The Crandall Currant

(Am. Garden, Sept., page 309.) Frank Ford & Sons, introducers of the Crandall Currant, send fine photographs of the variety in full bearing, together with notes, from which we make extracts. The photographs are made from plants three and four years old, and the amount of fruit which the canes held is remarkably large. " In handling such a bush, and taking it a mile to the photographer's, of course some of the fruit fell off, yet it holds pretty well to the stem when dead ripe even." "A great many single berries taken in these photographs were five-eighths inch in diameter and a few nearly six-eighths inch, and very few were less than three-eighths inch." "With us the berries hang on the bushes longer than most small fruits after they are ripe, so that, for making jelly this season, we picked them nearly clean".

Grape vines should be pruned before spring opens.

Crinodendron Hookerii

Another plant re-introduced from the same locality is Crinodendron Hookerii. Although naturally a tree 15 to 20 feet high in an adult state, it flowers with the greatest freedom when only two feet high. In the warmer parts of this country it has withstood the winters out-of-doors, but it is most satisfactory when treated as a greenhouse subject. The flowers are produced singly or in pairs from the axils of the leaves near the end of the branch. They are pendent, and in shape resemble a large unexpanded flower bud of a fuchsia; the color is a rich, deep scarlet. It thrives on a mixture of light loam, sand and leaf-soil, and is increased by slips.

Cucumbers

Cucumber, Banneuil's White Extra Large, (Blanctris-Gras De Bauneuil)

This has a very pronounced flavor which makes [it much sought for in the market. The fruit is ovoid, and can easily be made to weigh 4½ lbs. It is pale yellow at first, but whitens as it matures. - Revue Horticole.

Cucumber, Green, Extra-Long Of China (C. Verttres-Long De China)

The fruit is almost a foot long; the skin pale green, bearing a few spines, and marked by white longitudinal lines. Flesh very white. This variety is a steady and abundant producer. - Revue Horticole.

Currants

Currants should be ripe or nearly so when picked. Keep out all bruised or mashed fruit, as a few mashed berries will ferment and turn the whole package sour in a very short time. They should also be as dry as possible. If picked wet, they should be spread out thinly in a cool dry place before packing. They should also be free from leaves. The best package is the 32-square quart crate. The packages, when well filled, will hold, on an average, 1% pounds, and they are sold by weight. Some parties use the ten-pound covered veneer grape basket, but buyers mostly prefer quart packages. S. B. Conover.

Currants And Gooseberries

In our hands Fay's Prolific currant merits all the praise given it. We had berries as large as early Richmond cherries, and of excellent flavor. We had a full crop of this variety, as also of White Grape and Red Dutch. They all ripened during the raspberry season.

Downing, Houghton, and Smith's gooseberries produced full crops. Downing is the heaviest bearer, but the berries on Smith's were of fine size. Crown Bob and Industry have both fruited. The berries are fine, large, and hairy, and so far are free from mildew. The Industry is now growing vigorously. All ripened during the raspberry season. - G. G. Groff, Lewisburg, Penn.