i©7 
THE RURAL NEW-YORKER. 
tem now in general use, from which a deduction 
can be made of given quantity. 
Length l meter equal to 39.37 inches. 
Dry M. 1 liter ‘ SOS quarts. 
Liquid or Dry M. 1 liter “ " 1.(1367 quarts. 
Weight 1 praru “ *• 15.433 grains. > 
. Avoirdupois, i 
The following are the approximate equiva¬ 
lents : 
The Meter is about three foot three inches and 
three eighths of an inch. 
One Decimeter is nearly four inches. 
Five Meters are nearly one rod. 
One Kilometer is a little less than 200 rods, or 
five-eighths of a mile. 
One Liter is a little more than a wine quart. 
One Tonneau, or Metric ton, is about 2205 lbs. 
One Kilogram is about 2 1 -5th lbs. 
The live cotit nickel coin weighs 5 grams, and 
is 20 millimeter* In diameter 
Of this system Charles Sumner has said: 
“ What a contrast to the anterior confusion ! A 
boy at school can master the Metric System in an 
afternoon. Months, if not years are required 
to store away the perplexities, incongruities 
and inconsistencies of the existing weights and 
measures, and thou memory must often fail in 
reproducing them. The mystery of compound 
arithmetic, is essential in the calculations which 
they require. All this is done away with by tho 
decimal progression, so that the first four rales 
of arithmetic are ample for the pupil.” 
®[|t (jurist. 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Peach Guitarist. -Cun you give mo, through 
the columns of the Rural, details of the process 
of canning fruit, from the orchard to the store¬ 
room, in glass and tin cans, for one’s own use 
and the market. 
Ans. -The process of canning fruit, whether 
in glass, tin or earthenware vessels, for home 
use or for sale, is essentially tho same, and much 
simpler than is generally supposed. There are 
a number of methods of accomplishing this, hut 
our space prevents us from detailing more than 
the one which has proved the most satisfactory. 
The fruit for canning should bo plucked when 
fairly riye, and, with few exceptions, tho sooner 
it iB put up, after having bean gathered, the hot¬ 
ter. With regard, however, to the degree of ma¬ 
turity some latitude is permissible. As a prepa¬ 
ration for the process, the larger fruit should he 
peeled, cored and cut into medium-sized pieces 
or slices. After the cans are filled aud before 
closing them, some add sugar, pepper, spices 
and other condiments, but, as u rule, it is better 
to defer seasoning the fruit until it is used. 
Among the different, means practiced for ex¬ 
cluding the air and destroying the fermentative 
properties of tho fruit, experience has shown 
that the most effective is to heat the fruit thor¬ 
oughly in the can. by steaming at a temperature 
of about 218 or 220 degrees, Fahr., and then to 
seal the can wbilo its contents are quite hot, By 
heating in tho can, the fruit is not broken, the 
air is expelled sufficiently to Insure tho preserva¬ 
tion of the fruit, and the sealing is easily accom¬ 
plished. By heating to a temperature of 218, or 
so, fermentation and consequent putrefaction 
arc found to be much more effectually prevented 
than by heating at 212' , tho ordinary tempera- 
turo of boiling water. I5y shunning, the temper¬ 
ature is readily raised to the required degree, 
the whole exterior of the can is exposed to the 
heating medinrn, ami in (ho interior every purl 
of tho fruit, not covered by the juice, oomes 
into contact with compressed steam, aud tho 
whole is boated equally and completely. By seal¬ 
ing while hot, the external air iH excluded at a 
time when that within tho can is so highly ruri- 
fied and displaced by steam that, on the cooling 
of the vessel, enough of it does not remain to 
energizo the putrefactive elements. Moreover, 
tho vessels should he ahvuys filled to overflowing, 
aud it would bo well, whero the preservation of 
the fruit unbroken is immaterial, to press it 
down with a spoon or other instrument to expel 
any bubbles of air that might possibly remain 
in the hollow interior of strawberries or other 
small fruit. 
