Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1872-10-04


not.-N. IL. Farmer.
Preservation OF Fruits.
The first picking of apples is
usually the best, and ought to be
laid aside for Winter use. The
second gathering-for apples are
rarely twice hand-picked-should
be sorted out, the least injured ones
laid aside and then preserved, and
those most injured used at once
When cider is made at home the
same rules hold good. Work up
those apples that look least likely to
keep. As we are anxious to relieve
the overtasked housewife, we strong
ly impress on all persons that they
should secure large proportion of
their fruit safe for Winter consump-
ton, and that in state OF nature,
without giving their wives the trou-
BILE of canning such large quantities
as are usually put up in American
country homes. The care needed
for apples is doubly necessary for
pears, as they are more juicy and
less liable to resist the rough hand
ling or an uneven temperature.
When fruits are first gathered, they
as it is technically expressed, sweat,
that is, they exudc their superabun-
dant moisture. If this moisture be
carefully removed twice, and the
fruit neatly wrapped in paper, then
stored in an atmosphere that is
uniform, and moderate, it will keep
with ease far into the next year. It
is also necessary from week to week
to enter the fruit room-which
should not be allowed to become
damp on any account, as damp
speedily destroys vegetable matter
and look over the rows Of fruit.
This can be done by taking up a
pear or apple here and there at reg
ular intervals and examining its
state, then replacing it if all is
found safe, rejecting it if it is found
unsound.
In harvesting small fruits, care
must be had to collect them in dry
weather; otherwise, they will re-
quire more sugar and more time in
preserving, and likewise be less GER
tain to keep well. But fruit-that
is, apples, pears, peaches, nectarines
and such like-bear to be preserved
when only slightly pinked. Ounces
ought to be canned or made into
consistent preserves about one
month after having been harveste
The saccharine matter in the fruit
is set by that time.
The harvesting Of nuts is a small
matter, yet annually bushels of nuts
are lost by storing them in a damp
condition in frozen cellars or in
overheated closets. In the nutting
season, Immediately after the slight
est frost, all nuts should be gather
ed, the husks removed, and the nuts
allowed to remain exposed to the
open air, but under shelter from
rain or severe frosts. Aboat the
first of December all nuts should be
dry enough to store; they may then
safely lie three inches deep on the
floor Of well-ventilated garnet. A
celler is the worst possible place to
store fruit in. AS every cellar is
below the surface, it is more or less
damp if not artificially heated, and
artificial heat is expensive, and
dampness is strongly antagonistic
to safe keeping Of any vegetable
matter. The best manner Of keep.
ing grapes fresh for Winter use is
that method pursued in Spain,
namely, to pack the entire clusters
in thick -mouthed stonewarc
jars, laying dry, fresh hardwood
sawdnst between them SO thickly as
to ELL up all interstices; then to
place the jars in a cool and even at
mosphere, excluding all light. This
method is more laborious, but bet
ter than the practice of the Italians
and French, which mere consists Of
hanging the grapes in a dark room
subject to a slight current Of heated
air. Thus the grapes are partially
dried, and though sweetened by the
process, lose their freshness and
part of their fine flavor.
In the British Isles, where only
dollhouse grapes can be brought to
maturity, the clusters are retained
on the vines for weeks and weeks
after they have become ripe, by
simply moderating tho heat Of the
conservatory, also by cutting the
clusters just before they are entirely
ripe, dipping the ends of the stalks
into mixture of hot resin and seal
ing-wax, and then suspending them
in cool, dry and quite dark atmos-
phere,
Tomatoes will keep fresh and
sound for months, if carefully pick
ed from the vines before quite ripe,
allowed to sweat twice, then wiped
dry and stored as apples should be;
they need not be wrapped in paper.
Lemons and oranges require, how
ever, to be wrapped in thin. tissue
paper. Bananas will remain fresh
for long time if only allowed to
hang on their stems in a slight cur
rent of cool air.
We have avoided suggesting the
use of the thermometer, as we know
full well that few country farm
houses possess such an instrument,
and, indeed, when artificial means
are not ut hand to afford heat, or to
produce it, q thermometer is of no
practical use. What we advocate
is the storing Of fruits in commodi-
Gus, cool and well ventilated garnet
stores, rather than budding them
pell NELL into damp, underground
cellars. Any man or woman accus-
toned to live much in the open air
is to himself or herself a certain
thermometer, their sense of heat and
cold being more acute than that of
those living much indoors.-Cor.
Ohio Farmer.
Wintering Bees.
Mr.. J. w. Hosmcr, of GAINESVILLE,