Gathering Apples from lofty Trees. 



581 



Mr. Jamieson, we understand, practised this method at Knebworth with 

 the greatest success ; and he has no doubt that it might be employed in 

 orchards on a large scale, instead of the present practice of burning straw. 

 In North America there are, in some seasons, immense nights of locusts, 

 of some miles in length, and a mile or more in breadth. Might not a whole 

 country unite in burning gas tar at the same moment, so as to destroy these 

 insects en masse f There would be no danger to human beings who were 

 content to keep close to the earth ; because, all smoke being lighter than 

 pure air, the latter would naturally gravitate to the surface. Considerable 

 annoyance to an army entering a town, or to ships at sea, the wind being 

 in a favourable direction, might, no doubt, be effected by the skilful ma- 

 nagement of so powerful a smoke ; produced in such immense quantities, 

 and so rapidly, from such a small quantity of materials. In the cities of 

 Russia, it is the custom to disperse mobs, and quiet drunken people, by 

 playing water on them with a fire-engine : in desperate cases, perhaps, 

 smoke would be preferable. For garden purposes, it would be very desir- 

 able to know the neatest, cheapest, and most commodious mode of gener- 

 ating and applying this smoke. Probably dry leaves of trees, or coarse 

 paper, or tanners' bark, impregnated with gas tar, might be burned in a fu~ 

 migator such as we have figured in p. 354. ; and thus this seemingly clumsy 

 process might be rendered as easy of use, and neat in application, as the 

 process of fumigating with tobacco. We recommend the subject to the 

 attention of our readers, and especially such of our young friends as have 

 studied a little chemistry. — Cond. 



Art. XXV. Account of a Method of gathering Apples from the 

 most lofty and slender Trees, "without breaking any Twigs, and 

 without Danger to the Operator. By Mr. E. M, Mather. 



Procure a ladder of the requisite length, and two cords, 

 about twice as long as the ladder, with a noose at each end ; 

 also two iron pins, 3 ft. long, pointed at one end, and furnished 

 with a round flat head at the other. Place the end of one of 

 the lines under the top stave of the ladder, and slip it over 

 the end or top of the ladder side. The same being done 

 with the other line, spread both of them out to the right 

 and left, and fasten them to the ground by means of the two 



pins before mentioned; 

 taking care to push the 

 pins so firmly into the 

 ground as to support a 

 man and ladder, without 

 its leaning against the 

 tree. I will endeavour, 

 by the following rough 

 sketch (Jig. 119.), to il- 

 lustrate my meaning. 

 Care must be taken, in 

 setting the ladder, that 

 p p 3 



