108 HINTS ON PROFITABLE FRUIT GROWING, 



The jars are placed bottom upwards on the table, one side 

 slightly raised, and the sulphur rag is lighted and allowed 

 to burn until the bottles are filled with fumes of sulphur. 

 This most effectually destroys all the "germs," and the 

 boiling fruit should be at once filled in ; but if the bottles 

 can be placed in an oven, or boiled in a copper, the same 

 object is accomplished. The " sulphur process " is the 

 safest plan when very large earthenware jars are used. The 

 sealing process must not be omitted, unless covered with 

 half an inch of oil, or of the melted wax composition, as 

 noted below. 



The three points needful, to attain perfection in this art, 

 are, therefore, only to use perfectly germ-free bottles ; 

 secondly, to get all vitality and germs in the fruit entirely 

 destroyed by heat ; and thirdly, to make the bottles quite 

 air-tight, immediately they are filled. A few experiments 

 will soon make perfect, if these three points are carefully 

 attended to. . 



The fruits best suited for bottling are plums and gages 

 of all sorts; cherries, like May-dukes, Morellos, or other 

 dark culinary sorts ; ripe red gooseberries, like Warring- 

 tons ; currants, red, white, or black, and raspberries. The 

 stone fruits probably do best of all; especially when got 

 perfectly ripe, and with unbroken skins, and unblemished 

 by bad packing, and if cooked a little longer at a higher 

 temperature than other fruit. 



The secret of success seems to be (if patent stoppered 

 bottles are used) in screwing down the stoppers directly the 

 bottles are filled to the brim with the " preserve," immedi- 

 ately after it has been steadily boiled for a few minutes. 



if there is no preserving-pan available, the fruit can be 

 placed in rather shallow dishes in an oven, and gently baked 

 for ten or twelve minutes. It must then be turned into the 

 bottles quite hot, and screwed down at once. The fruit 

 must, of course, be first carefully picked over, and should 



