F R U 



FRU 



thein away, some dried short cut grass being 

 employed lo prevent their being bruised on being 

 deposited in them. 



It is likewise observed, that great attention 

 should be paid to their ripening, never gathering 

 them at any particular period or season, as is often 

 the case, on account of their becoming ripe at dif- 

 ferent times according to circumstances, but to 

 be regulated bv the sound fruit, when the trees 

 are healthy, coming off into the hand without 

 - any force on being taken hold of: it should be 

 picked off the trees and laid in the baskets 

 and other places in a careful manner, so as to 

 prevent bruising. When it is suffered to remain 

 till it begins to fall itself, some well dried short 

 grass mowings, pease-haum, barley-straw, or 

 other similar dry material is recommended to be 

 spread over the surface of the ground, to prevent 

 the fruit being bruised by falling. But the fruit 

 collected in this way should constantly be laid 

 up separately, and made use of before that which 

 was gathered by the hand ; all such as are bruised 

 being laid aside for immediate use. 



After all the fruit has been gathered, the hay 

 or straw should be raked up and removed. 



When the fruit is wholly collected, it must be 

 deposited in the store- or fruit-room, some of the 

 dried short grass being previously spread over 

 the middle part of thefloor. It should be care- 

 fully laid in heaps from the baskets upon the 

 dried grass, each sort separate ; the heaps being 

 from two to three feet in height, according to 

 the quantity of fruit. When the heaps have 

 been formed, they should be covered with the 

 same material a3 was laid on the floor, to the 

 thickness of two inchesormore, in order thatthey 

 may sweat. When they have remained in this 

 state a fortnight, they should be opened and turn- 

 ed over, wiping each with a woollen cloth often 

 dried, carefully removing those that were at the 

 tops to the middle. After having continued 

 eight or ten days more covered as before, the 

 watery material will be sufficiently expended, 

 when the fruit must be a^ain looked over and 

 wiped as in the former case, rejecting all such 

 as arc in the least degree injured. 



While the process of sweating is going on, 

 the windows of the room should be kept open, 

 when the weather is not moist, to promote the 

 exhalation of moisture. When the sweating is 

 very considerable, it will be necessary to turn 

 and wipe the fruit during the process. 



Wheat- straw has been commonly made use of 

 in layingupthissortof fruit ; butMr. Forsythhas 

 found, that wh.n any of the fruit begins to de- 

 cay, if it be not quickly removed, the straw im- 

 bibes the moisture issuing from it, and commu- 

 nicates an unpleasant taste to such as is sound. 



When fruit is stored up on shelves in the 

 rooms, they are advised to have the bottoms 

 covered with thin coarse canvass, at about eight- 

 pence or ten-pence the yard, being placed upon 

 it in single layers, after being wiped quite dry, 

 care being taken not to lay them upon each other. 

 They should then be covered with a piece of 

 the same canvass, old news, or whited brown 

 paper, to exclude the action of the air, guard 

 against frost, and preserve the smoothness on 

 the skin of the fruit. It should be turned two 

 or three times in the course of the winter, to 

 guard against rotting on the under side> all 

 the damaged fruit being carefully removed each 

 time. 



In storing it in this manner, the earliest sorts 

 should be placed on the lower shelves or drawers 

 according as they come in, in this order; the 

 nonsuch, goldf n-rennet, and jenneting apples, 

 andtheburgamotandburre pears, as the jargonelle 

 is found to keep best on the tree, rotting almost 

 immediately on being gathered. In this way a 

 proper succession of fruit may be provided. 



As it requires much time in storing in this 

 way where there is much fruit, it may be done 

 in wet weather, and theevenings, when the men 

 can be better spared than in the day-time. 



Where there are not proper fruit-rooms, this 

 sort of fruit may be kept in store-houses in 

 baskets or hampers, placing soft paper in the 

 bottoms and round the edges to prevent bruis- 

 ing them, laying a layer of fruit and a layer of 

 paper alternately, covering the top with paper 

 three or four times folded, to guard against the 

 air and frost. 



The different sorts of fruit should be packed 

 separately, and have labels fastened to them, so as 

 to know their names, and the times of their be- 

 ing in a proper slate for use. 



The best way of keeping fruit is, however, 

 Mr. Forsyth thinks, by packing it up in glazed 

 earthen pans or jars. In doing which, the fruit 

 should be first separately wrapped in soft paper, 

 then a little well-dried bran applied over the 

 bottoms of the jars, above which a layer of 

 fruit should be placed, continuing them alter- 

 nately, till the jars are quite full, when they 

 should be shaken, and a little more bran added, 

 covering the whole over with bladders to exclude 

 the air, putting on the covers, which should fit 

 in a close manner. The rooms in which these 

 are placed should be capable of admitting a fire 

 in moist weather. 



In packing fruit for carrying, Mr. Forsyth 

 thinks strong deal boxes of different sizes the 

 most convenient and useful. Those which he 

 employs are two feet long, having the breadth 

 and depth of fourteen inches ; and one foot nine 



