Litchfield enquirer., 1873-01-30
VEEI4AND, N-J.s-Jan., 1875.

--- VNET4AND, N. J.S-Jan., 1873.
 ."I had sixty bushels of shelled corn to the acre., said Mir. s. from FranklinviIle, s.th.t vss doing psetty well, wasn't its" ''Yes," replied Mr. A. 'sbut I can't afford to raise corn, haven'ta hill on my place. I cleared this year $500 Gn acre on nly grapes, and it won't pay to raise corn"
 This was not doing so we'll as he did last year, nor was his experience exceI9 tional. The average grape crop on the same breadth of land fell short of what it was in 1871. The season was very dry, as we'll as hot, and the fruit ripened too ear ly, and much of it routed, while the leaves were attacked by a minute green fly, and almost consumed The pears also ma tured too rapidly, and have not kept we'll this winter. There were, however, many acres of new land set out to vines, and on the whole, possibly, the tonnage of grapes may have equaled that of the preceding year. Some farmers were very successful. asked friend, ''How many grapes have you sold?" Fifteen tons," Was the reply. "How much land have you in vines?" "Three acres, but twelve tons were harvested from two acres, and three tons from the other, the vines being younger" "And what did you net by their sale?" ''s12OO, an average of $4SO, an acre. ,"
 The peach crop was large, and the peaches very fine favored Pears grow to large size, and were fine favored. Egg plants reached five and seven pounds in weight. Sweet potatoes grow within 200 feet of where am now writing, which weighed five and six pounds, and one weighed 8fbs 6'oz. One man had the sown vine squashes weighing from 30 fbs up to 153 lbs.
 The yield of potatoes (peachblows) IS usually large, and of excellent quality The best saw, last fall, were taken from a field planted about the 23d of July, af- ter crop of Early Rose had been harvest eu lrom tue same ground.
 Wheat does remarkably we'll on this soil, whilst the corn crops within a few miles of us, and here if raised at all, com pare favorably with that of any part of the country.
 Several branches of industry are sue cessfully carry on. There are, for in- stance, four large shoe factories, turning out many hundred pairs per day, a com posite in-sole manufactory, a school-desk, a pearl button, 8 straw hat, ,and other fac tories. A glove establishment is soon to be added.
 We have also a dehydrating, or fruit l drying establishment on a large scale. The apparatus consists of mammouth cylinder, with tiers of shelves made of | fine cord stretched across wooden frames, | forming 8 mesh in which the fruit is plac- ed, and subjected to an atmosphere of nearly 300o the heat diminishing as the cylinder revolves. In about six hours peaches are thoroughly dried without be- ing burned and without loss of flavor, and in condition to keep indefinitely. Grapes. berries, tomatoes, eggplant, pie-plant, sweet potatoes, corn, pumpkins, Sc. are dried in the same way. This factory is of immense benefit, as we'll as one of great interest to fruit growers here, as now hundreds of bushels of fruit and vegeta- bles are saved, and preserved for home l use, or for market, which otherwise would be lost. And while it occurs to me, though late for use this season, let me say to your readers, that they may have sweet pota- toes all winter, as we have, if first they will see that they are not bruised, and then keep them in 8 warm room, at a temperature of 65o or 700. Cellars which have furnaces in them are utilized for this purpose here, every one who has 8 few barrels, hiring them stored, and kept warm, at trifing cost. W. T. D.