1876.] 



THE LANCASTER FARMER 



171 



writer's mind. " An evergret-u oiiplit not to 

 be over two or tlirce feet hiiili," and '■ from 

 four lo .six I'l'et is cnougli for a fruit or sliadc- 

 tri'i'. " Now we aic quilc williuK to admit 

 tliat till' tri't'.s wliicli \vc soniclimcs .see aiiMuid 

 here distriliuti'd !)>■ tlii' pcddlcr.s. even tliisc 

 ."izcs are jn-nerally too larf^c: larpe nunilx-r.s 

 dying from want of roots, the result of poor 

 eulture in the nursery, or from liciui; du^ with 

 a plow or post-spade, and tluui'fore what few 

 roots they may liave l)eingleft in the ground. 

 It is more than likely the article we referred 

 to was inspired by s\ieh trees as these. No 

 wonder the writer is down on liig trees. 



Our Geruiantown gardeui'rs will laugh at 

 this idea of big trees; and so we Judgi' will 

 any one in the vicinity of any good nursery 

 where the iiroprietor knciws his business, and 

 what should be done to make a tree hav<' good 

 roots, and how such tries should be dug. In 

 (iermaiitown, however, we can .say from our 

 own experience that it is a very connuou Iking 

 to see our ganleuers |ilantiug trees from 1'2 to 

 1") feet high, and n\oving them successfully. 

 Even our friend Elliott might set cedar trees 

 fifteen years old with perfect success, when in 

 the hands of .some of lliese men who seem to 

 have the power to make trees do just whatever 

 they will with them. Of course, they will 

 take good care in selecting good healthy trees; 

 care in digging up all the roots; care they do 

 not get dry before replanting; care to press 

 the soil lirmly in and about tlic roots; care in 

 pruning them — and this last Is a great jioint — 

 and they rarely fail to live and grow w('ll. 

 The i>runing isof course to be done judiciously. 

 It is no use to plant a large tree and then cut 

 it back to make a small one out of it. All the 

 large branches are retained, and only the 

 smaller and weaker ones cut away. As to the 

 way in which these large trees are made suc- 

 cessful, this has been several limes explained 

 in past yearsin tlie Tih(ir<(jjli, but we may give 

 the leading points over again. 



First, a healthy tre(^ that has been removed 

 before, and has not been crowded by other 

 trees. Then a circle is dug from three to six 

 feet away from the trunk, and down deep 

 enough to get under the roots with a fork, 

 only using a sjiade or axe to sever the deep 

 tap-root, though a tree once removed already 

 is not troublecl with much of these. Then 

 having comparatively all the roots, the weaker 

 branches are cut aw'ay, and this is all that is 

 required for the successful removal of large 

 trees. — Germantoicn Teh(jrnph. 



THE EXPORTATION OF BEEF. 



The development of the demand on Texas 

 for beef to supply tile markets of the world 

 bids fair to reach proportions more extensive 

 than anything that has yet been known. The 

 guerrilla warfare in Cuba, in which the insiu'- 

 rectionists subsist on the few cattle that are 

 already in tiie ever "faithful isle," has neces- 

 sitated the adopting of the polic}- of slaughter- 

 ing this Ijeef for the use of the government 

 troops, and to prevent its falling into the 

 hands of the revolutionists, will soon exter- 

 minate this stock and increase the demand 

 for American cattle. In addition to this, the 

 steadily diminishing herds of cattle in the 

 British isles are as steadily making room for 

 the introduction of American beef^, and it is 

 not sur|irisiug that con.stant experiments are 

 being made to perfect a system of shipping 

 fresh slaughtered animals and obviate the 

 ditlicultics of transiiorting ciittle on the hf)of 

 to such a great distance ; and we regard with 

 great interest the progress of investigation in 

 this line. AVe co]iy an account given by tlie 

 Liveri>ool Journal of a successful shiiiinent of 

 fresh beef lately made from New York to that 

 ])ort, as follows : 



" Among th(^ latest of these meat importa- 

 tions into i^iverpool was one brought by the 

 Cunard steamer Abyssinia, Caiit. Murphy. 

