122 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER, 



OCTOBER 30, IS 33. 



From the American Orchardist. 

 GATHERING AND PRESERVING FRUIT. 



Various theories have been offered for pre- 

 serving apples in a sound state for winter use, or 

 for distant voyages. Some have proposed gather- 

 ing the fruit before it is ripe, and drying it on floors 

 before it is put up : this lias been tried; apples 

 lose their sprightly flavor, and keep no better than 

 by some less troublesome modes. Dr. Noah Web- 

 ster has recommended that they should be put 

 down between layers of sand that has been dried 

 by the heat of the summer. This is, without 

 doubt, an excellent mode, as it excludes the air, 

 and absorbs the moisture, and must be useful 

 when apples are shipped to a warm climae. But 

 apples thus preserved are liable to imbibe an earthy 

 taste. 



Chopped straw has also been highly recom- 

 mended to be placed between layers of fruit ; but 

 I have noticed that the straw, from the perspira- 

 tion it imbibes, becomes musty, and may do more 

 hurt than good. When apples are to be exported, 

 it has been recommended that each be separately 

 -wrapped in coarse paper, in the manner oranges 

 and lemons are put up. This is, without doubt, 

 an excellent mode. And Mr. Loudon has recom- 

 mended that apples destined for Europe should be 

 packed between layers of grain. 



Great quantities of winter fruit are raised in the 

 vicinity of Boston, and put up for the winter use, 

 for the market aud for exportation. The follow- 

 ing is the mode almost universally adopteJ by the 

 most experienced. And by this mode the apples, 

 under very favorable circumstances, are frequent- 

 ly preserved in a sound state, or not one in fifty 

 defective, for a period of seven or eight months. 

 The fruit is suffered to hang on the tree to as late 

 a period as possible in October, or till Hard frosts 

 have loosened the stalk, and they are in danger of 

 being blown by high winds ; such as have already 

 fallen are carefully gathered and inspected, and 

 the best are put up for early winter use. They 

 are carefully gathered from the tree by band, and 

 as carefully laid in baskets. New, tight, well 

 seasoned flour barrels from the linker's, are usual- 

 ly preferred ; the barrels being quite filled are 

 gently shaken, and the head is gently pressed down 

 to its place and secured. It is observed that this 

 pressure never causes then] to rot next the head, 

 and is necessary, as they are never allowed to rat- 

 tle in moving. No soft straw or shavings are ad- 

 mitted at the ends ; it causes mustiness and decay. 

 They are next carefully placed in wagons and re- 

 moved on the bulge, and laid in courses in a cool 

 airy situation, on the north side of a building, near 

 the cellar, protected by a covering on the top of 

 boards, so placed as to defend them from the sun 

 and rain, while the air is not excluded at the sides. 

 A chill does not injure them ; it is no disservice; 

 but when extreme cold weather comes on, and 

 they are in imminent danger of being frozen, 

 whether by night or by day, they are carefully 

 rolled into a cool, airy, dry cellar, with an opening 

 on the north side, that the cold air may have free 

 access — they are laid iu tiers, and the cellar is in 

 due time closed, and rendered secure from frost. 

 The barrels are never tumbled or placed on the 

 head. Apples keep best when grown in dry sea- 

 sons and on dry soils. If fruit is gathered late, 

 and according to the above directions, repacking 

 is unnecessary ; it is even ruinous, and should on 

 no account be practised, till the barrel is opened 

 for use. It has been fully tried. 



From the New- Hampshire Spectator. 

 CULTURE OP SILK. 



The culture of silk has of late been suggested 

 to the American people as affording a prospect of 

 reward to the cultivator of the New England or 

 the Eastern States. If you think the following 

 experiment worth an insertion in your paper, you 

 may oblige some who wish for more information 

 on this subject. I have made an experiment per- 

 sonally, and can attest the truth of every item that 

 I communicate, for I have kept an exact diary of 

 the whole experiment, and the result. I may be 

 permitted to say in the outset, that I never have 

 had an opportunity of attending any silk worm es- 

 tablishment, and all the previous knowledge I have 

 ever had, before commencing the experiment, was 

 in 1831. I saw one silk worm in the action of 

 winding, and one other on the shelf, nearly ready 

 to ascend the bushes to winter ; and in 1S32, one 

 or two hundred about ten days old, reared by those 

 who had no previous opportunity of seeing the de- 

 velopment of the silk worm, and were as unlearn- 

 ed as myself. This fact is only hinted at to prove 

 that any person may, by diligent care, raise silk, if 

 they never were acquainted with the art ; yet, to 

 make it profitable in the end, as in every other 

 species of cultivation, a complete knowledge of the 

 subject is undoubtedly necessary. 



