VOL. Ill] SEPTEMBER, 1880. [No. 9. 



FRUIT. 



BY A. HOOD, BAERIE, ONT, 



Although we cannot in all respects equal more southern climes in 

 the production of this very agreeable article, still in my ignorance of 

 the home fruits of other countries, I have prided myself on what I 

 have believed to be a fact, that however favored these countries may 

 be in commanding greater varieties, they cannot produce anything 

 that is superior, if equal, to a plate of good strawberries duly served 

 up with cream and sugar. This, however, may be a matter of taste, 

 and a good deal depends on the condition of the fruit and the quality 

 of the accessories. I dare say all of my readers have experienced the 

 often disappointing result arising from the impossibility of getting two 

 berries alike, or more than one out of five or six that are really satis- 

 factory, when picking this fruit fresh from the vines and eating it as? 

 picked. This depends on the stage of ripeness at which they are 

 gathered, those over-ripe lacking flavor, and those under-ripe being 

 too acid. All berries, therefore, exposed for sale must to a certain 

 extent be defective, because plucked before attaining the state of 

 greatest perfection. To meet this difficulty a certain combination of 

 different flavors would appear desirable. 



T remember once reading a suggestion for mingling the different 

 perfumes that could be extracted from flowers in such a way that a 

 whole audience might enjoy the different changes and combinations 

 that could be produced. The plan was to have all the perfumes in 

 separate vessels, so contrived that by the touching of a spring or 

 springs any one or more of tliem would discharge a portion of their 

 contents in the shape of a fine spray, which a current of air would 

 carry to the olfactory nerves of the audience. This instrument was to 

 be operated similarly to playing an organ, so that a performer had 

 only to touch the key-s which wore connected with the springs to send 



