604 



THE FARMERS' REGISTER. 



what state of maturity the fruit, ail are taken 

 from the trees, although from some the leaves are 

 falling fast, and on others they should not be off 

 till the middle of December. We can adduce 

 better authority however than mere opinion ; v^ 

 have results of our own experience to vouch lor 

 the correctness of these remarks. During the 

 early part of the winter of 1839, that is, in the 

 month of December, after the trees had been laid 

 bare of their leaves, a peck or two of apples oi 

 a keeping sort were discovered, which had un- 

 designedly been overlooked ; they were gather- 

 ed, and in fine condition, the bulk ot the crop 

 havmg been housed five or six weeks, and un- 

 dergone the processes of healing and " sweating," 

 which are supposed to be essential preliminaries 

 to their safe keeping. Those off the same tree 

 were j ellow, looked shrunk and shrivelled, and in 

 flavor had become, by comparison, rank and 

 coarse; while, to our surprise, those af the 

 newly-culled portion of the crop were sound, 

 hard, firm, full, juicy, not mellow, and with all 

 that freshness of flavor and texture which is never 

 to be (bund in an apple that is not recently pluck- 

 ed. We regretted then that for so many years 

 we had followed in the wake of others, and had 

 not exercised a little judgment and discrimination, 

 since it was evident that )o suffer them to hang 

 longer would bean advantage hitherto unima- 

 gined. Having purchased our experience, we 

 have this season retained every kind ol' apple 

 and pear (though contrary to the received opuiion 

 respecting the propriety of early culling this latter 

 fruit) nearly a month later upon the trees, in 

 many cases until the leaves had entirely lelt them ; 

 and we have lound the results to be such as we 

 anticipated. Every species is in better condition 

 than we have ever known. Every scheme for 

 keeping apples we have made trial of for many 

 years, and put ourselves to an infinity of trouble 

 in order to ascertain the best ; we have " shelfi ' 

 them ; buried them in the earth like potatoes ; 

 laid layers in sheets alternately of apples and 

 straw : spread them on the floor of a lolt separat- 

 ed from one another, with an un^lazed window, 

 which admitted Ireely the " winter's flaw ;" tried 

 that of covering them up in bran: also in fine 

 dried white sand; warmth in closets; cellar tem- 

 perature; total darkness; leaving them in heaps 

 10 sweat; storing them immediately from the 

 trees; wiping and looking over and removing all 

 those which were specked every week, packing 

 in barrels with a linen covering over them, to 

 abide the alternations of host and thaw, as is the 

 practice in America, and alter all have arrived at 

 this conclusion— that very little troi\ble is requisite, 

 if caution is exercised in gathering them that 

 they may not be bruised; they should then be 

 laid in heaps for a few days in an airy spot, a 

 barn floor lor example, and afterwards packed in 

 chests, barrels, &c. ; and if care be taken to look 

 them carefully over at the time of storing, no 

 other attention will be requisite, excepting'^ that 

 once or twice more in the course of the winter 

 arid spring the same attention should be repeated ; 

 of course they must be kepi secure (rom frost, and 

 no English lincloth will suffice for this desirable 

 end. 



To those persons who may intend to purchase 

 young trees of the most useful kinds, and who 

 may not have " Lindley's Orchard," or other 



book to consult, and who are so unfortunate as 

 to possess no opiiaion of weight on which to rely, 

 and are therefore compelled to trust to the recom- 

 mendation of a nursery-man, it may not be un- 

 acceptable to meet with a linv names of apples 

 suitable for all seasons, of which we can speak 

 from experience in unqualified praise. First, that 

 delicious apple, the Havvthorndeu. The next 

 that ripens and is fit lor ail purposes is the 

 Keswick codlin. Then follow Caraway russet, 

 iiolden pippin, Downton pippin, a lovely little 

 fruii, of a shape and color unequalled, keeping 

 until January, and although not so full a yellow. 

 Tar more mellow; Nof;lblk beaufin, (Biffin,) fine, 

 firm, juicy, and large, fit lor all purposes, of a 

 very deep red purple hue, and celebrated for a 

 local purpose, though meriting general culture; 

 nonpareil, Downton nonpareil, Downton russet, 

 small, and delightful vvhen baked in the months 

 of March and April ; Winter pearmain ; Scarlet 

 pearmain ; golden Hervey, Downton gilliflower, 

 Rib'.sion pippin, French ciab. Here are fifteen 

 kinds, quite sufficient in number and various in 

 qualities lor any private gardens, and certainly 

 of the highest merit. Those with Downton 

 attached to tiieir appellation have been raised by 

 Mr. Knight, president of the Horticultural Socie- 

 ty, and sent by him to us. We therefore can 

 attest the excellence of those which we have 

 named. 



AN EXCELLENT REGULATION — PRESERVA- 

 TION OF BIRBS. 



From Uie Albany Cultivator. 

 A friend has forwarded us a law passed at the 

 last session of the Pennsylvania legislature, pro- 

 viding for the salety of certain kinds of birds du- 

 ring the early part of the season, or while they 

 are most serviceable to the farmer, to take effect 

 in the county of Chtster, and parts of the coun- 

 ties of York, Lehigh, Delaware and Montgomery. 

 The act declares it to be unlawful lor "any per- 

 son to shoot, kill or destroy, during the months of 

 April, May, June, July, and the first ten days of 

 August inclusive, in each and every year, any 

 robin, flicker, bluebird, woodpecker, thrush or other 

 insectivorous bird, other than blackbirds, under a 

 penalty of two dollars for each and every offence." 

 The act does not prevent any person. Jrom killing 

 such birds as are I'ound attacking ncu'ly planted 

 grain crops ; and it is to he hoped it will prevent 

 that indiscriminate and wicked slaughter of these 

 useflil little birds, that are our most effectual aids 

 in destroying the multitude of insects that destroy 

 the fruit and the crops of the farmer. 



APPLE JAM. 



From tlie Southern Agriculturist. 

 The apples, which should be ripe, and of the 

 best eating sort, being pared and quartered as lor 

 making apple jelly, are put into a pan with just 

 wa'er to cover them, and boiled until they can be 

 reduced to a mush. Then liar each pound of the 

 pared apples, a pound of silted sugar is added, be- 

 ing sprinkled over the boiling mixture. Agitate it 



