Virginia citizen. (Irvington, Va.) 1891-1921, 1904-04-08
MORE ABOUT PICKLES.

MORE ABOUT PICKLES.
Following our editorial of last
week we submit, as promised, some
directions for planting and curing
pickles. One of the letters from the
big house referred to in our last
issue contains the following:
III any farmers grow pickles at your
suggestion we will gladly bid ON them.
provided they brine them first, and that
part is easy. There are over 1 900 farm.
ers, most OF them ignorant ii. G. can't
read or write) in the county of -
who sell pickles of their own brininp each
year; so you may know it's easy. We
lend the barrels to brine them in-farmer
paying freight on empties down, and we
paying freight on the pickles. We can
bid on any persons pickles when they
are ready Tor market, and If we don't get
them they can pay us 81 each for the
barrels used and sell TO whom they please
We only make this offer-not for the
general publie-but for the few Won
may induce to grow them so they will
get interested"
1t would be we'll to cut ont
the following directions for future
references:
HOW TO CULTIVATE.
The most approved method of Gull
tivation for cucumbers is by turning
over the ground early in the spring
with two or three-horse pillow to a
depth of six or eight inches, although
a one horse pillow is much in evidence
and also shallower blowing, but deep
blowing imparts greater drouth re-
slstlng properties to the vines. After
finely pulverizing the soil with a
harrow, sometimes aided by roller,
the ground is marked out in opposite
directions with parallel rows four
feet apart each way. In each cross
is dropped a small quantity of fer
tilizer, which is covered with six
inches of earth, 10y the most success
full pickle-growers. Various kinds
OF fertilizer, commercial and home
made, have been pretty thoroughly
tested, but the best results have been
obtained by using the droppjngs of
the poultry yard, where these are
available. OH each hill thus formed
seven or eight cucumber seeds are
dropped and gently pressed under
the soil by the fingers. Before the
plants have grown to any great size
they are thinned down to two or
three to each hill. Two workings
with the horse cultivators and one
with hoes is the usual method of cul.
tlvation. Some years insects bother,
and lime, ashes and various insect
powder are used to scare them away;
but experienced pickle-growers agree
that where cucumbers are planted
upon sod and cultivated as soon as
four leaves are formed, the damage
done by insects is for some reason
very slight, indeed.
Cucumbers planted the first of
May will begin to bear about the last
of June and will continue with un-
diminished yigor until nearly the
end of August. Cucumbers plan ted
later will begin later, but will cease
to bear at the same time that the
earlier planted ones stop.
AS soon as the cucumbers are large
enough to pick the patch must be
gone over very carefully each day
and every one over an inch and three
quarters in length must be picked,
as a cucumber one inch and three
quarters long this morning will be
four inches long tomorrow morning.
From 100000 to 100000 cucum.
bers can be grown on one acre of
land in single season, and cases
have been recorded of an individual
selling $3.50 worth of pickles from
an acre in single season.
HOW To CURE PICKLES.
Pickles gathered during the day
should be washed in clean, cool water
aud put into brine at once. Do not
keep them out of brine ocer niqhk.
Pickles should not be handled in
bags (use baskets). as they are likely
to get bruised, and often heated.
The brine should be not less than
AZ uegrees strength when pickles are
trst put into it, and never allowed,
during the curing, to go lower than
10 degrees, but keep it between As |
and 20 for two weeks, and after that |
let it go to 60 degrees, which is the
strength it should be when you ship. !
For the first five or six days the brine |
q liable to get weak and will REQUIRE
watching, as there is more danger of |
pickles spelling the first few DAYS in {
weak brine than at any other time.
These instructions are FOR those
who have brine testers, which cost
'nly 90 cents. For those who have
lot, will say that one bag of salt
ought to cure 3 barrels of pickle.
BE careful to keep the pickles we'll
'nder brine, and don't let them float
n the skum that forms on top. A
rood way (when cured In open bar
eis) is to tear mp the salt sack and /
pread a piece sufficient to cover
hem, then weight them down with
boards and rock on top of the board.