The National tribune., 1882-05-27

week being perfectly delicious. 1t is a
fruit, so far as our knowledge of it goes that
can always be relied on; and in this general
view we confidently recommend it to all,
even if it be the only kind grown"
We can endorse all that is said above IN
regard TO the excellence of the Lawrence
pear, but in this section the fruit Will not
keep beyond the middle Of December; 1t Is
a late fall pear here, and all efforts to keep
1t later than December have failed. The tree
is very uniform in growth, comes early INTO
bearing, and is very productive. The Beurre
dAnJou Is also highly priced as a good WIN
ter pear in northern localities; it is fall
pear here, and is valuable kind. The Shel~
don Is one of the best of our late fall pears,
and one of the highest character in every
respect Winter Nelis is good keeping
KIND and in flavor nearly equal to Seckel.
Josephine de Malines is perhaps the best IN
quality of winter pears for this section.
! SWEET POTATOES-At a late meeting OF
the New Jersey Horticultural Society, Mr.,
A. P. Arnold communicated some expert
ments which he made in growing sweet pota-
toes. In one series of experiments the soil,
without any application, gave 100 bushels
per acre; with nitrate of soda the product
was 15S bushels; with boneblack it was 152
bushels; with muriate of potash, 1SS bush
els; with common manure, 203 bushels; and
with soda, boneblack, and potash together,
the product was 222 bushels. In the above
experiments the special manures, when alone,
were applied about 200 pounds to the acre.
common manure, twenty one-horse loads per
acre.
DRIED FODDER AND FRUITS-Dr. James
r. Nichols in the Massachusetts, Pl0ughmdn
/ discOurses as follows: The question is, What,
if anything, is lost in drying fruits and forage
crops? 1t is not surprising that an impress
sion prevails that valuable constituents are
lost in the process, as there is a great diminu-
tion in bulk a change in the condition OF the
Substances, and the olfactory organs detect
ordors in the air during the exposure to heat.
Water holds all the valuable elements of
plants either in solution or suspension, but not
in chemical combination. The molecules OF
starch and sugar freely move about in the
water, and they altogether constitute the sap.
Now, as the water does not hold the sugar
and starch particles in combination, but only
travels along with them, floating them, as 1T
were, through the orifices or vegetable tissues,
it has no strong grip upon them whatever, and
hpI r>1nr @ l jc to nar ~
pany and fly away whenever vital action
ceases and heat exerts its influence. If q
pound of fresh grass or cornstalks is placed
in glass retort and heat applied at tenn
perature of about 100 degrees Fahrenheit,
moisture arises from the mass, and if it is
condensed by refrigerating apparatus it
will be found to be pure ,cater and nothing
else; the grass will be gradually dried into
hay and in the hay will be found all the
nutrient particles which existed in the grass
If the water which escapes from a field of
mown grass, in drying in the sun, could be
condensed, it would be found to be
water and nothing else. The carbo-hydra
nitrogenous compounds, and salts exist
in the grass and held in solution and
pension in the water have been changed
physical condition; they have been dried
use popular term; the sugar in dilute SO
ton has been changed into thick sirup
the glucose has thus been changed, and
sucrose may exist as crystallized sugar;
gum has become thickened or hard,
starch which is insoluble remains as it
1,,t rInI 41,oc
is rich ordOr to grass which is very volat
it escapes while growing, and when the gr
is cut and vitality is arrested it escapes freely
This principle is the same in nature as the
ordor of flowers; it is ETHEREAL, extremely
minute in quantity, and has no value what
ever. 1t make great manifestation of itself
on every bayfield, in the season, and has led
many to think that it gave evidence Of great
loss. Such is not the case. In drying fruits
the same changes occur; nothing but water
escapes; the pectin, gum, sugar remain be-
hind. In drying, slight oxydation occurs
and the juices are thicIened or hardened by
the loss Of water. It is impossible to bring
fruits back again into the precise condition
of the green state by the addition even of
the same water that is removed in drying,
as the solid principles become less soluble
and oxydation modifies their condition
probably. A peck of dried peaches or q
dozen oranges are far less agreeable to the
taste, far less grateful to the sense of sight
smell, ard taste, but they hold all the nutri-
ment which is found in the green condition
If we could only put back the water re-
moved in the same form Of association, and
replace natures aroma or bouquet, we could
have fresh fruit at all seasons of the year
AsPARAGUs.-Onceu upon time the fOrma-
ton of an asparagus bed was considered to be
4 momentous affair; deep and wide trenches
were made; foot in depth of rotten stable
manure was spread over the bottom, and
over this thin layer Of earth in which the
plants we're set about twelve inches apart
This subject was discussed al a meeting of