ioi8 



Gardening for Amateurs 



At this juncture lower the lamp flame, 

 disconnect the end of the tube, remove the lid 

 of the steriliser, and spring-clip the lid of 

 each bottle. This should be done without 

 removing the bottles from their position, by 

 bending back the spring in both hands, and 

 fitting it over the top of the lid, being care- 

 ful that both sides catch under the ridge of 

 the neck of the bottle, not under the rim of 

 the lid itself, and that it presses on the centre 

 of the lid. Close the steriliser again, con- 

 nect the pipe, and start the water boiling 

 once more. In about ten minutes 155 will 

 be reached again, and in eighty minutes from 

 this the operation will be completed, during 

 which the temperature should be allowed to 

 reach 160, but should be prevented from 

 rising higher by regulating the stove flame. 

 Remove the bottles at once to a cool 

 window sill or similar position, and on the 

 following day the clips may be removed, 

 when it will be found that, owing to the 

 cooling and contraction of the contents, 

 and the consequent reduction of the interior 

 pressure, the lid is kept firmly fixed in 

 position. 



Peaches, Plums and Pears. This pro- 

 cess applies, in general, to the bottling of all 

 fruits. Plums, having more body for the 

 heat to penetrate, should be allowed a 

 quarter of an hour longer. Peeled fruits 

 (such as Peaches and Pears) and Raspberries 

 may, with advantage, be subjected to a 

 maximum temperature of 170 for a shorter 

 time, say an hour. In fact, the only reason 

 for keeping Plums, Gooseberries, and Cherries 

 at the lower temperature is to keep the 

 skins as intact as possible ; otherwise they 

 are none the worse for being subjected to a 

 higher temperature. 



Peaches and Pears must, of course, be 

 skinned and cut into halves or more. They 



should then be arranged in the bottle by 

 means of a fork. 



Raspberries are best gathered direct in- 

 to the bottle ; from time to time in so 

 doing the bottom of the bottle should be 

 rammed down gently on to some wooden 

 object, by which means you will get twice 

 the quantity into the bottle without hurt- 

 ing the fruit in the least degree. 



Straivberries do not appear to lend them- 

 selves to this system of bottling. Being such 

 pulpy fruits, they rise to the top in a colour- 

 less mass, leaving more than half the lower 

 part filled with liquid only. Still, it is quite 

 pure, and retains its flavour of newly boiled 

 Strawberries. 



There is, of course, no reason why syrup 

 should not be used in place of water to fill 

 the bottles ; in the case of Peaches and 

 Pears, indeed, it is better so. It is to be 

 remembered that, though these bottled fruits 

 are fit 'to eat straight from the bottle, they 

 are much better if boiled before being used. 

 To open the bottle, a hole has to be pierced 

 in the lid. 



Cost of the Apparatus. Such an ap- 

 paratus can be used readily in any garden 

 shed. If the shed is heated by a fire or hot- 

 water pipes so much the better, especially 

 in autumn, as in that case the apparatus 

 is heated much more readily, since there is 

 less waste of heat to the air. If such is not 

 available, let the shed be as small as pos- 

 sible, and keep the ventilators closed. The 

 cost of the stove, kettle, tube, and sterilisers 

 is about 2. The bottles cost from 4s. 6d. to 

 5s. 9d. a dozen, a rather large initial outlay, 

 but they may be used over and over again 

 for many years. Three dozen spring clips 

 (costing Is. 4d. per doz.) will be ample for 

 a start, and, of course, these can be used 

 many times. 



Galax aphylla (Carpenter's Leaf) is a 



pretty little plant from North America. 

 Growing from 6 to 8 inches high, it is pecu- 

 liar by reason of its rounded, evergreen 

 leaves, each about 2 inches across, and by its 

 delicate white flowers. The leaves assume an 



attractive reddish hue in winter. It is a 

 good plant for the rock garden, and requires 

 light, moist, loamy soil with a generous 

 admixture of leaf-mould or peat, and can be 

 increased by division. It may also be grown 

 in pots for the cold greenhouse in spring. 



