RIPENING AND PRESERVING FRUITS. 283 



of so much care and anxiety, as well as of pleasure. This 

 will require new considerations as to its disposition and 

 preservation to the best advantage, and will call for a dis- 

 cussion of the best modes of packing, storing, ripening, 

 and transportation to market. 



From what has already been said with regard to the 

 process of ripening of fruits in the natural way upon the 

 tree, it will be understood that we must gather some kinds 

 before they have reached their perfect condition of matu- 

 rity. There is a point at which they have obtained, from 

 their connection with the parent tree, all the elements 

 that are necessary to the development of their highest 

 qualities. They may now be separated, not only with 

 safety, but with decided advantage in many instances, as 

 they are improved by the further process of maturation 

 under different circumstances from those supplied by na- 

 ture, and when properly treated, they will acquire a much 

 finer condition as to delicacy and flavor than is ever 

 reached by ripening upon the tree exposed to the light 

 and air. This, it will be remembered, is not the case with 

 all fruits ; for, as has already been stated, there are those 

 which must remain upon the tree until they acquire their 

 most perfect ripeness, and which begin to depreciate in 

 quality so soon as they are separated from their connec- 

 tion with the fruit -bearing twig. These need to be at 

 once disposed of, and the consideration of the best means 

 of transportation, is a question of more importance than 

 any plans for their temporary preservation. They must 

 be sold or used at once, and should be handled with 

 the greatest care, packed in suitable boxes or baskets in 

 the most judicious manner for a good display of their 



