WINTER MEETING. 321 



30. Why does cold storage preserve fruit ? 



Cold storage preserves fruit because the chemical processes which 

 take place in the ripening of fruit go on very slowly in a low tempera- 

 ture, and because the fungi which induce decay do not thrive under 

 such conditions. 



31. What is meant by small fruits ? 



By small fruits we mean esculent berries of every kind, such as 

 strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, gooseberries, currants, and 

 some include grapes. 



32. What is meant by stone fruits ? 



Stone fruits are such as have a kernel inclosed in a hard covering 

 or shell enveloped in the pulp, such as peaches, plums and cherries. 



33. How distinguish crab apples from other apples ? 

 Primarily, a crab means a wild apple, so called from its rough 



taste. Improved by cultivation, trees are less scrubby, fruit larger in 

 size, though smaller and more acid than other apples, generally. 



34. What uses are made of crab apples ? 



Chiefly used for cider, vinegar, preserves, jelly and for ornament, 

 although some improved sorts are very good to eat. 



35. How can a tree cut down in winter leaf out without the aid 

 of its roots ? 



By using the starch which was stored up around the buds while 

 the leaves were on last summer. The heat stimulates growth, and this 

 starch supply is used. 



36. How can a twig cut from a plum tree in winter and put in 

 water in a warm room flower ? 



Same as above ; the starch around the buds feeds the new growth. 



37. How can a twig be torced into growth in the winter by draw- 

 ing it in a warm room while its roots are frozen outside ? 



Same as above. 



38. Why will some trees leaf out again if their leaves are killed in 

 early spring while they will not if their leaves are killed in mid-summer ? 



In early spring the starch which was stored up for winter is not 

 yet exhausted, and can nourish a second crop of leaves. In midsum- 

 mer this starch is all gone, and if the leaves (which digest food to 

 nourish growth) are killed, there is no starch left to promote growth. 



39. Why are potatoes propagated from tubers while tomatoes are 

 propogated from seed ? 



Potatoes come true from tubers, but every seed will produce a 

 different variety, most of them being poorer than the parent. Toma- 

 toes come true from seed. 

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