 This consignment consisted of sixty carcasses, 

 or lielween twenty-live and twenty .seven tons 

 of splendid beef, which was conveyed and 

 delivered in the most perfect order and con 

 dition. As the conveyance of this consign- 

 ment was conducted on a somewhat novel 



principle, a brief exiilanation of the circum- 

 stances under which it was managed, and the 

 system of preservation adopted can liardly fail 

 lo prove interesting. The cattle were slaugh- 

 tered in New York the day before the steamer 

 sailed, and the meat wiis put on board on the 

 morning of sailing, under overpowering and 

 almost tropical temperature, 



"The Abyssinia occupied almut three daj's 

 in crossing the tiidf stream, the temperature 

 of the water being about SO degrees, with a 

 correspondingly warm atmosphere. Notwith- 

 standing these severe drawbacks, the meat, 

 when brought to Liverpool, was found to be as 

 sweet and fresh as the day it was i)ut on 

 board. The; mode in which this protracted 

 lireservation was perfected, under such trying 

 circumstances, will now form an interesting 

 matter of detail. The first stej) in the process 

 was to (it u]) in the steamer a chamber thor- 

 oughly air-tight. This wa.s done in the fore- 

 part of the ves.sel, immediately imder the main 

 deck, and it was carefully lined with felt to 

 resist any radiation of heat from the external 

 atmosphere, and around the walls of the cham- 

 ber were placed a scried convolution of iron 

 tubes, jirecisely similar to those employed in 

 the process of heating a chand)er or building 

 with h(jt water ; in this instance, however, 

 the circulating water is cold, and kept cold l)y 

 a constant supply of mixture of ice and salt, 

 with which the supply cistern outside the 

 chamber is tilled. Tbe water, cooled by this 

 mixture, is puniped into the tubes, and forced 

 through all the convolutions of the tubing, 

 thus i)roduciug a continuous flow of cold 

 water all round the chamber, to be again re- 

 turned to the cistern, and after beiiig there 

 again cooled, forced again and again tlirough 

 the tubes. The beef, in half carcass, is sus- 

 liended on hooks from the ceiling, and not 

 permitted in any way or under any circum- 

 stances to come in contact with the sides or 

 floor of the chamber. It is, therefore, con- 

 tinuousl)' held in a dry atmosphere at a tem- 

 perature ranging from 33 to 3.5 degrees, that 

 being the temperature found most suitable for 

 suppressing fermentation, and conseipicntly 

 for preserving the meat. The process, it will 

 be seen, is strictly scientific, very simple, and 

 thoroughly efficacious, as may lie understood 

 from the crucial test to which it has been sub- 

 jected on the last homeward voyage of the 

 Abyssinia, and it is one well calculated to 

 promote a large and valuable trade. " — Hmt.'^ton 

 ( Texas) Teleyraph. 



^ 



FRUIT AS A MEDICINE. 

 The irregular eating of unripe fruit is well 

 known to be unwholesome. Tlie regular and 

 moderate use of well-ripened fruit is not so 

 widely appreciated as contributing to health. 

 Residents in regions where more or less ma- 

 laria prevails, have discovered that nothing is 

 a more sure preventive of its deleterious ef- 

 fects than a regular supply of fruit. A case 

 is well known to us where a man with 

 a family removed to the West. He 

 had provided large quantities of well-dried 

 fruit, and this was u.sed regularly during the 

 first summer. Although suffering many pri- 

 vations and exposures to hardships, this 

 family escaped the prevailing epidemics. The 

 .second year, the supply of fruit being ex- 

 hausted, the added comforts which they had 

 secured did not protect them from disease. 

 Many other similar ciuses have occurred. It 

 shotdd therefore be made a special object with 

 all about to remove to newly-settled regions, 

 and in fact to any other localities, to take 

 with them or make provisions for the innne- 

 diate planting of an ample supply of earlv- 

 beariug fruit plants and trees, such as straw- 

 berries, currants, grapes, rasjibcrries, dwarf 

 apples and pears, and the well-known early 

 bearers among larger sorts, such as Bartlett 

 pear. Early strawberry, Baldwin and Porter 

 ajiples, and many other sorts which will give 

 crops while yet small. 



