RIPEXING AND MARKETING PEARS. 19 



bushel of pears to market, when the}' ai'e nearly' ripe, in a basket, 

 and failing — as he ought — to sell them, carr}^ them home again and 

 see what they look like the next day. I do not know of any thing 

 to hold fruit for market, that is more objectionable than a common 

 basket. But pears packed in these shallow boxes, with openings 

 in the bottom, may be carried to market, and if not sold can be 

 taken home again without injury. For convenience of handling, 

 these boxes should have holes cut in the opposite sides for handles. 

 Whether to sell wholesale or retail is a matter for each producer 

 to decide for himself, and must depend very much on his quantity 

 of fruit and distance from market, but it must be borne in mind 

 that retailing takes a great deal of time, and can often be done 

 more cheaply by a second party than by the producer. 



Discussion. 



On the conclusion of the Essay the Chairman called on Marshall 

 P. Wilder, as the Nestor of pear culture. Mr. Wilder said that the 

 maturit}' of fruits depends on saccharine fermentation, which is fol- 

 lowed by the vinous and acetous fermentations. To prevent these, 

 and preserve the fruit in all its beauty, freshness, and flavor, the 

 temperature must be uniform, and be kept below the point at which 

 fermentation, or the ripening process, commences. It was well 

 said by his friend, Robert Manning, some j^ears ago, that "the 

 ripening of fruit is the completion of the chemical process b}' which 

 starch is transformed into sugar, and is the first stej) toward fer- 

 mentation and decay ; whatever promotes fermentation will hasten 

 the ripening ; whatever retards fermentation will tend to its preser- 

 vation." 



The conditions of success in preserving and ripening fruit may 

 be briefly stated to be the perfect control of temperature, light, and 

 moisture. Various fruit houses and cellars have been built in this 

 and other countries for this purpose, and all experience shows that 

 these conditions must be complied with or success cannot be at- 

 tained. Hence these apartments must be cool, and constructed so 

 as at pleasure to exclude the external atmosphere. It is possible, 

 however, to preserve the temperature at so low a degree, and so 

 long, as to destro}', especially with some varieties of the pear, the 

 vitality, and therefore all power ever to resume the ripening pro- 

 cess. Experience proves that for the common varieties of the pear 



