The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-07-25
GREAT YIELD OF HoTHoUsE
FRUIT.

Farmers near PomfTet, in Connecticut tell strangers who happen along the country roads down there these fruit ripening days that the most successful fruit grower In that region is a wealthy Boston woman. who pays more atten- tion to inducing nature to give up her wealth than to the small things Of society which mean so much to most women who have the means to take life easy.
 Miss E. Jackson Clark of Common wealth Avenue, they say, can grow grapes big enough in bunch and berry to make old-fashioned vineyards pover- ty-stricken in the way of productive ness. Her peaches are large and luscious, her nectarines sweeter than the loot of the honeybee, her apples and pears large and of remarkable flavor. Her estate, La Plaisance, comprises sixty-fiye acres. two being devoted to fruit and flowers, three to vegetables, and the rest to lawn and grass and grazing: -.- -.
 For several years it has been Miss CIark's ambition to excel as a grower of grapes. Through the superintendent of the estate Ash, she tried all kinds of ex- periments known to the expert gardener with a view to capturing the prize offered each year by the Massachusetts Horticultural Society for the best ex- hibit. Last Thursday the Committee on Gardens of the Horticultural Society went to Pomfret to view the grapes and other fruits now changing color from green to the tints of the ripened fruit. The committee was astonished. It was received; by Superintendent Ash and shown over the cultivated acres and through the celebrated fruit-house, where punches of grapes ranging in weight from two or. three pounds or more than a dozen hang ripening on the vines. 4
 The fruit-house is 8 feet long by 25 , feet wide. It has a curvilinear roof, and was built in 1897 for grape culture, but other fruits have since been intro. duced. Grape vines one year old were planted that year. They are now six years old. \ and of astonishing produc- tiveness. MT. Ash begins operation for starting vines into growth about Feb 20. An artificial heat of from 45 to AS de- grees is kept up during the night and allowed to go five degrees higher when the sun does not bring it up during the day, The heat of the sun is allowed to run the temperature up to 30 degrees and the yentilators are used to let fresh air in. Cold draughts are avoided, and when the leaves begin to appear the temperature at night is increased.
 Vines are syringed freely morning and afternoon on all bright days until they are in bloom After that dryer atmosphere is maintained, butNthe floor is sprinkled occasionally. The border is given a thorough soaking with tepid water when heat is introduced and again as soon as punches show thenl-1 selves. Then after the grapes have been thinned weak liquid manure is given to help swell up the berries. This is continued as the border may require until the grapes show color. H
 Some of the twelve-p pound punches that the committee saw were not yet ripe. Every day means additional weight. and as they will not be fully ripe for few weeks these twelve pounders will weigh about fourteen pounds when cut from the vine. One of the most astonishing displays were the. punches on the Black Hamburg vine. The berries were as large as damson pluns, and the punches we're about one and half feet long by foot wide. MT. Ash also showed the committee a diamond jubilee vine, with ripening grapes. This is said to be the only vine of the kind in this country, and horticulturists are watching the ex- periments with interest. "
 In the peach-house the committe saw ! trees literally staggering with loads of nearly ripe fruit, some of which were quite as large as a well-developed fist. One Crawford peach tree had 300 on it's branches, and 8 Hales earlye had just been relieved of weight of $50 whop- pers. Nectarine trees were bent with luscious fruit, and one fig tree showed more than dozen figs. some of them nearly ripe. fs
 In other departments were pear and apple trees, among the pears being varieties known as the Conference. Pitmarston, Duchess. Louise Bonne of Jersey, Marie Louis Doyenne du Comiee Beurre Hardy Durondeau, Bon Chre- ten, and Fondante d Automne. Among the apples trees were noticed the Emperor Alexander, the melon ap- pie, Peasgood's Nonesuch, King of Thompkins County, Mother Washing ton, and Mannington's Pearmain. There were dwarf fruit trees in pots, pineapple and orange trees striving nobly to make good showing far awy from natiye soil Boston Globe, t.'