The process can he readily practiced, on a scale 
sufficiently largo for a family’s needs, by putting 
into a large boiler—a common wash-boiler will 
answer the purpose excellently—water enough 
to cover the bottom to the depth of two or three 
inches, and then, u little above the surface of the 
water, placing a rack, made of lath or other 
strips, on which to set the oans. Having filled 
these, place them on this rack, of courso, with 
the stoppers or caps off. Covor the boiler as 
tightly as possible with a cover and a cloth spread 
beneath it. Then, with a brisk tire, generate 
steam until the cans and their contents are thor¬ 
oughly heated through tho time necessary for 
which will depend on the kind of fruit ^ud tho 
size of the cans. With ordinary cans, say four 
or five inches in diameter, tho time needed to 
complete tho operation, after the steam has 
begun to issue freely from tho boiler, is approx¬ 
imately from fifteen to twenty minutes for ber¬ 
ries, peaches and pears, and about thirty minutes 
for tomatoes aud quinces. When tho cans are 
thoroughly heated, remove and seal them as 
soon as convenient. There iB no necessity for 
sealing hurriedly, since tho heat imparted to tho 
contents of the cans will keep the air expanded 
long enough to permit the operation to he done 
deliberately. Closing the boiler tightly will 
cause a pressure of steam sulficient to raise tho 
temperature fully as high as needed, for tho 
temperature of steam rises only with its press¬ 
ure. To avoid breaking the vessels, when they 
are of glass or earthenware, it iH safest to place 
them on the rack before tho water has become 
very warm, but if tho cans aro of tin or other 
metal, it is immaterial whether they bo put in 
their place before or after tho water has begun 
to boil. Komo kinds of fruit, settle during the 
process ami leave the can only partly tilled. To 
remedy this, some of tho fruit should he put into 
a tin pail or other convenient vessel, and healed 
with tho cans, which may, in this way, he filled 
up before they aro Honied, or the lids snowed 
down. 
For preserving largo quantities for the market 
or other purposes, a steam-tight chamber, tor 
tho reception of tho cans, should ho made of 
hoards or sheet metal, and charged with steam 
by means of a pipe communicating with a sepa¬ 
rate boiler. 
After Healing, if tho vessels are of kIuhh, thoy 
should ho sot away in a dark place, ami of what¬ 
ever material they are made, they should he 
stored in a cool situation, hut care should be 
taken that the tenq>eraturo never falls to the 
freezing point. Fruit put up in this way, will 
always retain its natural odor, flavor and ap¬ 
pearance bettor than if preserved by any other 
process. 
Kk.mc, Day it Co., and E. C. Hazard <t Co., 
aro largo fruit cannorH of this city, and will 
probably, if you write to them, give you any in¬ 
formation on the business points on which you 
consult us. Much useful information on fruit 
culture ami handling will, doubtless, ho elicited 
during tho approaching meeting of tho Amen 
can Ponfiologioal Society at Baltimore, aud it 
would pay you well to attend it for the sake of 
posting yourself thoroughly in tho details of 
your projected undertaking by talking with those 
well acquainted with it, and visiting the numer¬ 
ous canneries ill the city. Your last request 
shall he complied with next week. 
M. Harrington , Oneiita Co., N. Y. —1 have for 
tho last three years been experimenting with 
ginseng Bccd and I have not succeeded in making 
one seed grow. Can yon give mo instructions 
about when to how, condition of ground, seed 
aud any information regarding their manage¬ 
ment, so that I may ho successful in their germ¬ 
ination ? 
Ans.—W e have had no experience and find 
nothing in any of the works at hand which will 
answer your question. You can only imitate tho 
natural conditions of their germination. The 
plant grows in rich woods. Tho experience of 
Philip Miller, recorded in his Gardeners’ Dic¬ 
tionary, in 175!), is similar to yours. lie says : 
“ This plant has been introduced to the English 
gardens from America, and whero it has boon 
planted in a shady situation and a light soil, tho 
plants havo thriven and produced llowers, and 
ripened their seeds annually, hut not one of 
these seeds has grown ; for I have several years 
sown them soon after they were ripe, without 
any success; I have also sown of the seeds which 
were sent, me from America several times in va¬ 
rious situations, and havo not raised a single 
plant from cither; and by the account* which 
the missionaries have sont from China, it ap¬ 
pears they have had no better success with the 
seeds of this plant, which they say they have 
frequently sown in tho gardens in China, but 
could not raise one plant: so that I believe there 
is a necessity for tho hermaphrodite plants to 
have some male plants stand near them, to ren¬ 
der the seeds prolific ; for all these plants which 
I have seen, or saved tho seeds from, were such 
as had hermaphrodite flowers; and though the 
seeds seemed to ripen perfectly, yet their not 
growing, though I havo waited throe years with¬ 
out disturbing the ground, confirms me in this 
opinion.” 
if. Knight. —Can evergreeus he propagated by 
cuttings ? If so, what is tho best time to set 
them, and which is the best variety to use ? I 
shall be greatly obliged to you or any of your 
readers who will answer these inquiries. 
Ans. —Yes. Unless you wish to propagate on 
a large scale, boxes or flower-pots may be used. 
We prefer a large flowor-pot, say ten inches in 
diameter. Fill half full of light drainage, or in¬ 
sert a saucer of a size to be held near the mid 
die of tho flower-pot. Fill with coarse, dean 
sand, and put in tho cuttings an inch or more 
deep aud press tho sand firmly about the stems. 
