KRUIT. 



KltriTS, PRESERVATION OF. 



quince it dutinct ; but its fruit doc* not ripen BO well in this climate 

 w the common quince. Its wood, however, swell* more in conformity 

 with that of the pear, and it therefore is preferable at a stock for 

 ; - 



The principal varieties of the Mfdlar are the Large or Dutch, the 

 Upright or Nottingham, and the Stonrless. The tinrt U esteemed for 

 ito size, and . sometimes for the form of the tree, on account of the 

 nirtic crooked appearance which it assumes : the second is of better 

 quality as regards flavour ; and the third is small without iitonea or 

 seed*, and keeps longer than the others. 



Rtuptxrrit*, compared with many of the fruits mentioned above, 

 differ little in their character as cultivated varieties from that of the 

 botanical species Itubia idtrut, from which they have arisen. Fur 

 instance, the difference between the wild sloe and the green gage is 

 Yery great ; whereas the wild raspberry growing in the woods differs 

 only slightly in flavour, and not widely in size and form, from those 

 cultivated in gardens. Good varieties ore the Red Antwerp, Yellow 

 ditto, Barnet, Cornish, and Red Globe. 



Strairbtrria are now considerably reduced in regard to the num- 

 ber of varieties in cultivation. By the introduction of " Keen's 

 Seedling," the very coarse sorts have been mostly banished even from 

 the streets of London ; this variety having proved the best of all for 

 the market, combining very good flavour with the properties of being 

 of a large size and very prolific. Other varieties deserving cultivation 

 are the Grove End Scarlet, Roseberry, American Scarlet, and, where 

 wanted for confectionary, the Old Scarlet, which retains a fine colour ; 

 Downton, Elton, Old Pine, Prolific or Conical Hautbois, and the Large 

 Flat ditto. The alpine and wood strawberries require to be occasion- 

 ally renewed from seeds ; the beet varieties are the Red Alpine and 

 the White Alpine. Keen's Seedling, Roseberry, and Grove End 

 Scarlet, are proper for forcing. 



Orapet are brought to high perfection in this country, by the aid 'of 

 hothouses ; in favourable situations some kinds ripen pretty well, even 

 on walls in good seasons : but open vineyard culture is not practised 

 to any extent in England at the present time, nor is it likely ever to 

 become profitable. Varieties of wine grapes therefore need not be 

 noticed here, farther than by stating that they are very numerous ; 

 many of them form small compact bunches like the " Miller's Bur- 

 gundy," which is indeed one of them, and is the sort of black cluster 

 grape with woolly, mealy leaves, commonly seen on the walls of houses 

 near London. 1 he following are suitable for a vinery : Black Fron- 

 tignan. Black Prince, Black Hamburg West's St. Peter's, Black Morocco, 

 Red Frontignan, White ditto, Grizzly ditto, Royal Muscadine, Chasse- 

 las Musque', White Muscat of Alexandria ; the lost requires a strong 

 heat For walls, perhaps none fruits better, or forms a handsomer 

 bunch than the Royal Muscadine ; it is preferable to the Sweetwater, 

 which generally forms a ragged bunch in consequence of a great num- 

 ber of the berries being small and abortive ; the Black Prince and 

 Esperione will sometimes succeed ; and the Early Black July and 

 Burgundy Black Cluster will ripen still better, but the bunches of the 

 latter are very small. 



The only fruits still remaining to be noticed, the varieties of which 

 are of any importance, are figs, gooseberries, and currants, and pine- 

 In some parts of England the Fig bears in the open air ; but in order 

 to ensure its doing so, a warm, or more strictly speaking, a dry subsoil 

 is absolutely necessary, whether it be grown as standard in the open 

 ground or against a wall, or forced under glass. Wherever the soil is 

 retentive of water, it will retain the coldness of winter till late in the 

 spring. In fact, if the subsoil be very wet, its temperature will 

 approximate to that of spring water, which in England is little above 

 50 Fahr. throughout the whole year ; an amount of cold which the 

 roots of the fig are certainly not accustomed to in summer in its native 

 climate in Asia and Barbary, or even where it has been naturalised in 

 the South of Europe. Or, if the springs should fall so Inw during 

 summer, as to leave the roots of the fig tree unaffected by their pre- 

 sence, the temperature of the surface will be suddenly raised by the 

 first rain that falls. This often takes place towards the end of summer, 

 and a superabundant growth ensues, too late for being completed 

 before winter. Figs succeed well in Sussex, where the subsoil is chalk, 

 and the rain passe* off as it foils ; and in preparing borders for it, the 

 whole should be composed of such materials as tire pervious to water. 

 Home of the finest varieties of figs for this climate are the Brown 

 Turkey, Brunswick, White Marseilles, Ncrii, Prcgussata, White Inchia, 

 Brown Ischia, Yellow Ischia. The Brown Turkey is well adapted for 

 forcing, for wliii h purpose the Pregussata, White Marseilles, and the 

 White, Brown, and Yellow Ischias arc also proper. 



(iootclxrrin are brought to greater j perfection in Britain tbau in 

 any other country. The varieties are numerous, and many ul them 

 have been raised in Lancashire, chiefly by the manufacturing popula- 

 tion, with a view to prizes. It U to be regretted that the latter have 

 generally been awarded solely with reference to weight; hence a 

 number of large but coarse sorts have been brought into cultivation. 

