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when practicable, to let the fruit hang till it begins to shrivel. For 

 culinary purposes, the fruit will be in a better condition if gathered 

 before it is fully ripe. Peaches, Nectarines and Apricots for the dessert 

 should not be gathered till fully ripe, as then their flavour is best, and 

 they are also in the finest condition for canning and drying. Cherries, 

 Gooseberries and Currants require to be fairly ripe before they are 

 gathered. Grapes, either for table, wine or drying, should be fully ripe 

 before they are gathered, as only then will their best qualities be fully 

 developed. To the makers of wine, raisins or currants, the degree of 

 ripeness is a matter of material importance. Oranges should be fully 

 ripe before they are gathered, as they must reach that stage before their 

 sweetness and flavour is perfectly developed. Too frequently they are 

 gathered before they are fully matured, and consequently their quality 

 is more or less inferior. When required for packing and exporting to 

 distant places, it may be necessary to gather the fruit somewhat early, 

 but this should never be done for a local market. Lemons should be 

 gathered somewhat earlier than Oranges, as no advantage is gained by 

 letting them remain long upon the trees. Cultivators must bear in 

 mind that Oranges, Lemons and other species of the Citrus family should 

 have their stalks cut or broken, and the fruit ought never to be pulled 

 from the trees. This is more specially necessary when the fruit is 

 required for keeping or packing. Strawberries require to be fairly ripe 

 before they are gathered, and the fresher they are eaten the better, as 

 their flavour soon passes away. Even a passing shower of rain will, in a 

 large measure, spoil the flavour of this fruit. In gathering and packing, 

 Strawberries should be handled as little as possible, and when used as a 

 table fruit the berries when picked ought to be placed at once in the 

 basket, or other receptacle, in which they are to reach their destination. 

 Raspberries require even greater care than Strawberries, when used as a 

 dessert fruit, as their rich flavour rapidly passes away. The berries must 

 be fully ripe, and gathered with the greatest care. When required for 

 preserving, such extreme care is unnecessary, but still it is advisable to 

 secure the fruit in the best practicable way. A great deal of the fruit 

 that is converted into jam is seriously deteriorated for want of more care 

 and judgment in gathering and sending to market. The Date Plum 

 should be allowed to hang upon the trees till it is dead ripe before it is 

 gathered, as a certain stage of decomposition must be reached before the 

 fruit is perfect. The same remarks will apply to the Medlar. The 

 Walnut, Cob and Filbert may be safely left till the nuts are ripe enough 

 to fall, though if necessary they may be gathered a little earlier. In 

 gathering any kind of fruit care should be taken, as far as is practicable, 

 that it is perfectly dry, and more especially if it is required for keeping. 

 Dews should be allowed to disperse before the work commences, and on 

 wet days it ought to be suspended. 



KEEPING FRUIT. 



It is a matter of some importance to cultivators that they should be 

 able to keep some kinds of fruit for as long a period as possible, in order 