If put in during fall and kept in a light place, 
the temperature of which is above frost, they 
will form roots by early spring. The pots may 
he placed whore they will get sunshine with ben¬ 
efit to tho cuttings. It is only necessary that the 
sand should never he permitted to dry out. 
American Arborvitie, tho Ketiuasporas and Juni¬ 
pers aro easily propagated in this way. 
.S’. Pitcher . JV. —(1.) Is tlmro any day in 
tho year in which one can cut down apple trees 
and not have them sprout around the stump? 
Tf *o, when? (2,) What is the cause of turnips 
and cabbages growing dump-footed. (8.) Is 
Montreal or Quebec a walled city ? (1.) Is there 
any postage currency issued now by the Govern¬ 
ment and arc they collecting what is now in circu¬ 
lation ? If you will answer these questions in 
your columns you will oblige a subscriber. 
Ass.—(1.) There ism. parUoularday though the 
season that has to do with it. Wo should choose 
that time when the grow this completed or nearly 
so and before the “ripening" of the wood has 
begun. (2.) It i» caused by an insect the An- 
thomi/ia braxxmi. (3 ) Quebec is a walled city. 
(1.) No. Yes, and destroying it. 
S. W. ft., Amherst, Mass. Will you please 
answer tho following questions through the good 
Rural; 1. What is tho name of Urn enclosed 
plant? It is one of tho prettiest and the 
earliest blooming annuals with winch I am ac¬ 
quainted. It begins to bloom in May aud is 
completely covered with its pretty roso-eulored 
flowers through tho season. It grows about a 
foot high aud is of slender but compact habit. 
2. What will destroy the little white mites that 
get into boxes of insects, i make my boxes as 
tight as possible, hut they will got in. 
Ans. (1) As nearly as we can make out from 
specimen, Makolneia nuirilma (2.) A small 
piece of camphor in each box. 
A Westchester Farmer. I havo been unfor¬ 
tunate in some of my crops the past season, and 
have not found tilings much encouraging for 
several years. I have boon some inclined to give 
up my farm ; but if 1 could only see a fair show, 
I would rather hold on. I have seen a letter in 
your paper from Conrad Wilson, which looks 
like business and reads encouraging. Now my 
greatest trouble Is, 1 dou’t have manure enough 
and cannot afford to buy it. If Mr. Wilson can 
tell mo what is host to do in such a case, I think 
I could get along. I dare miy others aro in want 
of the same advice, and 1 hope we may hear from 
him again 
Mrs. A '..ft. Cox .—Will some one who knows, 
tell me through “ The Querist Column," of the 
nature aud habits of “ Smihix,” how to treat it, 
the kind of soil, if tho roots should lie divided 
occasionally and so-furth. During tho winter 
the loaves of mine tui’iiod yellow and dropped, 
then now shoots came up from the root. It 
grows very slowly this summer and does not 
run at all as it did last. From a lover of The 
Rural and Flowers. 
Ans. —Smiiax loves a rich soil and plenty of 
room. Hence when growing in pots, tho bulbs, 
increasing rapidly, soon crowd one another and 
suffer in consequence. Pots should bo well 
drained. Hniilax lovos moisture hut cannot 
hear a Rour, wot soil. I f cultivated in pots, it is 
host to separate tho bulbs every year, 
A. K. if., Itvh’niO’nd, Me. 1 am desirous of 
purchasing a book on Swine. Will you please 
inform me of the best work, in your opinion, 
which you have in stock ? 
Ans. — Coburn’s Swine Husbandry. Price, 
*1.75. Orange Judd Co,, New York. Wo have 
no work of tlio kind. 
“ Clifton " must send name and address. 
Then wo will cheerfully answer ins or her ques¬ 
tions. Wo have no doubt “Clifton" writes iu 
good faith, but it is our rule to require full ad¬ 
dress. 
N. II. Barnwell. —Where can I purchase a 
Fyke Net ? 
Ans. — John Conroy, 65 Fulton St., New York. 
Mrs. IF. L. M. C., Fayette .—See “Domestic 
Economy” next week. 
<£iitnli)(ifrc. 
» 
NOTES FROM SECTIONS. 
Outagamie, Co., WIs., August 1st. is77. 
Wu are suffering from the most severe drought 
which has been known iu this part of tho State 
for years. Everything is literally drying up, 
crops, pastures, meadows, wells, brooks and 
springs, dry, all dry. We had barely rain enough 
In the spring to start the crops ; then one or 
two light showers; for the last four or five weeks, 
hardly enough to lay the duat. Of crops, winter 
wheat is good ; there was very little sown last rail; 
spring wheat and oats are being harvested now, 
and they will make about an average crop, al¬ 
though tho fly or weevil has injured the spring 
wheat quite seriously. Without rain soon, corn 
will he a failure, with plenty of rain it may make 
a crop yet, Potatoes are small and ripened up 
prematurely by the drought. Barley and peas 
are the host crops wo have grown this year. Hay 
is light and stock havo worked hard to pick a 
living on tho bare, dry pastures and meadows. 