 In making the following selection, flavour and not sice has been kept 

 in view. 



fruit, rtd : Red Champagne ; Red Warrington ; Keen's Seedling 

 Warrington ; Rough Red, used for preserving ; Rod Turkey ; Rob 

 Roy ; Ironmonger, fruit, ytl/oic : Yellow Champagne ; Early Sulphur ; 



Rumbullion, which is much used for bottling, fruit, i/irtH : Early 

 Green Hairy ; Pitmaston Green Gage ; Green Walnut ; Parkinson's 

 Laurel ; Massey's Heart of Oak ; Edwards'* Jolly Tar. fruit, <Mu : 

 White Champagne ; Early White; Woodward's Whitesmith ; Taylor's 

 Bright Venus ; Cook's White Eagle ; White Honey. 



The varieties of Currant* preferable for cultivation ore very few. 

 Of black currants, the Block Naples .m.l the Block Grape are the beet 

 The White Dutch, Red Dutch, Knight's Sweet Red, and Knight's 

 Large Red, are the beet sorts of white and red currants. 



The Pint-Apple is the only tropical fruit which is cultivated to any 

 extent in this country. The best varieties are the Queen, Moscow 

 on. ,N, Black Jamaica, Brown Sugarloaf, and Black Antigua; the 

 Knvillc and White Providence are cultivated more for their size than 

 flavour. 



FRUITS, PRESERVATION OF. The apple and pear, the two 

 staple fruits of this country, are of so much importance to great num- 

 bers of persons, that we shall not dismiss this subject without giving 

 some information concerning the best means of preserving them during 

 the autumn and winter ; for it is an object of no little moment to be 

 able to prolong the duration of the season of these fruits even for a 

 single month. 



A few early varieties may be eaten from the tree, or when recently 

 gathered ; but the greater and by far the most valuable portion re- 

 quire to be kept for some time until they acquire a proper degree of 

 mellowness : thus, most pears are extremely hard when gathered ; 

 some even remain so during the winter, and ouly become melting, or 

 of a buttery consistency, in the spring. Apples, although it is their 

 property to remain a long time nearly as crisp as when gathered, yet 

 are at first too acid for the dessert, and require to be stored up in the 

 same manner us pears, until their juices acquire a rich sugary flavour. 

 Many varieties indeed permanently retain their acidity, but such ore 

 only proper for culinary purposes, for which indeed their briskness 

 renders them eligible. 



With regard to the gathering and storing of apples or pears, having 

 in view their most perfect preservation, it is necessary that the gather- 

 ing should be performed in all cases when the trees and fruit are per- 

 fectly dry. No precise time can be specified as to the period of the 

 season when any particular variety ought to be taken; for this is 

 influenced variously by circumstances connected with soil, climate, 

 and situation. The best general rule is, to gather when the fruit-stalk 

 separates easily from the spur, on the fruit being raised by the hand 

 from its natural or pendulous position. There are scarcely any excep- 

 tions to this rule, unless as regards a few of the summer and early 

 autumn varieties, in which the flavour is improved by gathering a 

 little earlier than is indicated by the above criti 



The treatment of the fruit after gathering is by no means uniform ; 

 some lay it directly on the shelves of the fruit-room, or wherever else 

 it is intended to remain till fit for use ; others cause it to undergo a 

 process of fermentation, called sweating, by throwing it in a heap, and 

 covering it with some dry substance, generally straw ; in some instances 

 even blankets have been used for this purpose. After it has perspired 

 for ten days or a fortnight, it is spread out at a time when the air in 

 dry, in order to expedite the evaporation of the moisture. All un- 

 sound specimens, or even such as are suspected of being so, are then 

 separated. In the case of particularly valuable sorts, it has been 

 recommended to wipe off the moisture with flannel ; but this pro- 

 ceeding, for reasons hereafter to be explained, is not advisable. 



With regard to the final storing up, as it has been proved by experience 

 that certain methods successfully practised by some, have turned out 

 a failure when attempted by others, and as these fruits are extensively 

 cultivated by persons variously circumstanced, some of whom are com- 

 pelled by necessity to practise perhaps not the very best mode, but the 

 i K-ct they can command, it will be proper to detail the various methods 

 that have hitherto been tried, in order that such as ore most deserving 

 of recommendation may be pointed out, as well as those which ought 

 to be avoided in every possible case. 



The following are the dinVivut modes in which apples and pears- 

 have been deposited for winter use : 1. In single layers on the bare 

 shelves of a fruit-room. 2. In the same manner, but covered with 

 light canvas, which must be dried occasionally, as it absorbs the 

 evaporation. 8. In close drawers ; one layer, or several layers in 

 depth. 4. In dry casks without any interposing material ; a few weeks 

 after they are first put in they require to be carefully picked over, the 

 casks made perfectly dry and re-filled, the bead closely fitted, and the 

 fruit on no account disturbed until unpacked for use. 6. In boxes, casks, 

 large garden pots, or jars, with pure and dry sand interposed between 

 the layers of fruit. 6. In jars in which no sand or other substance is 

 allowed to come in contact with the fmit, the mouths of the jars being 

 covered with a piece of slate, and the whole plunged in a quantity of 

 dry sand, so as to be several inches from the free atmosphere. The 

 sand being a slow conductor of caloric, the sudden changes of tempe- 

 rature and their powerful effects in causing the decay of fruit* ore 

 avoided. 7. In heaps in a dry airy loft, a slight covering of straw 

 being given to protect them from froat. 8. In baskets lined with 

 straw. 9. In close cellars excluded from the light, which is in all 

 cases injurious. 10. In dark but airy vaults. 11. On a small scale, 

 under a bell-glass cemented down air-tight ; this must not be done on 

 wood the least resinous, for even the white deal, which , when made 



