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THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



place the fruits clear of each other, and cover with the paper, over which spread a 

 sheet of the felt. This is, perhaps, the best of all non-conductors, and fruit perfectly 

 dry and sound may be kept by it in good condition over a lengthened period. 



Fruits keep well in unglazed earthenware jars, perfectly clean, sweet, and dry. 

 The fruits may be placed in the jars without any packing, the lids being placed on 

 loosely, but the only advantage is ready inspection. Indeed, the fruits keep soundest 

 and longest wrapped separately in tissue paper, and packed so as not to touch each other, 

 in fire-dried pit sand, or, preferably, powdered charcoal, bringing the packing material 

 over the fruit so that the lids of the jars fit close upon it. The fruits keep as well 

 without the paper, but it is generally used on the score of cleanliness. Fruit 

 invariably commences ripening at the eye ; hence it is good practice to keep that part 

 downwards. 



The temperature of the fruit room should be kept as equable and as near as 

 possible at 40, for the cooler it is kept, the longer the fruit will last. Use no more 

 fire heat, therefore, than is necessary to exclude frost or prevent the temperature 

 falling below 34, and never raise it above 40. Ventilation may be liberally needed 

 in the autumn when fruit is first housed, but after sweating the fruit room should be 

 kept as close as possible. Air, however, cannot be dispensed with, but it should 

 never be admitted unless the air of the fruit room is found to be impure, and then 

 as far as possible when the external and internal temperatures are alike. This is to 

 prevent the deposition of moisture on the fruit when the external air is warm and 

 moist, or save it from unnecessary drying when the external air is cold and sharp. 

 When care is taken to insure a low, sweet atmosphere in the fruit room, and to have 

 the air in the air cavity cool and dry, several days of severe frost may prevail outside 

 before the temperature inside is lowered 1, and on the other hand a long spell of 

 close, warm weather may prevail outside without raising the inside 2. A little 

 warmth in the pipes on a dry day, and air admitted by the windows, will soon dry up 

 any damp that may arise from the fruit, but be careful to always keep the windows 

 covered with the roller blinds. 



Exhalations from fruit ripening are considered to have a contaminating effect, 

 but unless ripening passes into decomposition they are innocuous. Nevertheless, 

 store and arrange the fruit so that the early, midseason, and late ripening sorts follow 

 in their order. Fruit kept in store until decomposed is highly prejudicial, through 

 the production of fungoid germs in myriads; therefore, fruits showing the least 