The drought seems to be local, as wo hoar of 
plenty of rain and good crops in other parts of 
tho State, and in other States around us. k. n. 
- 4 » * 
Koscoic. Coshocton Co„ Ohio. 
As it lias been several years since 1 have seen 
Coshocton Co., represented in your paper. T 
thought 1 would give you a short history of our 
crops and prospects for this summer. Wheat is 
very good, tho best for years ; corn good best 
ou our hill-ground, as there was too much rain 
in ihc spring for low bottom lands. As for our 
grass, it would he hard to toll you how good our 
crop is; a great many mowing their pasture 
fields, never so good a crop before. Oats very 
heavy, nearly all down. Tho farmers are busy 
now, trying to save them, cutting all kinds of 
ways, reaping, cradling and mowing. 
As for fruit, very few apples, and poor at that; 
light crop of poaches. Wo have had rain just 
when wo needed it all summer. 
Mas. C. Mo C. 
Stanton, Kansas, July 23d, istt. 
Crops look fine in this county—weather very 
dry. If rain does not come soon, corn will h 
short. It is now worth thirty cents. Beef on 
foot, four cents ; hogs, four cents ; apples, fifty 
cents. Peaches will soon ho ripe ; hut they aro 
not very plentiful. Wo havo had no grass¬ 
hoppers hero this year. Chinch bugs also failed 
to come to time. Potato hugs do not trouble us 
and wo are happy. A now poach has come in 
bearing two weeks earlier than Halo’s Early. 
None for sale. Hogs are healthy. No disoaso 
among them at present. Wat. E. Mannnn. 
--- 
Houston, Tex., July alst, 1877. 
Pkai'ii culture seems to havo seen its day in this 
locality. The curculio is so troublesome that 
there is not fruit enough to accommodate all the 
worms, so that from two to four sometimes in¬ 
fest a single peach. To-day I just Commenced 
hi make cuttings. I make them in tho hottest 
part of tho season with very little trouble or at¬ 
tention. A description of my method, and of tho 
apparatus invented by mo to this end I shall 
give you in my next. a. m. 
— - - - - 
OWENSBORO, K V,, July 3d, 1877. 
Since I know of no news being communicated 
to the Rural from tho “ Green River country,” 
I concluded to send an item or two. Wo have 
had abundance of rain iu consequence of which 
tobacco is greatly damaged. Corn looks lino ; 
bay crop good, wheat the best ever harvested in 
this country, worth from DO cents to #105; 
potatoes (early,) fine, twenty-five cents per bush¬ 
el. Apple crop line. Peaches very few, only 
seedlings. Old corn forty-five to fifty cents per 
bushel. Hog cholera slaying the porkers. ,j. w. 
- » < ♦- 
BOOKSTON, N. U., July 31st., Ih#77. 
I have my corn laid by, my threshing done, 
sweet potatoes, mangels, etc., pretty welt cleaned 
out, and find hoped that when all this was over 
I would have some leisure ; but sick pigs, (I havo 
lost six out of seven line Berkshire*,) sick poul¬ 
try, and many other causes have taken up much 
of my time ; and now grapes aro ripening and 
will he ready to ship by tho time my boxes aro 
prepared. m. r. p. 
--. 
Bergen Co., N. J., Aug. to. 
Corn never so tall. Melons ripening. The 
vines are immense owing to cloudy weather and 
plenty of rain. Grass which at this season of 
the year is usually dry and brown, is as green as 
iu late spring. Tho most fault-finding are 
amiable and lighten up their wrinkled faces with 
smiles. c. a. h. 
- — - 
LAST ROCKAWAY, !.. I., AlJgUSt, 1877. 
Crop of corn never hotter on Long Island. 
Rain is now needed, however, or the crops will 
suffer. Oat crop fair. Wheat and Rye never 
better. The grass was so injured by the drought 
after harvest of last summer that it lias not inado 
over a half crcp. r. u. c. 
- 4 - 4 - 4 -- 
Kalamazoo, Midi., Aug. 7. 
Everything has been put hack by the strike. 
It has been fearfully warm for several days. 
Tho prospects along the road are very good. 
Crops are way ahead of any expectations and a 
heavy trade is anticipated among merchants. 
- 4 ♦♦- 
okono, Michigan. 
Wheat line—outs also good, The corn crop is 
excellent over the greater part of the country. 
Comparatively little trouble baa boon experienc¬ 
ed on account of the potato beetle. s. m. s 
bONO Island, Aug,. 8. 
A short rain or so has helped us out. It was 
needed for corn which is now ono of tho finest 
crops ever raised on tho Island. o. 
