January, 1914 



THE GARUEIN AND FIELD. 



]Mediuin, 3 ll>s. ditto., 30 per 

 cent, density. 



l.iirht, 2 lbs. ditto., 20 per cent, 

 deusitv. 



Very lij^ht, i lb. ditto., 10 per 

 cent, density. 



The value of sup^ars a^nd the 

 weig^ht of water vary somewhat ; 

 it is therefore advisable to use a 

 small instrument, costing about 

 3/6, called a saccharometcr, for 

 the purpose of testing the •density 

 of svrup, for while some may pre- 

 fer highlv sweetened syrups, others 

 may condemn these as sickly ; and 

 as the strength of the svrup does 

 not materiallv matter, the pre- 

 server .should exerci.sie his (or her) 

 discretion, and use a saccha'rome- 

 ter as a guide and to ensure a re- 

 gular .strength in each batch , of 

 fruit. 



Take rather more water than 

 may be rsquired — ^this will be a 

 matter of jud'^ment, the quantity 

 varying according to the space 

 between the fruit : bring it to the 

 boil, and stir in the recjuired quan- 

 tity of sugar, and simmer steadily 

 for about seven minutes, stirring 

 occasionally, and removing any 

 scum that may arise to the sur- 

 face. The longer svrup is work- 

 ed in this way the denser it will 

 become. Care must be taken not 

 to let it scorch or burn, or the 

 colour and flavour as well as the 

 " texture " will be spoiled. When 

 finished, strain through a piece of 

 muslin into wooden or earthen- 

 ware vessels, and allow the syrup 

 to cool before filling it into the 

 bottles. 



The syrup must be used the same 

 day that it is prepared. If any is 

 left over to the next day it must 

 be aerain ster lised before it is filled 

 into the bottles ; it mav be added 

 to the fresh batch of syrup with 

 the sugar. 



• 



For canning fruits for commer- 

 cial purposes very heavy svrups 

 are used for the hifrh-grade fruit. 

 These are obtainable by evapora- 

 tion, and sometimes a sm.all 

 spoonful of susrar is also added in 

 the tin. A very small quantity 

 of the finest p^lucnse is also some- 

 times used, but these methods are 

 not necessarv in household preserv- 

 ing. 



Sometimes honey is used with 

 the syrup in preserving strawber- 

 ries, raspberries, and other choice 

 dessert fruits. This is a very 

 good practice. The bee-hives are 

 placed among the fruits for which 



the honey is intt;n(K"d to be used, 

 in order to obtain an additional 

 llavour. I have tasted fruits treat- 

 ed this way, but considered them 

 too rich and s\vv-et to allow n'.e to 

 cat enough of them. Oortainh- they 

 were very luscious, but for ordin- 

 ary jjurposes I consider a good 

 s^ru]) properly made is suiricient. 



(To be Continued). 



Dynamite in the Orchard. 



Some Victoria n land owners 

 ha\e found the use of exposives 

 a cheai) and effective method of 

 clearing the land in preparation 

 for planting. At a demonstration 

 given for the information of the 

 writer, Mr. Geo. Knox exploded 

 four plugs of dvnamite underneath 

 a i'2-in. dry stump, with the result 

 that the latter was blown clean 

 out of the ground and thrown a 

 distance of about 15 yards. Six 

 plugs were placed under a maich 

 larger stump and although the, ex- 

 plosion was not sufficient to re- 

 mov<a it bodily, it was completely 

 loosened, and might easily have 

 ^been pushed over with a jack. 

 Eight plugs, costing with cap and 

 fuse, about gd., would have lifted 

 it right out. Such a stump could 

 not be hand grubbed for less than 

 2/. The process is a very simple 

 one ; a 2in. auger with a long 

 shank is used for making the hole, 

 which is driven as far underneath 

 the tree as possible ; all the sticks 

 of dynamite or gelignite save one 

 are broken into pieces and pressed 

 into the hole bv means of a wood- 

 en 'rod ; the last stick, fitted with 

 cap and fuse, is then inserted and 

 tamped in with a few inches of soil 

 on the top. The fuse is timed to 

 burn at the rate of 2 i&st per 

 minute, so that a 3ft. hole gives 

 the operator one minute and a half 

 to get awa5^ Very little soil is 

 blown out of the hole, but the 

 ground is so completely pulverised 

 that the wooden rod can be thrust 

 into a depth of 3 or 4 ft. below 

 the bottom of the excavation, and 

 for a considerable distance all 

 around. There is no bank of earth 

 to throw back, as there is after 

 hand grubbing, and the hole is 

 easily and quickly filled in. Xhe 

 saving in time is con.siderable, as 

 a big stump can be blown out 

 while you wait," with very little 

 mo're labour than a small one. 

 To show the value of dynamite for 

 subsoiling, Mr. Knox exploded a 

 single plug in a 3ft. auger hole, 

 with the result that the soil was 



loosene^l uj) within a radius of 5 

 or 6 feet, and the rcrd was easily 

 thrust in to a depth of 3 or 4 feet. 

 This by no means indicated the 

 limits of the effect of the explr)sion, 

 the ground being doubtless shat- 

 tered much further than could be 

 I)robed with a blunt stick. It ap- 

 l>eared as though a cartridge at 

 every 10 or 12 feet would break u]) 

 the whole of the subsoil more ef- 

 fectively than any other method, 

 and leave the ground in excellent 

 trim for idantiug. Where subsoil- 

 ing was not necessary a couple 

 of cartridges exploded at every 

 spot where a tree was to be 

 [)lanted would be a splendid pre- 

 paration. In removing stumjjs 

 judgment is required to put a sul- 

 ficient explosive -into the hole with- 

 out using enough to produce an 

 unnecessarv disturbance. It is not 

 the so'rt of work to eive a stupid 

 person to do, but with due care 

 there need be no accident. One of 

 the settlers has an excellent elec- 

 trical apparatus for . exploding a 

 number of charges at one time 

 withottt the use of fuse. This out- 

 fit dost £15, but where a lot of 

 work is to be done it saves time, 

 besides reducing the risks. — I/eader. 



Alston s Patent Steel Framed 



GALVANISED STOCK TROUGH 



Will not crack. leak, rot. or rust. Packs 

 in small space. ALL LENGTHS. 



Write me your requirements. Send for 

 Catalogue. 



MILES IN USE 

 THROUGHOUT 

 AUSTRALIA 



The Best Trough ever invented. The 

 fact that other manufacturers are copy- 

 ing the Alston Patent as far as they 

 dare, is sufficient guarantee as to the 

 construction and stability of this Trough. 

 Large stocks. Immediate delivery. 



James Alston 



Patentee and 

 Manufacturer 



Queen's Bridge 

 SOUTH MELBOURNE 



Sol* Agaata lor a«uUi AuMraUft— 



H. C. RICHARDS 



6 and «, Blyth StrMt, AdaUida. 

 date OiiiMM utd Co. 



