The record-union., 1899-06-15

merry, and there Is now room for about
600 operatives to work. The former
warehouses have been turned into
cutting g-rooms Hereafter the fruit will
be stored on a 40xgO platform to be
erected Immediately on the south side
of the cannery. This PLATFORM will be
inclosed by a high board fence and
Temporary roof A narrow she'd will
soon be built on the west side The
Office has been moved into the build
ing on the south, leaving more space
in the main cutting room, where 1T was
formerly located. The carpenters have
fitted up the new Office very convent
emily.
An additional tapping machine and
cooking vat have BEEN ordered and Wall
be added to the plant.
| There will be three cutting-rooms,
giving the cannery the largest capacity
yet known. ~
THINNING FRUIT.
Les Angeles Times: During the past
few years the increased production, and
consequently increased difficulty OF
marketing fruit, at good prices, has led
growers to take more interest in the
important subject of thinning the
fruit, before it reaches maturity, so as
to gather large fruit, for which there
is always a market, even when poor
quality cannot be sold at all.
At recent meeting of the Farm
ers' Club at Pasadena, the question of
fruit thinning was taken up and dis
cussed by a number of growers. From
what they said, the following ideas are
1~~r L, d yox
"First-It pays to thin fruit.
"Second-On apricots third can be
taken off without losing quantity In
weight.
"Third-The increased size with rare
exceptions far more than pays for the
, thinning
"Fourth-Now is a good time to thin
both peaches and apricots-
"Fffth--Don't bother with the little
runty fruit; it will fall off after the
next hot spell.
.Sixth-Clean off all apricots from
the ends Of branches.
Seventh = Don't have them closer
| than four inches after being thinned-
"Eighth-Ex will give rapid
! ity in work.
..Ninth-Don't prune this time of
year. You will ruin your orchard II
you do.
'"Tenth-The sap and the strength or
a tree will not go to limb to satisfy
the increased demand on limb over
| loaded.
'Eleventh-The first ripe peaches on
limb are richer than later ones.
.sTwelfth-It is not wise to judge a
! mil
VANILLA BEANS.
Los Angeles Herald: The attention
now paid by Americans to the agri-
cultural possibilities of Mexico mas
| brought into prominence many sub
tropical CIVILIZATIONS. Among them is
the culture of the vanilla bean. The
vanilla plant is an orchid. Until re-
cent years it was cultivated only by
the Mexican Indians, in the valleys OF
Mazantla and Papantla. The blossoms
at night give out an exquisite perfume
dropping a honey-like moisture, which
| is found on the leaves in the morning.
From each of the blossoms spring
small pods, sometimes twenty or thirty
in number. As, the plant natures.
many of these pods drop off, and those
remaining grow to be long beans con-
tanning the seeds. and are about the
size of the long, yellow banana seen in
the markets.
| The vanilla is strictly a pollen blos-
som, and the male and female flowers
grow on different plants. In former
times the Indians gave themselves lit
tie anxiety about pollination, depend
| ing on the winds of heaven to inter-
change the pollen and fertillze tne
female blossoms. !. In recent years the
t'Italians and French, who have largely
displaced the Indians, are growing
vanilla. in more scientific manner
The plants are set nearer together, so
that both insects and stray breezes can
be more instrumental in interchanging
the pollen, and the growers themselves
take a hand in the pollination. The
two busy seasons of the year are dur
ing the pollination months March
April and May, and the gathering
months. November, December and part
of January.
The Spanish method of curing is
| slow and laborious. The secret Is TO
evaporate the water, while retaining
| the oil. prevent the bean from mold
ing. and retain the flavor uninjured
1
Twenty beans to a vine is good aver
age. A green bean is worth from
to IA cents in the American market
In some years it will bring as high as
| Is cents One interesting peculiarly
of the vine is that, after three or four
years, the stem will rot off at the roots
and continue to rot three to four feet
up the vine, while the top looks green
and fiourishing. In the meantime,
| from above the part that Is soon to
decay shoot out fine, thread-like root
| let's, which grow downward to the
I'earth. So delicate are these threads
running along the trunk Of the tree,
and so prominent the rotted-off end OF
| the stem that the vine seems to be
living unsupported in air.
The Differentia Of Christianity.
Among the changes that have taken
place during the Victorian era, few
are more notable than that in the atti-
tude of Christian thought toward non
| Christian religions. Sixty years ago
the difference between Christianity and