1/2 



IRISH GARDENING 



Fruit Storing and Grading. 



Thk reqiiii'emeiil'S for the pi(»])er storage of a])plt'.s 

 and pears are not tlu^ same. Ap])les require to 

 be kept in a cool and ratlier moist ]ilace, where 

 there is enough ventihition to ]irev(int saturation. 

 Pears require warm, dry surroundings, but even 

 under the most favourable conditions they will 

 not kee]) long. 



A few days after apples are ])ut in store tliey 

 begin to " .sweat," and continue to do so for 

 about three weeks. During this time there must 

 be a free current of air round thejii which must 

 not be too dry or they will begin to shrivel. 

 After the " sweating " i)eriod is over tliis is not 

 so important. Small gi-owers who have only a 

 few apples to kee]) will find that a good method 

 is to wait till " sweating" is over and then ]»ack 

 tlieui as closely as possible in a large earthen\\are 

 jar. The jar should be covered with a piece of 

 rooling slate or stone and stored in a cool shed 

 or cellar, and the ai)ples will keep plum]) and good 

 as long as it is ]tossible to kee]) the variety. For 

 larger growers a slied or storehouse is required 

 if no cool cellar is available, and in in'e])aring a 

 store the following ])oints should be remeiu- 

 bered : — 



1. The fruit must be ])rotected from frost, but 

 subject to this ])recaution the tenqjerature should 

 be as low and equable as i)0.ssible. A cave in a 

 sand or chalk bank makes an excellent storehouse. 



2. A moist atuios])here is necessary. TJie best 

 kind of floor is the bare earth, wliich may be 

 dauqjed occasionally. 



3. Ventilation to ])revent stagnant and heated 

 air is necessary, es])ecially during the " sweating " 

 ])eriod. 



4. A]j|)les ea.sily absorb flavours from theii 

 surroundings. Tliey should not be put on new 

 wooden shelves, or on straw or hay, nor sliould 

 any strong-suielling vegetable or other uiaterial 

 be kept in the same room. They shoidd be ])laced 

 on slate shelves, or old seasoned wood may be 

 used. 



A useful a])ple store uuiy be made by digging a 

 large trench about 10 ft. wide and as long as is 

 required. Tlie de])th should be about 2 ft. A 

 wall one brick thick and about i ft. liigh should 

 then be built on eitlier side, and tlie soil that has 

 been dug out should be liea])ed uj) against the 

 outside of the wall. A roof of rough rafters 

 thickly covered witli thatcli should be built over 

 the to]), and shelves can then be Jitted inside 

 on which the ap])les may be hea])ed. There 

 should be a door at eacli end so arranged as to 

 adnut air and exclude light. 



Api)les should never be stored in an attic or to]) 

 rooui of a house. 



Grabing op Apples and Pears. 



If the fruit is to be consumed by the growt^r 

 there is no advantage in selecting the fruit beyond 

 the fact that it is better to eat the ri])er s])eciiuens 

 iirst. If the fruit is to be sold it is very iuqiortaul 

 that all the ai^jjles or ])ears offered for sale should 

 be of siiuilar size and quality. The ])ractice of 

 " to])])ing " the consignuient with a better class 

 of fridt cannot be too severely condenmed. 



The following recommendations are offered for 

 the guidance of growers who consign their fruit 

 to market : — 



1. Apples and pears should be packed in boxes 

 of uniform size which should contain as far as 



jjo.ssible the saJJie number of fruits. It is more 

 im])ortaidi, however, that the net weight of the 

 consigniueut should be the same than that tlie 

 mimber should l)e constant. A convenient size 

 lor the boxes is 20 in. long, 10 in. deej) and 1 1 in. 

 broad — all inside nu'a.suremeut ; these will hold 

 about 10 11). They can be obtained from box- 

 making lirms. 



2. The ai)])roximate weight should be ])ut on 

 the outside of the box as an indication to th<' 

 seller of its contents. 



3. The name of the consignor, or some uiark 

 by which the salesnuiu can identify hiui, sliould 

 be ]nit on the box. 



Fruit thus consigned should secure a more 

 ready sale than fruit badly and irregularly 

 ])acked, and will lead to better ])rices and further 

 orders. 



Small growers are strcmgly advised to satisfy 

 the local demand for fruit before consigning to 

 large markets, cis the risk of a glut and cf)nse(iuc;nt 

 unremunerative ])rices is thereby avt)ided. — 27(6' 

 Journal of Board of AfjricuUurc. 



Huge Fruits at Record Prices. 



At Covent Oarden Market, huge fruits, aiuong 

 other articles, were ])ut u]) for auction a few days 

 ago, the .sale being conducted in the Floral Hall 

 by Mr. tJabriel Barnet, of Messrs. E. Jacobs & 

 Sons, and the ])roceeds devoted to the Prince of 

 Wales's National Relief Fund. A .single a]j]>le 

 fetched £55 ; it was grown by Colonel J. F. 

 lloueyball, and weigiied thirty-one ounces. 

 There was also a big ])ear to kee]) it com])any — 

 a choice s])ecimen grown by Mrs. Everett, of 

 (Joring-on-Tliames, and turning the scale at 

 twenty-two and three-quarter ounces. At 

 Smithlield Market, Manchester, Messrs. Joel & 

 (Joodwin sold for £25 — which goes to the War 

 Relief Fund — a Lord Derby ap])le. groWn by 

 Mr. (!. Glenny, of Wisbech, and weighing twenty- 

 one and a half ounces. 



Solanum jasminoides. 



The sight of a strong ])laut ol' this charming 

 climber flowering freely against a wall out of 

 doors at (Uasnevin reminds us that this ])lant is 

 much hardier than is generail>' su])])()sed. .Most 

 often we see it u.sed for training rouiul ])illars or 

 over trellis work in the greenhouse, for which 

 ])ur])ose its gracefid habit suits it admirably. In 

 the south of Ii-eland it is ])erfectly hardy, and even 

 so far north as the Co. Down it is recorded as 

 surviving nornuil winters without injury, while 

 round the (Jo. Dublin, es])ecially near the coast, 

 it is frequently met with outside. Exce))t in the 

 milder districts, however, it cannot be relied on to 

 survive a severe winter unless ])lanted in light, 

 well drained soil in a sheltered corner. Wherever 

 it succeeds it makes a nu)st beautiful (^limber for 

 clambering over a wall or])orch ; the long slender 

 shoots extend for many yards, draining the wall 

 with a mantle of dee]) green leaves. Against the 

 dark foliage the ])endulous clusters of ]jure white 

 Oowers stand out in striking contrast. It 

 flowers alnu>st throughout the whole summer, 

 but is usually at its best in late autumn. 



