THE GENESEE FARMER. 



315 



GATHERING AND PRESERVATION OF 

 Fiiirrs. 



This is a subject respecting vhich we have much 

 to learn in this country ; and considering the vast 

 amount of cajjital invested in fruit-culture, and the 

 prospective importance of the business in a commer- 

 cial point of view, it becomes worthy of serious and 

 immediate attention. How many of those who are 

 b the possession of orchards and fruit-gardens know 

 exactly when even to gather fruits in order to secure 

 their greatest possible amount of excellence ? May 

 we not safely say that three-fourths of nearly all our 

 eumraer fruits are consumed in an immature state ? 

 The keeping of fruits in winter, and the packing for 

 distant mai-kets, are questions that concern deeply the 

 extensive orchardists of this countrj'. We have trans- 

 lated from the Revue Horticole the following obser- 

 vations on this subject, by Prof. Dubreil, formerly 

 of Rouen and now of Paris. They contain many 

 valuable hints and suggestions worthy of attentive 

 perusal. — Horticulturist. 



" The preservation of fruits is a question intimately 

 connected with the fruit-garden. This should furnish 

 during the entire year the same quantity of the best 

 possible fruits. In order to do this, it is true we must 

 plant an equal number of varieties ripening their 

 fruits during each month of the year. But this will 

 be insufficieut unless we adopt a mode of preservation 

 which will retard the ripening of fruits to mid-winter, 

 spring, or even the following summer. The fruit- 

 garden can not give the results expected from it, if 

 we are deprived of its products from February to 

 June, when the earliest fruits begin to ripen. This 

 question, then, has a certain importance, not only ibr 

 those who gather and consume the fruit, but for those 

 who deal in fruits and who without proper modes of 

 keeping are exposed to great losses. As the mode 

 of gathering has a certain influence on the preserva- 

 tion of fruits, we will first treat of that operation. 



I. ON GATHERING. 



"Ist. Degree of Maturity. — Fruits should be 

 gathered wheu they present a sufficient degree of ma- 

 turity ; and in this respect the different species of 

 fruits require different treatment. 



"All the Stone Fruits, the cherries excepted, should 

 be taken from the tree three or four days before their 

 absolute maturity. 



" The Kernel Fruits of Summer and Autumn 

 are gathered eight to twelve days before maturity. 



" These fruits possess, then, the necessary elements 

 to accomplish their maturltion, which is nothing more 

 than a chemical re-action independent in some measure 

 of vital action. In thus separating them from the 

 tree they are deprived of the sap from the roots, they 

 elaborate more completely that which is contained in 

 their tissue, the sugary principle is then less affected 

 by water, and a higher flavor is therefore acquired. 

 The time suitable for gathering is when the side next 

 the sun commences to change from green to yellow. 



" The Cherries, Gooseberries and Raspberries are 

 only gatliered after their perfect maturity ; but they 

 should not be allowed to pass this moment, as they 

 immediately lose some of their qualities. 



" The Kernel Fruits which ripen only in Jf inter are 



gathered when they have accomplished their full de- 

 velopment, and before vegetation has completely 

 ceased — that is to say, from the end of September to 

 the end of October, according to the variety, the 

 earliness of the season, and climate. Experience has 

 demonstrated that fruits left on the trees after their 

 growth do not keep so well ; they lose their sugar 

 and perfume, because at this time the temperature is 

 ordinarily too low for the new fluids which arrive ia 

 their tissue to be sufQciently elaborated. If, on the 

 contrary, this epoch is anticipated, the fruits wither 

 and do not attain maturity. It is equally necessary 

 to gather the fruits from the same tree at different 

 times — first, those placed on the lower parts of the 

 tree ; then, eight or ten days after, those on the upper 

 part, of which the growth is prolonged by the influ- 

 ence of the sap, which remains longer in this part of 

 the tree. For the same reason the fruits of standard 

 trees in the open ground are gathered later than those 

 of espalier, and those of ^g^^ ^^ languishing trees 

 before those of young and vigorous ones. The pre- 

 cise moment for the gathering of each fruit is indi- 

 cated by the facility with which it is detached from 

 the tree when slightly lifted upwards. 



"Various instruments under the name of 'Fruit 

 Gatherers ' have been invented to detach the fruits at 

 the tops of the trees without the aid of ladders; but 

 their employment is too slow, and the fruits are more 

 or less bruised, and do not keep. When the fruita 

 are gathered, they are deposited in a basket similar 



Fig. 1. 



to that used by the cultivators of Montreuil (fig. 1). 

 It is about two feet long, eighteen inches wide, and a 

 foot deep, with a carpet ou the bottom. The fruits 

 are laid in one by one, and only in three.rows or tiers; 

 when too many are laid on the top of each other, the 

 bottom ones are bruised. Each tier is separated by 

 a quantity of leaves. If they are peaches, each one 

 is enveloped in a leaf of the vine. The basket, being 

 sufficiently full, is carried on the head into a spacious 

 and airy place, where the fruits are deposited on 

 leaves or dry moss ; the table of the fruit-room can 

 serve this purpose. There the summer and autumn 

 fruits achieve their maturity, and are taken thence to 

 be consumed. The peaches should be cleaned of the 

 down which covers them, and which is disagreeable 

 to the mouth. 



" Grapes, for immediate consumption or to be 

 preserved fresh, are gathered only at perfect matu- 

 rity; the longer they are left on the vine, the more 

 the sugary principle will be developed. Grapes 

 from conti e-espaliers are to be preferred for keeping 

 to those from esplaiers, as experience has demon- 

 strated to the cultivators of Thomery that they 

 keep better. 



