214: 



THE ILLINOIS FAEMER 



July 



tion ; and it is probable that her annual product is 

 not yet one-fourth what it will be. When her im- 

 mense and almost universal culture of Indian corn 

 shall have been diversified by the extensive pro- 

 duction of wool, flax, sugar (from sorghum and the 

 beet,) tobacco, &c., as well as by the manufactur- 

 ers, which her cheap food and in exhaustible fuel 

 strongly invite, her labor will be far better re- 

 warded than at present. Yet she had in 1860 no 

 less than 1,'?11„'758 inhabitants (rather more than 

 one to every eight cultivated acres,) and her ag- 

 — The above we clip from the New York Tribune, 

 a paper somewhat extensively read in this out of 

 the way country. We have not as yet seen the 

 map as the one destined for our sanctum, was re- 

 tained to hand us personally during anniversary 

 week at Bloomington, but being at the time at 

 Vicksburg, we of course had to forego the pleasure 

 of one at least. Shells are abundant at both places 

 but the music attachment was only to be found at 

 the latter. Had the sharp shooter who tried his 

 hand at our red shirt four hundred yards, given 

 his piece a little more elevation, we might not have 

 been able to appreciate the map at this time, even 

 if sent by express. Ed. 



Mr. Nice's Mode of Keeping Fruits. 



Some years ago, Liebig discovered the analogy 

 between the slow decay of vegetable substances 

 and fermentation, and settled many things in refer- 

 ence to temperature, moisture and other circum- 

 stances under which these actions take place. 

 Subsequent experiments confirmed the deductions 

 of Liebig, and fixed the range of fermentation be- 

 tween 40° and ISOTah. Appert, a French chem- 

 ist, introduced the praetice of heating vegetable 

 substances to 180" or above, and at that tempera- 

 ture, excluding them from the air, and thus effect- 

 ually preventing fermemtation. This method has 

 now become so common that it has nearly revolu- 

 tionized this department of domestic economy. 



Mr. Nice, of Grecnsburg, Ind., a few years since, 

 • .conceived the idea of availing himself of the margin 

 |> 'between the fermenting point (40'') and the frec- 

 zing point below (32°). His first trouble was the 

 presence of moisture in the atmospliere ; this, how - 

 ever, he effectually remedied by the use of Cloride 

 of Calcium, which, by absorbing the moisture, 

 renders the air perfectly dry. Having obtained 

 favorable results, he secured by patent his discov- 

 ery. In the summer of 1860. Messrs. Fletcher, 

 Williams & Vancamp erected in this city a large 

 house for the purpose of testing the economical 

 value of testing Mr. Nice's discoveries. As early 

 as ice could be procured last winter, they put their 

 house into operation. About one thousand bush- 

 els of apples, consisting of Bellflowers, R I. Green- 

 ings, Rambos, Russets, etc., constituted the first 

 experiment. These were put into market the fol- 

 lowing June, as perfect in every respect as when 

 they were taken from the tree, and with a very 

 trifling loss in quantity. Last summer, various 

 experiments were made on small fruits, with very 

 encouraging results. Rasperries and strawberries 

 were kept eight weeks, after which they lost their 

 flavor, though they showed no evident marks of 

 decay. 



Gooseberries, currants and cherries were kept in 



good order for a longer period, giving evidence 

 that, with proper care, they may be kept the year 

 round. Peaches, in ten weeks, showed evidence 

 of decay ; the skin sloughing withont material dis- 

 coloration. Of pears, about two hundred and fifty 

 bushels were housed, and ape now in a fine state 

 of preservation. Alnong these are the Sugar pear, 

 the Bartlett, Seckelj^ Flemish Beauty, and several 

 other varieties of summer and fall pears. Present 

 appearances indicate that they will be sound next 

 summer. Grapes that were in good condition when 

 housed, have not in the slightest degree changed 

 their appearance or flavor. A lot from the Cin- 

 cinnati vineyards, that were much bruised in trans- 

 portation, sufi"ered loss for the first ten days after 

 being deposited, but have undergone no sensible 

 change since. The stock on hand is about one 

 hundred and fifty bushels. I predict that the com- 

 pany will market grapes next June in good con- 

 dition. Oranges, lemons, pine-apples, bananas and 

 other tropical fruits, may be kept for months at 

 any season of the year. Of the last crop of ap- 

 ples, two thousand five hundred bushels are on 

 hand, in a most perfect state of preservation — the 

 fall Pcarmain, Maiden's Blush and Rambo keeping 

 as well as the Newtown Pippin, or Romanite. A 

 small lot^of sample apples, of the fruitage of 1860, 

 are on hand, looking well, and retaining their fla- 

 vor in a remarkable degree. 



The results thus far obtained, warrant us in con- 

 cluding that in all climates where ice can be ob- 

 tained, the standard fruits may be furnished at all 

 seasons of the year, at prices which will bring this 

 luxury within the reach of every family ; thus 

 largely increasing fruit consumption, and propor- 

 tionately stimulating fruit culturo. 



T. T. Brown. 



-<o»- 



From the Scientific American. 



Hopeful Characters of Inventions. 



Many persons have supposed that most of the 

 inventions which engross public attention at pres- 

 ent are of a warlike character; hence they believe 

 that improvements in the useful industrial arts are 

 not so numerous as formerly. This is a mistaken 

 notion. Of the one hnndred and eighteen new in- 

 ventions which are illustrated in the present vol- 

 ume of this paper, only four relate to purposes of 

 warfare. Improved machines and devices relating 

 to every branch of the industrial arts have been 

 illustrated ; among these are reapers, cultivators, 

 cow-milkers, horse hay forks, churns, carts, lamps, 

 water wheels, steam engines, bridges, screw jacks, 

 wrenches, etc.; all of which afford evidence of the 

 great variety of subjects to which the minds of 

 our inventors have been directed. This is a most 

 gratifying feature, because the prosperity of a 

 country depends upon the progress of what are 

 called " the peaceful industrial arts." 



The Consumption of Wool. 



The consumption of wool in the United States 

 during the past year has been unusually large, 

 amounting in the aggregate to 126,000,000 pounds. 

 The quantity of raw material required for army 

 supplies alone, during the past year, is estimated 

 at 50,000,000, for the navy 1,000,000, for civilians' 

 wear 65,000,000, and the amount required to re- 

 place cotton, formerly incorporated to a much 

 greater extent in mixed fabrics, 10,000,000 pounds. 



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