On the 20th June last past, my eggs were hatch- 

 ed. I counted out 1500, and a few more to sup- 

 ply the place of those that should die in the several 

 stages, say from 50 to 100. These were uncount- 

 ed. My calculation was to raise about 1500. By 

 reason of the cold and rainy summer, the worms 

 were retarded in their growth, as will always hap- 

 pen warm and dry weather being the climate suit- 

 ed to the full perfection of the worm, aud facili- 

 tates its growth aud maturity ; yet, the food in ei- 

 ther case, will be about the same — the only differ- 

 ence will be the length of time required for the in- 

 sect to eat the same quantity of leaves. The first 

 cocoon was wound on the 38th day of the age of 

 the silk worm. After the fourth moulting, or in 

 other words, shedding of their skin — for they skin 

 four times during their life before they commence 

 winding their balls or cocoons — they are usually 

 about ten days in winding up their cocoons. Pre- 

 vious to their moulting the fourth time, I counted 

 about 1-150; so that 50 had died out of the 1500, 

 beside the worms I held in reserve above stated. 

 Of these 1450 worms, beside those that died dur- 

 ing this last age of the worm, and during their 

 winding, I counted 912 that remained on the 

 shelves on the 40th day — 585 on the 42d day — 

 303 on the 43d day — 186 on the 44th day — 90 on 

 the 45th day — 43 on the 46th day — 26 on the 47tli 

 day — 13 on the 48th day. In ten days from the 

 beginning cf winding, all bad wound their cocoons, 

 except 13 worms. In four days more, these were 

 all wound. The whole time the silk worms were 

 progressing through their several ages, each age 

 designated by their moulting, including the wind- 

 ing, was 53 days — the usual time is from 42 to 

 45 days — retarded no doubt from the cold and 

 dampness of the season. There died in the whole 

 257, during the several ages, till the completion of 

 the cocoons. I had 1243 cocoons of all descrip- 

 tions, and but few, say 15, that would not reel 

 oft'. The reserved uncounted worms are not in- 

 cluded in this estimate. 



The weight of cocoons before reeling, and as 

 soon as they were picked from the bushes, weigh- 

 ed 4 lbs. 5 oz. 20 cocoons weighed precisely 1 oz. 



6^ ounces. 

 1J ounce. 



Raw reeled silk, 

 Raw silk, 



Making the whole product of silk nearly one 

 half pound. 



The weight of leaves consumed and wasted, was 

 75 lbs. 



After I had found the quantity of leaves the 

 1500 worms consumed, I made a comparison with 

 a statistical table communicated in a letter to the 

 20th Congress of the United States, by Hon. James 

 Mease, on the method of rearing silk in Bavaria, 

 and found by this table 20,000 silk worms con- 

 sumed 1000 lbs. mulberry leaves — exactly corres- 

 ponding to 75 lbs. for every 1500 worms — and 

 that from 7 to 10 lbs. of cocoons make a pound 

 of raw or reeled silk — from this estimate the pro- 

 duet of my experiment nearly coincides, for 4 lbs. 

 and 5 oz. produced 7j| ounces of silk. Nor does 

 this estimate of the consumption of leaves and the 

 product of silk, materially differ from the estimate 

 and exact result of Count Dondolo — transmitted 

 to Congress by the Hon. Richard Rush, then Sec- 

 retary of State. 



It will readily be perceived that the rearing of 

 silk worms in our State is practicable, and with 

 due management equals the product raised in Ba- 

 varia, and the careful management in the exten- 

 sive laboratory of Count Dondolo, where eight 

 ounces of eggs, or 160,000 worms are reared. In 

 this laboratory the leaves are chopped, the ther- 

 mometer regulates the temperature, and the py- 

 rometer the dampness of the atmosphere ; and ev- 

 ery measure of precaution used to secure the worms 

 from disease — by ventilation, by stoves, and by 

 cleanliness. On reading these treatises, and ob- 

 serving all the nice directions contained therein, 

 any person would almost shrink from the task, and 

 become discouraged before they attempted to en- 

 ter a field where so many obstacles seemed to 

 threaten him. I have chopped no leaves — made 

 no fire but once or twice, and then when the 

 weather was extremely cold and damp for the 

 season. I gave them what they would cat, and 

 they appeared to know what to do with the leaves 

 as well as any other insect, and not more at a loss 

 about it. 



I am fully of opinion that the culture of silk is 

 as easily learned as any other kind of business or 

 art — and that many families in every town would 

 rind as profitable reward for their labor as our rich 

 farmers do, by correspondent care and exertion. 



Elias Frost. 

 Plainfield, August 27, 1S33. 



QUEBEC AGRICULTURAL REPORT, FOR 

 SEPTEMBER, 1S33. 



The weather this month has been colder than 

 usual, with rain at intervals of about a week. The 

 first frost was on the night of the 2d of the month, 

 and on the two following weeks there were several 

 nights during which ice was formed. Towards 

 the close of the month the weather became warmer, 

 and no further frost was observed till the night of 

 the 30th. 



The effects of these frosts, which have extended 

 from the Gu'f of St. Lawrence to Pennsylvania, 

 have given the country the appearance usual a 

 fortnight later. Tender plants have been more or 

 i less injured ; the leaves of the forest trees have 

 assumed the rich, brilliant and changing colors of 

 decay, and many trees are already quite stripped 

 of their leaves. 



