Gathering and Preserving Fruit. 119 



method of gathering fruit is to phick it off singly with the 

 hand, care being taken not to cause the least pressure, which 

 would produce a brown speck, and ultimately decomposition. 

 Various contrivances have been introduced for the purpose of 

 gathering fruit without the aid of a ladder ; but practically 

 they require too much time, and therefore a common ladder 

 is perhaps the most convenient after all. Long shallow and 

 wide cross-handled baskets, having a piece of carpet at the 

 bottom, are in general use about Montreuil. In these baskets 

 the fruit is placed in layers, three layers, separated by leaves, 

 being the usual contents of each basket, which, as they are 

 filled, are carried gently to the fruit-room on the head. The 

 fruit, we shall now suppose, having been gathered with due 

 care and at the proper time, the first condition necessary to 

 preserve it during the winter is, perfect immunity from frost. 

 The process of ripening should also be promoted or retarded 

 according to cii'cumstances, so as to have only a certain num- 

 ber ready for dessert at one time, thus keeping up a succes- 

 sion from the time they are gathered till the succeeding 

 year's fruit come ill. For this purpose, the fruit-room should 

 have the temperature uniform and equal ; for frequent change 

 of temperature absorbs the fluids, and fermentation soon fol- 

 lows. The temperature should be from 46 to 48 deg. Fahr. 

 A higher temperature would accelerate the process of ripen- 

 ing too much, and a lower would retard it. If fruit is placed 

 in a room or cellar where the temperature is very low — say, 

 an ice-house — it will keep for a long time, if not destroyed 

 by moisture ; but before it is wanted for dessert, it should be 

 exposed for some time in a higher temperature to attain com- 

 plete maturity. Light is found unfavorable to the keeping of 

 fruit, and therefore it should be excluded. The atmosphere 

 should be kept rather dry than humid, and the fruit should 

 be placed separately, so as not to touch one another. We 

 would select a northern aspect, and dry place, sheltered, if 

 possible, by high evergreen trees, for the purpose of building 

 the fruit-room ; the quantity of fruit to be preserved must 

 determine its dimension. The annexed plan is fifteen feet 

 long by twelve feet wide, and nine feet high, (inside meas- 