But the fruit will not only prevent disease, 

 but in some instances it hasproved one of the 

 best medicines to cure it. Many years ago a 

 chronic cough, which had excited a good deal 



of uneasiness, was cured by daily eating ripe 

 rasjiberries, reconunemled by a medical writer 

 of high authority as an excellent expectorant. 

 Sevens colds are mori; apt to occur on the 

 first cool and damp days of autunm than at 

 other sea.sons. We have often cured these 

 diseases on their first attack, by eating copi- 

 ously of ripe watermelons. The beneficial ef- 

 fects of drinking freely of cold water on such 

 occasions, are well known. Watermelons 

 supi)ly a larger ([uantity than one could easily 

 swallow in any other way. We have not 

 found these or the raspberry expectorant an 

 unplea.sant medicine to take. When visiting 

 recently the Oenteniual grounds at I'hiladel- 

 l)hia, we had taken "a bad cold." Knowing 

 that many had been made sick by drinking the 

 bad water at that place, wv resolved to secure 

 botli a benefit and a pleasure Ijy using rii>e 

 watermelons instea<l, which happened to bo 

 abundant at that time. Their copious use 

 performed a surprisingly rapid cure, with an 

 escape from all the bad effects of the water. 

 But it must be rememberifd that the common 

 moderate eating will not answer th(- desired 

 purpo.se ; nothing but " heroic " ccm.sunii)lion 

 of this fruit will effect a prompt cure. 



We mention these various facts as an ad- 

 ditional inducement for the planting of fruit- 

 trees and jilauts, in addition to the claim of 

 comfort and the luxury of a constant succes- 

 sion of fruit through the year, as well as its 

 imiiortant contribution to economy by reduc- 

 ing the expen.ses of the table. — Vuunlry Gen- 

 tleman. 



SOCIAL LIFE ON THE FARM. 



There is hardly a city in the United States 

 which does not contain more people than can 

 get a fair, honest living, by labor or trade, in 

 the best tinu'S. When times of busiTiess de- 

 pression come, like those through which we 

 have passed, and are i)assing, there is a large 

 class that must be helped, to keep them from 

 cruel suffering. Still the cities grow, while 

 whole regions of the country — es|)ecially its 

 older i>ortions — are depopulated year by 3"ear. 

 Y'et the fact is patent to-<lay that the oidy 

 prosperous class is the agriculiural. We often 

 witness the anomaly of thrifty farmers and 

 starving tradesmen. Tla^ country must be 

 fed, and the farmers feed it. The city family 

 may do without new clothes, and a th(jusand 

 luxmious appliances, l)\it it must have bread 

 and meat. There is nothing that can prevent 

 the steady prosperity of the American farmer 

 but the combinations and "comers" of mid- 

 dlemen, that force unniitural conditions upon 

 the finances and markets of the country. 



This is not the first occasion we have had for 

 allusion to this subject, and it is not likely to 

 be the last. The forsaking of the farm for 

 the city life is one the great evils of the time, 

 and, so far, it has received no appreciable 

 cheek. Every young man, apiiarently. who 

 thinks he can get a living in the city, or at 

 the niiuoi' centres of the po|iulation, quits his 

 lonely home upon the farm and joins the mul- 

 titude. Onie in the city he never returns. 

 Notwithstanding couliuemenl and the straigh- 

 tened conditions of his new life, he clings to 

 it until he dies, adding his family to the per- 

 manent population of hisnew home. Mr. Gree- 

 le3',in his days of active philauthrop y, used to 

 urge men to leave the city — to go w<'st — to 

 join the. agricultural population, and thus 

 make thenisi^lves .sure of a competent liveli- 

 hood. He miiiht as well have talked to the 

 wind. A city population can neither be 

 coaxed nor driven into agricultural pursuit.s. 

 It is not that they are afraid of work. The 

 averagt^ worker of the city toils more hours 

 than tlie average farmer in anyipiarter of the 

 country. He is neither fed nor lodged as \yell 

 as the farmer. He is less independent than 

 the farmer. He is a bond-slave to his em- 

 ployers and his conditions; yet the agricul- 

 tural life has no charms for him. 



Whatever the reason for this may be, it is 

 not ba.sed in the nature of the work, or in its 

 material rewards. The farmer is deraon- 

 .strably iH'tter off than the worker of the city. 

 He is more independent, luus more command 



