274 



Silk in Turkey. — Bridges. — Fine Crops of Corn. Vol. X. 



could but be struck with the appearance of 

 this brilliant fruit decorating the windows 

 of the metropolitan fruiters. In productive 

 seasons, like the last, it has been extensively 

 imported into England from America, al- 

 though it is probable that England knew the 

 Lady Apple before it knew America — before 

 Columbus had looked on the waters of the 

 Orinoco. It is, doubtless, of very ancient 

 origin, and is said to have been introduced 

 to France from the Peloponnesus. This 

 may possibly be the original apple referred 

 to in French dictionaries under the name 

 Api, and described as a small delicate apple, 

 white and red. It also bears the name Api 

 rouge, and Etoilee. 



In flavour the Lady Apple is less remark- 

 able than for beauty. It is sufficiently sweet, 

 with very little acid; pleasant, but devoid 

 of any peculiar aroma. It keeps well till 

 April; but it is desirable that it should hang 

 as long on the tree as the season will per- 

 mit. — Mound's Fruitist. 



Silk in Turkey. — The original manu- 

 factories of silk were established before the 

 conquest of Constantinople, at Broussa, from 

 whence most of the raw silk is still obtained, 

 the abundance of mulberry trees in its neigh- 

 bourhood being favourable to the nurture of 

 the silk-worm. Little Broussa silk is how- 

 ever now sold in the silk bazaar of Constan- 

 tinople. Within the last ten or fifteen years 

 since the several treaties made with the Su- 

 blime Porte, the home silk trade has dimin- 

 ished fifty per cent. A large supply of imi- 

 tation goods is received from England, France 

 and Italy, and the richer articles, principally 

 manufactured at Lyons, have completely su- 

 perceded those formerly received from Brous- 

 sa, or manufactured at Scoutari and Con- 

 stantinople. — White's Three Years in Con- 

 stantinople. 



How TO Lay Planks on Bridges. — The 



common mode of planking, placing the 

 planks across the travelled way, is liable to 

 great objections. The planks will not last 

 so long, "they make a very rough way when 

 partly worn, and when their central parts 

 are worn thin the planks must all be taken 

 up and new ones supplied. 



Lay your planks lengthwise, in the line 

 of travel, and the horses' shoes will not cut 

 them out half so fast as when you lay them 

 crosswise; the way will continue compara- 

 tively smooth as long as the planks last; and 

 when those that are most travelled on are 

 worn thin, they may be replaced without 

 meddling with tlie side planks that are not 



half so much worn, and that may last as 

 long as the new ones where the principal 

 travel is. — Mass. Ploughman. 



Fine Crops of Corn. 



The following extract is made from a letter received 

 from Ebenezer J. Dickey, of Hopewell Cotton Works, 

 Chester county. Pa., dated Feb. 21st. The farmer who 

 is accustomed to poor or indifferent crops, can hardly 

 conceive the difference there is between his, and those 

 which may be called ^ood ones. If by chance he hap- 

 pens to get a large crop of hay or corn, his mow, or 

 his crib, fills up so fasf that he hardly understands it, 

 and he finds his heart palpitating with a kind of un- 

 defined satisfaction, and it may be with gratitude, for 

 the successor hismaiKgement. Twenty-nine hundred 

 and fifty-nine bushels of corn thrown into a man's 

 crib, from thirty-nine and a quarter of his acres, are 

 very well calculated to give him a good opinion of his 

 farming, or his land, or both: and it gives us no trifling 

 pleasure to record the fact. — Ed. 



I PLANTED three fields in corn last season, 

 the first containing twelve acres, off of which 

 I took last fall ten hundred and seventy-three 

 bushels; the second contained fourteen acres 

 and three-quarters — on this field I had one 

 thousand and forty-three bushels; and on the 

 third, of twelve acres and a half, I had eight 

 hundred and forty-three bushels. About two- 

 thirds of the first field were manured last 

 spring on the sod and ploughed down ; and 

 the other third and the other two fields had 

 no manure. This does not come up to the 

 premium crops that we have accounts of, 

 but when we consider the number of acres 

 that were planted, I think it was a pretty 

 fair crop. 



Yours respectfully, 



Ebenezer J. Dickey. 



Keeping Cows in Winter. — Farmers 

 prejudice very greatly their own interest in 

 suffering their milch cows to come out in 

 the spring in low condition. During the 

 time they are dry, they think it enough to 

 give them the coarsest fodder, and that in 

 limited, quantities; this, too, at a time of 

 pregnancy, when they require the kindest 

 treatment and the most nourishing food. 

 The calf itself, under this treatment of the 

 cow, is small and feeble. He finds com- 

 paratively insufiicient support from his ex- 

 hausted dam; and the return which the cow 

 makes in milk during the summer, is much 

 less than it would be, if she came into the 

 spring in good health and flesh. It requires 

 the whole summer to recover what she has 

 lost. The animal constitution cannot be 

 trifled with in this w^y.—Colman. 



