Blackberries put up with equal quantities of blue or red plums, or in the proportion of one to three of the sour fruit, are much better than either of these fruits canned separately.  Black caps are much better if canned with currants, in the proportion of one part currants to four of black caps.

Red and black raspberries, cherries and raspberries, are also excellent combinations.

QUINCES WITH APPLES.—­Pare and cut an equal quantity of firm sweet apples and quinces.  First stew the quinces till they are tender in sufficient water to cover.  Take them out, and cook the apples in the same water.  Lay the apples and quinces in alternate layers in a porcelain kettle or crock.  Have ready a hot syrup made with one part sugar to two and a half parts water, pour over the fruit, and let it stand all night.  The next day reheat to boiling, and can.

Quinces and sweet apples may be canned in the same way as directed below for plums and sweet apples, using equal parts of apples and quinces, and adding sugar when opened.

PLUMS WITH SWEET APPLES.—­Prepare the plums, and stew in water enough to cover.  When tender, skim out, add to the juice an equal quantity of quartered sweet apples, and stew until nearly tender.  Add the plumbs again, boil together for a few minutes, and can.  When wanted for the table, open, sprinkle with sugar if any seems needed, let stand awhile and serve.

TO CAN GRAPES.—­Grapes have so many seeds that they do not form a very palatable sauce when canned entire.  Pick carefully from the stems, wash in a colander the same as directed for berries, and drain.  Remove the skins, dropping them into one earthen crock and the pulp into another.  Place both crocks in kettles of hot water over the stove, and heat slowly, stirring the pulp occasionally until the seeds will come out clean.

Then rub the pulp through a colander, add the skins to it, and a cupful of sugar for each quart of pulp.  Return to the fire, boil twenty minutes until the skins are tender, and can; or, if preferred, the whole grapes may be heated, and when well scalded so that the seeds are loosened, pressed through a colander, thus rejecting both seeds and skins, boiled, then sweetened if desired, and canned.

TO CAN CRAB APPLES.—­These may be cooked whole, and canned the same way as plums.

TO CAN APPLES.—­Prepare and can the same as pears, when fresh and fine in flavor.  If old and rather tasteless, the following is a good way:—­several thin slices of the yellow part of the rind, four cups of sugar, and three pints of boiling water.  Pare and quarter the apples, or if small, only halve them, and cook gently in a broad-bottomed closely-covered saucepan, with as little water as possible, till tender, but not broken; then pour the syrup over them, heat all to boiling, and can at once.  The apples may be cooked by steaming over a kettle of hot water, if preferred.  Care must be taken to cook those of the same degree of hardness together.  The slices of lemon rind should be removed from the syrup before using.