LAST week we had two days' respite from severe cold, and the snow being gone from my orchard, I picked up a basketful of nice Baldwin apples from under a tree, where they fell last November, and had lain, for two months or over, most of the time hard frozen, and covered with six or eight inches of snow; but they were now quite sound and crisp - more so, indeed, than those of the same kind kept in my cellar.

Several other varieties were found in the same condition, but only such as were hard and sound when the winter set in - all that were then at all mellow having been destroyed by the freezing and thawing. I also found, at the same time, several winter pears that had fallen among leaves, under the trees, and had kept perfectly fresh and plump - in better condition for house-ripening than any that were in my cellar.

Many such facts will no doubt be observed the present winter, as a large amount of fruit was left ungathered last autumn; and all experienced orchardists, in northern climates, must have observed the like. My object is to suggest the inquiry whether these hints, given us by Nature, may not aid us in devising cheaper and better modes of keeping these staple fruits through the winter than any that have been generally practiced. I do not remember having read of any well conducted experiments in keeping apples or pears, in a frozen state, through the winter, except the following, which was communicated to me, last year, by Dr. L. M. Ayers, a very intelligent amateur fruit grower of Urbana, O.

The substance of this was communicated to the Rural New Yorker some time last summer:

"My method of keeping winter pears is as follows: I gather the pears as soon as frosts occur - about the first of October, in this latitude, then select a grassy spot, under a tree - evergreen preferred - near the dwelling, and lay the pears on the ground in shallow piles, of about a bushel each, taking care not to have them more than about six inches in depth. I then cover them with leaves of forest trees, four or five inches thick, and throw brush or sticks on top, to hold the leaves in place and keep off animals. When winter fairly sets in, and the pears are frozen, or likely to be, I remove the brush or sticks and cover the piles (over the leaves) with coffee sacks or bits of old carpet, so as the better to exclude air and light, but not designed to protect from frost, as the more frost the better. Rain docs not hurt the pears, nor several times freezing and thawing, only this will somewhat hasten their ripening. When we want some for use, we bring a basketful into the house, and by keeping them in a warm room, a few days, they ripen nicely.

Vicar of Wink field keeps in this way, all the winter, splendidly; and last year I kept Columbia till middle of January, Jaminette till February, and Beurre Easter till May. In no other way have I been able to keep these so long or so well.*'

Painesville,' O. . .