226 * The Canadian Horticulturist. ■ 



little fruit. Conflicting reports have been received from the various apple- 

 growing districts of Holland, from a summary of which one half of an 

 ordinar}^ crop is calculated upon. A report from Antwerp states that the 

 Belgium crop also is very uncertain, and that not more than half a harvest 

 can be estimated upon from that country. It is therefore probable that 

 apples will this year be higher priced than last year. 



LATE OR EARLY RIPENING OF PEARS. 



^^IR, — I should be very agreeably disappointed to find the Longfield 

 (^^ apple keeping so well as is stated in your July issue, p. 207. I have 

 had it in fruit three or four years, and find it in good eating order 

 quite early in the fall. There can be no reliable test of the keeping of any apple 

 in small quantities. I find they act quite differently in barrels, and as yet I 

 have not had Longfield in that quantity. Few people, even fruit growers, 

 understand the principles underlying the keeping of apples. The Russians 

 are said to keep in good condition many of their varieties which have not 

 yet proved long keepers in America. I attribute this in part to their shorter 

 summer and the early on-coming of cold weather in the orchard latitudes of 

 that country. But probably that is not all. I find that even the September 

 apples, like Oldenburgh, only need to be gathered as soon as colored, and 

 while still quite hard, and placed in a cool cellar, to prolong their season all 

 of four weeks. Attention to gathering apples in the morning while cool, 

 or in cloudy weather, makes a considerable difference, particularly if they 

 have to be kept in barrels. Baskets are better for fall fruit. I have found 

 that a little skill alone is needed to have the Wealthy apple in fine eating 

 in October, or by a different treatment to hold them firm and sound until 

 March. Gather them rather late in September, store them in bulk in a 

 warm place and their rich odor will inform you truly that they are in eating 

 order by the last of October. Gather them as soon as colored, in the morning, 

 transfer them in barrels at once to a cool cellar, of which the windows are 

 closed by day and opened by night as late as is safe, and they will keep 

 until the cellar begins to warm up with the advance of spring. But, for 

 long keeping, only sound and unbruised fruit must be used, and it must be 

 handled like eggs. 



Newport, Vt. T. H. HOSKINS. 



