16 Description and Plans of the Fruit Room 



tise on the subject illustrating his method of practice. In 

 regard to the construction of fruit rooms, his views are the 

 same as those of Mr. Moorman, or rather we might say Mr. 

 Moorman's are the same as M. Pacquet's, as his publication 

 appeared six or eight years ago. But Mr. Moorman's differs 

 in this respect, that while M. Pacquet uses charcoal and saw- 

 dust to partly cover the fruit, Mr. Moorman merely places his 

 upon open shelves. 



We have long been aware of the skill of Mr. Moorman in 

 preserving his pears, and we remember of reading in one of 

 the reports of the London Horticultural Society some notice 

 of his specimens, with the remark, that his mode of keeping 

 his fruit " remains a mystery." On the 16th of January, 

 1849, he sent for exhibition specimens of Napoleon, Beurre 

 Diel, Glout Morceau, (fee, which were in a "most excellent 

 state of preservation," and for several years Mr. Moorman 

 sent " a similar collection of the same fruit about the same 

 season, and always in the same condition, — plump and sound 

 as when removed from the trees." 



We are glad, therefore, to be able to give an explanation 

 of that which for so long a time remained a " mystery," and 

 as the facts are communicated by Mr. Moorman, through Mr. 

 Thompson, in the Journal of the London Horticultural So- 

 ciety, from which we copy, it may be relied upon as a 

 solution of the method by which he could keep November 

 pears, like the Napoleon, two months beyond their season, — 

 " plump and round as when removed from the trees," — 

 to the middle of January. The veil being removed, it will 

 be seen that there was, after all, no great " mystery " in his 

 plan, and we think that when the truth is told there will be 

 as little " mystery " in all other methods for the preservation 

 of fruit, which may be brought before the public, — for we do 

 not believe that fruit can be kept in perfect order, only 

 through the agency of ice, longer than Mr. Moorman was 

 enabled to preserve his. 



We have occasionally noticed in our last volume, speci- 

 mens of pears, particularly Easter Beurres, (p. 216,) preserved 

 in excellent order by Mr. Curtis, of Boston, and some account 



