PRESERVING WINTER FRUIT. The result of long and diversified experience in keep ing fruit may be summed up in a single sentence: keep them dry, cool, and as nearly as possible from contact with external air. How to do this under ordinary circumstances, and with the facil ities at command, is the question. For winter keeping they should be allowed to bang on the tree as long as possible, or, until there is really danger of their freezing, leaving those least affected by early frosts and most tenacious in their habit of hanging late, to the last. When the fruit is perfectly dry and free from dew, and, on a cool day if possible, pick them by hand, placing them, a basketful at a time, into clean, sweet, dry, tight barrels, using the greatest care that they be not. bruised; or, better, use 11 poueh or sack for picking in. Invert this in the barrel and turn them carefully out. Thus there is no possible chance of bruising the fruit. In this condition if they are entirely dry, cool, and sound, they may be immediately headed up, pressing in the head so there is no possibility of the fruit being shaken about—and wheeled to a cool, airy place in the barn, a shed or outhouse, where they may remain until hard weather. Above all things, avoid placing them where the sun will shine on the barrels, or where they may be subjected to considerable changes of temper ature. When cold weather comes, they may be removed to a dry cellar, or, better, a fruit room, if such be had. Here the temperature should be kept as low and uniform as possible. Leave the cellar windows or ventilators open in winter, unless the temperature is such as to freeze the fruit; then, if warm spells intervene, close the ventilator at such dines to keep out the heat. In spring ciose the windows during the day, and leave them open at night. In other words, when the weather is warmer out side than in the fruit room, keep the whole close, and aft' versa . Fruit when confined in tight barrels, retains the carbonic acid given off by the fruit in the spaces between themselves. If the barrels are open, and especially if there be an excessive draft of air, the carbonic acid is forced out and the spaces supplied with air. This is what causes the apples to rot. The principal thing therefore to be avoided is, contact with air, undue heat and consequent sweating in the bar rel. This last is not likely to occur if care has been taken in picking the fruit when cool and dry, and in paeking and keeping the packages cool thereafter. We have seen it stated that if apples are packed in entirely dry barrels in which salt has been packed, they will be found sounder in the spring than in ordinary barrels.
However this may be, salt barrels are not avail able except in isolated cases. Salt in a state of perfect dryness will take up a large amount of water, and henee such barrels may be of advan tage when excessive sweating ensues. So, abso lutely dry barrels will he indicated. The advan tage of tight barrels, as previously stated, is that they retain the carbonic acid and exclude the air.
PRESERVINGr' SMOKED HEATS. We do not consider the smoke house, as ordinarily built, to be the best place to preserve cured meats. Our July and August suns are generally so hot as to eause the fat parts to melt more or less, and this destroys the integrity of the whole. The very best way we know is to wrap the meat in thiek brown paper, and enclose each piece sep arately in sacks made to fit. Sew tight; dip them in a preparation of slacked lime, of the consistency of ordinary paint. Then the pieces may be packed in barrels, with plenty of ashes, or better, pounded charcoal, and kept in a cool, well ventilated cellar, or in the coolest place in the barn. Another plan is to wrap in paper as before directed, then in an outer layer, and pack in barrels with some good absorbent. Still anotlaer plan is, after wrapping in thick brown paper, to pack in barrels with plenty of diy cut straw, examining them occasionaly to see they do not mold, if the weather is danap for any con siderable length of time. By this plan, how ever, it is difficult to keep the meat from con tracting mold if entirely excluded from light and air, and where light and air may enter insects and mold are pretty sure to follow. A smoke house built so as to prevent the admission of light, and at the same time insure ventilation and a degree of coolness so that the meat will not mold, may be had by placing it under the shade of a spreading tree. It should be built of brick, with an ample flue on top protected with blinds at the sides, and a wire gauze at the bot tom to prevent the admission of insects, the gauze to be removed when smoking the meat. Another flue at the bottom protected with gauze allows the admission of air. Thus the house may be kept cool and well ventilated, and by throwing it entirely open occasionally at night, when dry, meat may be kept perfectly for a long tinae. This smoke house may be used for a variety of purposes, as for the keeping of ashes in districts where wood is used for fuel.