144 THE FRUIT GROWER'S GUIDE. 



crop in a short time. A method for protecting pears is given in Vol. I., pages 200202. 

 A strip of cotton wool tied loosely round the stem end of the fruit acts as a deterrent. 

 Wasps also are destructive to summer and autumn pears, and should be destroyed by the 

 means described on page 279, Vol. I. Pecked pears will not keep, and the small holes 

 made by wasps cause the fruit to decay. Some growers enclose specimen pears in coarse 

 muslin bags, and thus preserve them from injury. 



Large pears are liable to be blown down by the wind, or some drop naturally before 

 the whole are ready to be gathered ; their falling to the ground is prevented by small net 

 bags, fitting moderately close, as the pear is not suspended so well if the bag is too large. 



Gathering. This important work is treated in Vol. I., pages 202 203, Summer 

 pears, such as Summer Doyenne*, Clapp's Favourite, Bern-re* Giffard, Jargonelle, Williams' 

 Bon Chretien, indeed all that ripen before October, are better in quality if gathered before 

 they are quite ripe, but they must not be taken too soon or the fruit will shrivel. When 

 the fruit shows indications of ripening, and if gently lifted, parts readily from the tree, it 

 will usually be full-flavoured, juicy, and sound after a few days' maturing in a cool room. 

 Autumn pears require similar treatment, not waiting until the fruit drops, for bruised 

 pears will not keep. Late pears must not be gathered too soon, or they will shrivel ; at 

 the same time they must not remain to be frozen, or their quality will be impaired, but 

 a " touch " of frost does no appreciable harm, and after it the fruits are more easily 

 detached at the nodes of the footstalks. From the middle of October to the early part 

 of November is the usual period for gathering late pears, but locality and season must 

 be taken into consideration. Choice pears should only be handled by the stalk in 

 gathering, so as to preserve the bloom, and thus laid on trays or in padded baskets in a 

 single layer, carrying them at once to the store-room. Market pears cannot be too 

 carefully gathered ; shaking them, off the trees causes more loss from decay than would 

 suffice to cover the cost of proper gathering twice over. 



Storing the Fruit. This subject has been liberally treated on pages 203214, Vol. I. ; 

 therefore it must suffice to remark here that the long and sound keeping of pears 

 depends on a cool, regular, moderately dry, dark atmosphere, too much moisture causing 

 the fruit to speck and decay, while a dry and light place either results in shrivelling or 

 premature ripening. The cooler and more air-proof it is kept, the longer the fruit 

 will remain sound, a temperature of 40 to 45 being suitable, but freedom from frost is 

 absolutely necessary. For further particulars of storing and ripening, see the pages 

 above quoted. 



