THE SOUTHERN PLANTER. 



315 



He cares not who may office hold. 



The statesmen's pride, the stout man's limb, 



The lover's hopes are naught to him, 



His mind three things alone receives— 



His wife, his children, and his beeves. 



So these may flourish and be fair, 



All else around is smoke and air. 



Oh, Logan grazier, stout and strong, 



Despising fraud, defying wrong, 



Brave as thine ancestors who boie 



The scars of combat, long and sore, 



And fearless met in battle shock, 



The wild and painted Shawanock ; 



True as the rifle in thy hand, 



And generous as thy fertile land — 



Full oft I've eaten by thy side 



Thy cakes, of corn and venison fried : 



Oft in thy cabin as thy guest 



Have stretched my weary limbs to rest. 



I love to note thy honest brow, 



Staunch friend and true companion thou ; 



And know no manlier form is seen 



Than dwells within thy coat of jean ; 



Truth fills those eyes so keenly set 



Beneath thy fox skin cap, and yet 



I would not that thy lot were mine, 



I would not that my lot were thine. 



Guard thou thy beeves and count thy gold, 



Be glad when those great herds are sold. 



For me, by midnight lamp, I pore 

 My manuscript in silence o'er. 

 Each to the path that suits his feet; 

 Each toil, for time is moving fleet. 

 And soon in linen shroud arrayed, 

 Both in our narrow coffins laid, 

 It matters not if cattle fair, 

 Or making songs has been our care. 

 The poet's and the grazier's form 

 Shall feed alike the greedy worm ; 

 Shall pass the poet's glowing words, 

 Shall pass the grazier's lowing herds 5 

 And from men's memory fade away 

 Both grazier's shout and poet's lay. 



Prom the Genesee Parmer. 

 RIPENING OF APPLES AND PEARS. 



As many farmers and orehardists will be 

 busy in gathering their fruit crop for winter 

 use during this and the coming month, we may 

 be able to give some useful hints. 



To have sound and perfect apples through 

 the winter mouths, it is absolutely necessary 

 that much care should be given in gathering. 

 This should be deferred with the winter fruit 

 as late as practicable and avoid early severe 

 frosts. The fruit should be picked from the 

 tree by means of ladders, and placed in bas- 

 kets, when it should be assorted and packed at 

 once carefully in new tight barrels. These 

 barrels, after heading, should be removed on 

 sleds to a shed through which the air circulates 

 freely, or they might be protected easily from 

 the dew and rain by placing boards over them. 

 They may be allowed to remain in this situa- 



tion a week or more, or until the cold is too 

 severe, when they should be transferred to a 

 cool, dry cellar, and into which air may be ad- 

 mitted in mild weather. The barrels should 

 then be placed in tiers upon their sides, num- 

 bering upon each head the quality of the fruit 

 contained in the barrel, and the name. The 

 small imperfect but sound fruit is treated in 

 same maimer, and marked No. 2, indicating an 

 inferior sort. Apples which are intended for 

 market are frequently assorted into three dif- 

 ferent classes, the best, good, and inferior — 

 the former being all selected fruit; the good 

 containing sound fruit of medium or small 

 specimens; the third being so poor that the 

 fruit is wholly unfit for market, and suitable 

 only for stock or immediate family use. All 

 of this is easily done, yet many whole orchards 

 bring but an inferior price for want of this 

 care. 



Too often we find that winter apples are left 

 upon the tree very late in the autumn, fre- 

 quently till they have been exposed to two or 

 three severe frosts; when convenient they are 

 shaken from the trees, the good and bad poured 

 into barrels or open wagons, or perhaps half a 

 dozen sorts. Afterwards they are emptied 

 promiscuously into bins, barrels or open boxes, 

 wdiere they are expected to keep well through 

 winter. This is a most ruinous method, yet it 

 is practised by at least three-fourths of the 

 farmers; or they adopt another course equally 

 as wasteful in securing the fruit. 



Fully one half is lost by this method of 

 gathering, as the fruit ripens prematurely and 

 decays rapidly by being bruised. The decay 

 is very much hastened where several sorts are 

 mixed promiscuously together, ripening at as 

 many different seasons. Those kinds, too, 

 which do not come to maturity till late in the 

 winter or early in the spring, are turned and 

 handled many times when assorting those 

 which are in season during November and De- 

 cember. 



Light is found unfavorable to the keeping of 

 fruit, and should be excluded : and it is often 

 noticed that where fruit, particularly pears, is 

 placed in a room above ground, and often- 

 times in a very dry cellar, and left exposed to 

 the air they shrivel. They should therefore be 

 kept either in barrels or tight boxes. About, 

 the time pears are needed for use they can be 

 removed to a room of higher temperature and 

 kept as closely as before in drawers or boxes, 

 where they will ripen very speedily, and will 

 possess much finer flavor than if allowed to 

 ripen in a cooler place. By treating pears in 

 this way, one variety can be made to last a 

 . long time. 



