SECT. XVII. OF FRUITS. 2G7 



Gather pears of the fummer forts rather before thcjv 

 are ripe, as when thoroughly {q they eat meally, and 

 will not keep well above a day or two ; even wheft 

 gathered as they ought to be, in a week, or lefs, thejr 

 will go at the core: They mould not, however, be 

 gathered, while they require much force to pul! them 

 off. Autumn pears mud alfo not be full ripe at the 

 time of gathering, though they will keep longer than 

 thofe of the fummer. Winter pears, on the contrary, 

 fhould hang as long on the trees as they may, fo as to 

 efcape fro/l> which would make them flat in flavour, 

 and not keep well. Generally they may hang to the 

 middle of Ottober on full Jlandards, a week longer on 

 dwarfs, and to the end oi the month on walls \ but yet 

 not after they are ripe. 



The art of gathering, is to give them a Jiff, fo as 

 to prefs away the (talk, and if ripe they readily part 

 from the tree. Thofe that will not corne off eafy, 

 ihould hang a little longer; for when they come hardily 

 off, they will not be fo fit to ftore, and the violence 

 done at the footftalk may injure the bud there formed 

 for the next year's fruit. 



Let the pears be quite dry when pulled, and in hand- 

 ling avoid pinching the fruit, or in any way (in the 

 leait) bridling it, as thofe which are hurt not only 

 decay themfelves, but prefently fpread mfe/tion to 

 thofe near them : When jufpecled to be bruifed, let 

 them be carefully kept from others, and ufed firfh 

 Gather in mallow bankets, and lay them in gemly. 



Houfe pea.s in a diy a ry room, «r firtt thinly for a 

 few days, and then put them in heaps to fweat ; in 

 order to which, a blanket thrown over them will help. 

 The fermentation mult be watched, and when it feems 

 to have paffed the height of fweaiing, wipe the fruit 

 quite dry with fine flannel, or clean foh linen, and 

 jhre them. 



The Jloring J3 thus: Thofe to be ufed firfl, lay bv 



fmgly on fheives, or on the floor, in a dry fbuthern 



N x' room, 



