GATHERING AND STORING FRUIT 37 



fruit placed in the baskets upon the barrow ; and when 

 all those were full, they were wheeled away to the 

 fruit-room. The person who is actually gathering the 

 fruit must know how important it is that it should 

 not be bruised, for no amount of care taken after- 

 wards can undo any damage done in picking the fruits 

 from the tree. No time is lost if the method described 

 is properly carried out. There should be two barrows 

 in use, and at least two men gathering, as the fruit- 

 room will probably be some little distance away. The 

 baskets on the one barrow will thus be filled by the 

 time that the other one returns. 



Having gathered the fruit carefully and expeditiously, 

 it is most important to have a suitable place in which to 

 store it. The subject of fruit storage is one that has quite 

 recently attracted the earnest attention of fruit growers, 

 and much correspondence has appeared in the horti- 

 cultural press upon this matter. It may perhaps be 

 helpful to give the views of one or two leading fruit 

 growers upon such an important topic. The two fol- 

 lowing letters from Mr W. Crump, head gardener to Earl 

 Beauchamp at Madresfield Court, and Mr George Bun- 

 yard of The Royal Nurseries, Maidstone, respectively, 

 were contributed to The Garden, of April 13, 1901. Mr 

 Crump says: "We are of opinion that the thorough 

 ripening and the proper means of storing hardy fruits 

 do not generally receive half the care and attention that 

 the matter deserves, especially by those who really 

 require a long, successional supply of firm, well- 

 conditioned home-grown fruit. In our modern fruit- 

 rooms, utility is frequently sacrificed by architects or 

 builders for structural appearance ; we, ourselves, were 

 victims to this policy, and owing to the dry, arid 

 atmosphere of our fruit-room we found it impossible 

 to keep apples firm after March, and nothing that we 

 could devise would prevent shrivelling and toughening 



