market. and never buy good
choice fruit. We can, at nearly all times, see
apples quoted on the market at seventy-fve
cents to il.25 per barrel. These represent
loss to the buyer. All OF this kind should
never 60 on the market, but in the evapora-
tor. The world is your market for eyaporated
fruit; you have nearly four barrels OF apples
in a hity-pound box that can be shipped
safely 10 ALASKA, China or India. and you need
Ue IN no hurry 10 market 1t. Next spring is
as good as this fail, and often better prices
are obtained.
When properly packed, and with proper
storage. it can be kept for years as fresh and
sweet as when first prepared, except a little
loss IN color, but even this may be overcome
by cold storage. If prices are as low as they
were two years ago. when 1t was worth only
from four TO SIX cents a pound. and the waste
aud chop less than one cent, il can safely be
kept over until there is a shortage like the
present. when fifteen cents can be obtained
tor the white fruit and four 10 five cents for
chop and waste. The chop is apples sliced
Just rs they are. without any pairing or coring,
and dried. III this the small and kuotty apples
that cannot be pared are used. The work is
done quite rapidly with a machine made for
the purpose, forty or fifty bushels can be
sliced in an hour by two hands. One b1shel
of apples will make ten pounds Of chop.
which is now worth four cents a pound.
The waste is tho skins. cores and trimmings
from white fruit. which needs no other |
preparation only TO put it in tho evaporator.
dry II and pack it in sacks CT barrels ready |
for shipment. 1t is used for making j%ellies. |
and usually brings about one-hsif cent moro
than the chop. Most of the chop il.
NhfA@ ~tII0A W lOD nHd lu6I1
manufactured into fine wines and sant back
10 this country and sold at from one TO five
dollars a bottle. The price is. therefore.
greatly.influenced and governed by the grape
crop in the old country. Many thousands of
tons are manufactured each year. Every |
thing being used. nothing wasted.
LEVEL FLOWING.
The plan of %leyeling or blowing by guide |
rows run by o spirit level is not only q means
OF holding the fertility we have in the soil.
bat IS actually a means of increasing the fer
tility. And. If practiced in connection with
deep blowing, enables the farmer to gather
manure from heaven.
The rainwate Of our cline is highly fertl- |
lied with ammonia, and If held by deep plov- |
ing and level culture, very rapidly adds 70 the
fertility of the soil.
Our water is said TO contnin 3 per cent Of
ammonia. Tbs means about three tons Of.
ammonia per acre Tor every inch of rainfall. |
How important, then, 10 store away and keen
from wasting this element of fertility. Bv
preventing washing, holding what we have /
and adding thereto by holding the rain. vo
can enrich the poor soil and make richer the
rich soil.
ROW CAVALRY ARE sHOD. |
The following instructions 10 smitbsswho
shoe cavalry horses have been issued from
the Department of War. In preparing the
horses foot for the shoe do not touch with
the knife the frog. sole or bars. In removing
the surplus growth of that part Of the foot
xnIH,a Il. H. 4