288 



NEW ENGLAND FARMER. 



and San Francisco, thus subjecting liis method to 

 the most severe trials. The following extract from 

 a letter from his correspoiulent at Havana shovvs 

 the result of the experimsnt, so far as the shipment 

 to that city is concerned: "The pears arrived in 

 perfect order; they were delicious. I never thought 

 they could be eaten in so perfect a state, except in 

 the country Avhere they grow." 



Tlie (hardeners' Ciironicle of April 5th states 

 that at the exhibition of the London Horticultural 

 Society, April 1st, a box of 15 Easter Beurre pears, 

 received from Mr. Curtis, of Boston, were exhi- 

 bited; that cases containing seven of these pears 

 were opened, and of them four were found to be 

 decayed and three good; and then states, "These 

 pears were stated to have been ripened by a meth- 

 od peculiar to Mr. Curtis; the nature of which was 

 not explained. They were, for the most part, 

 melting, sweet, and perfectly ripe, a condition 

 which this fruit with difficulty attains with us in 

 England." The society awarded Mr. Curtis its 

 Kiiightian medal. 



The California Daily Courier of April 8th ac- 

 knowledges the receipt, through Mr. D. H. Has- 

 kell, of Adams's Express, of a magnificent pear, 

 as sound as when packed at Boston. The Paci- 

 fic News, Alta California and other San Francisco 

 papers, make similar acknowledgments, and all 

 concur in stating that the pears were perfectly 

 sound, and that as they were sent for the purpose 

 of testing the practicability of sending fruit to Cal- 

 ifornia, across the Isthmus, speak of the experi- 

 ment as successful. These pears were shipped at 

 Boston, January 27, and after a detention of 70 

 days, arrived in California in April. These pa- 

 pers referred to state that the pears, though sound, 

 were deficient in flavor, a circumstance to be im- 

 puted, as with those exhibited to the society, per- 

 haps to the immature and imperfect state of the 

 fruit when shipped, and not to the effect of the 

 passage, or a difference of climate. From the facts 

 now detailed, as well as from their own observa- 

 tion, your committee feel justified in expressing a 

 confident opinion, tiiat after many unsuccessful 

 trials of various piocesses and different methods, 

 Mr. Curtis has succeeded in discovering a method 

 of preserving fruit for a very long, if not for any 

 desired period, and that this method is capable of 

 a practical application. 



Although Mr. Curtis has, as he states, preserved 

 other varieties of fruit besides pears, yet so far as 

 the personal knowledge of the committee extends, 

 the fruit subjected to his process has thus far been 

 mainly of the latter description, and they feel, be- 

 fore arriving at a conclusive opinion respecting the 

 value of tliis discovery to the society, experiments 

 with other species of fruit, as peaches, plums, &c., 

 &c., should be made, and opportunity be offered 

 for their examination, after being subjected to the 

 process. With a view to the gratification of the 

 committee in this particular, Mr. Curtis is about 

 commencing, under their inspection, some experi- 

 ments with the early and soft fruits, to be contin- 

 ued with other kinds, as they come into season. 

 In addition to tlie discovery of a mode of preserv- 

 ing fruit, Mr. Curtis seems also to have succeeded 

 in finding out a process by which such varieties as 

 are difficult to ripen, may be brought to perfection, 

 — a discovery of almost as much interest to culti- 

 vators, as that by which the season of all varieties 



is so greatly prolonged and their safe transmission 

 to distant places secured. 



That the discoveries of Mr. Curtis are important, 

 and that he is justly entitled to an honorary and 

 pecuniary recompense at the hands of the society, 

 as well as that a knowledge of the ])rocess should 

 be, if possible, procured for the use of its menrbers, 

 your committee entertain no doubt, and they be- 

 lieve that it will be but fulfilling some of the ob- 

 jects for which it was instituted, in testifying by 

 sucii recompense a proper appreciation of the mer- 

 its and discoveries of Mr. Curtis, and in procuring 

 for the public the means of availing itself of the ad- 

 vantages to be derived therefrom. 



Under the existing circumstances, however, 

 while they wish now to place on record such evi- 

 dence of the claims of Mr. Curtis as is afforded by 

 this expression of their own opinions and statement 

 of facts, your coirrmittee are of opinion that the final 

 action of the society, in lelation to this matter, 

 should yet be delayed until the result of the expe- 

 riments referred to are ascertained, and such fur- 

 ther information with respect to the expense at- 

 tending the process and mode of practicing it pro- 

 cured, as will enable them, in view of the benefi- 

 cial results of which it is capable, the better to 

 recommend, and the society to adopt, such meas- 

 ures in relation to these discoveries, as Mr. Curtis 

 seems to deserve and its own interest to demand. 

 With these views, your committee ask that the 

 whole subject may be left in their hands, and that 

 further time be allowed to them to consider what 

 action it is proper that the society should take in 

 reference thereto. 



Joseph S. Cabot, Chairman. 



For the New Enff/and Farmer. 



DEEP PLOUGHING. 



Mr. Editor: — On perusing the paragraph upon 

 "Mr. Whipple's dee\) ploughing," in your paper 

 of this date, I perceive that either the printer or 

 myself made the last sentence singularly unintel- 

 ligible. The idea intended to be expressed was 

 this: 



"We who have been accustomed to value high- 

 ly the benefits of the compost heap, should iiave 

 thought, that some application of this kind could 

 also have been beneficially made. Not that we 

 would undervalue the utility of deep flovghing, 

 but would have it combined with liberal manuring." 

 It may possibly happen, that lands may be kept in 

 productive condition, for a few successive seasons, 

 by deep stirring and fine pulverization of the soil; 

 but that any modifications of the soil will supercede 

 the necessity of feedirrg it with a supply of those 

 elements that are consumed by the growing plants, 

 we do not believe. 



Mr. Whipple's, culture is a fine exemplification 

 of the making of productive fields, where for years 

 there has been only barren plains. We remember 

 a few years since to have seen that the same thing 

 had been done by Mr. Clark, of Northampton. Gen- 

 tlemen who can do this successfully, at a reason- 

 able expense, are worthy to be classed among pub- 

 lic benefactors. It is one, among many, of the ben- 

 eficial applications of science to agriculture. And 

 whether those who make it know it to be science, 

 or not, it is none the less science. 



August Wth, 1851. P. 



