Prolongation of the Season of hardy Fruits. 11 



as they become quite insipid after being some months under 

 ground. I have experienced also that the fruit of full grown 

 trees preserve better, or keep rather longer, than those of 

 young trees. I remain, Sir, &c. 



David Gibb. 

 Foofs Cray, January, 1827. 



The keeping fruits, seeds, and roots in horticulture is open 

 to as much improvement from chemistry as the management 

 of soils. (Vol. II. p. 405.) We invite chemists who have gardens, 

 and especially medical men in the country, to direct their at- 

 tention to the subject, and we wish all gardeners would devote 

 some of their leisure hours to the study of chemistry ; a suf- 

 ficient knowledge of it for their purpose may be obtained 

 from Fife's Practical Chemistry (8vo. 7s.), and they will find 

 this knowledge a great help towards accounting for various 

 results which take place in gardens. In the meantime we 

 rely on our medical readers and correspondents. It is highly 

 gratifying to us to see the names of so many of this profession 

 among our list of authors ; our only farther wish is, that we 

 may be enabled to increase a taste for horticulture among 

 country clergymen, and to induce them to make experiments 

 and become contributors. — Cond. 



Art. III. On 'prolonging the Season of hardy Fruits. By 

 Mr. J. Forbes, Gardener to His Grace the Duke of Bed- 

 ford, at Woburn Abbey. 



Sir, 

 It is much to be regretted that the season of those summer 

 fruits which form at our table the principal part of the dessert 

 is of so short a duration, and that no effectual means have yet 

 been devised to prolong it. In the course of my experiments 

 for this purpose, I have tried various coverings to ascertain 

 the most effective, and have invariably found a covering of 

 bunting preferable to all others. By its use, I have success- 

 fully retarded peaches, plums, apricots, and cherries, without 

 injuring their flavour, to a late period of the season, covering 

 the trees just when the fruit begins to ripen. Being of a thin 

 woollen texture, it readily admits a sufficiency of light and air 

 for maturing the fruit, whilst it lessens the general action of 

 the atmosphere. To these advantages is added another of 

 yet greater consequence, that of its effectually excluding, if 



