GENERAL PRACTICE. STORING FRUIT. 21$ 



symptoms oi ? over ripeness, or a speck of decay, must be promptly removed. Avoid 

 continual disturbance of fruits in stores. Handling, however delicately, adds to or 

 takes something from the fruit. Every turn injures it ; in fact, the grand secret in 

 keeping choice fruit long, sound and full-flavoured, is to leave it untouched. 



Fruit ripening and fruit keeping are totally different things. Many fruit rooms, 

 so-called, are ripening places. Light, warm, airy, they insure the perfect ripening of 

 autumn and mid- season varieties, the late being accelerated ; but it not infrequently 

 happens that some sorts never ripen, becoming " sleepy," dry or mealy, while much 

 late fruit is worthless through shrivelling, the result of excessive evaporation. Some 

 varieties of apples, and more of pears, require to be kept close, in a moderate degree of 

 warmth, to mature properly. A ripening room with a temperature from 60 to 70 is 

 considered necessary where large quantities of fruit are required over a long period. Into 

 this room most kinds of the finer winter dessert apples and pears should be brought for 

 a couple of weeks before their usual season of maturity, for the presence of light, 

 warmth, and air is necessary for the elaboration of saccharine matter, but warm, light, 

 dry and airy conditions cause the fruit to shrivel. This must be avoided by 

 excluding air, and wrapping the fruit in sheets of white paper. Old newspapers should 

 never be used, as fruit absorbs the smell given out by the ink used in printing, and is 

 spoiled. In most places a few portable trays, or shallow boxes, in which to remove 

 any slow, or harsh, as well as late, fruits that need hastening in ripening, into a 

 higher temperature than the keeping-room, meet needful requirements, a hot-house, 

 or, preferably, a warm room, answering the purpose in view. When sufficiently ripe, 

 the cooler fruit is kept for use the better, but if warmed for eating its flavour is 

 improved in cold weather. 



Notwithstanding that too much care cannot be bestowed on the keeping of fruit 

 it does not follow that expensive structures are essential. Fruit keeps well in any 

 building that is cool and dark, in the spare room of the cottager on a soft bed of 

 clean, sweet straw, which should also form a lining next the wall, and be used for 

 covering alike to exclude frost and prevent shrivelling by exposure to the atmosphere. 

 On the floor of the cottager's pantry, packed as described, russet and other late apples 

 turn out in March, or later, plump, sound, heavy, crisp, juicy, and full-flavoured. 



Flour barrels or others that are perfectly clean and sweet, are excellent for storing 

 winter fruit in. If care is taken to have the fruit dry and unblemished, it keeps as 

 well sweet in boxes or barrels placed in a room or outhouse beyond the reach of 



