more 'particularly Apples. 701 



which, I rather think, is frequently lost sight of by many per- 

 sons who have, like myself, but a small quantity of fruit, and 

 but indifferent accommodation for its preservation, viz. tha 

 the cause of shrivelling, the most common way in which apples 

 and pears decay, is not so often from the fruit being gathered 

 in an immature state (a mistake which few persons will twice 

 fall into), but from the too dry state of the air of the place 

 where they are deposited, and the position in which they are 

 placed allowing such dry air to operate too freely on them. 



When fruit, however mature and finely ripened, is exposed 

 in a dry apartment, and laid singly on open sparred shelves 

 (as is often practised), the action of the air speedily extracts 

 the juice from them ; and in the month of November and De- 

 cember, Ribstons, Nonpareils, and other fine apples, and the 

 better kinds of pears, which should remain in good condition 

 for several months after, become shrivelled, and the pulp 

 stringy, unpalatable, and undigestible. Packing in jars closely 

 cemented or sealed up I have found to prevent this, where it is 

 unavoidable to deposit fruit in a dry apartment ; but such a 

 state of atmosphere as is rather moist, without the place itself 

 being absolutely damp or wet, I conceive to be most favour- 

 able for the fruit retaining its original freshness in ; and as 

 many persons have cellars at the surface of the ground, or a 

 little below it, who have no regular fruit-rooms, my experience 

 would induce me to advise them to store their fruit in a corner 

 of the former, in preference to dry presses and closets in higher 

 flats of the house. As an example of what I am advising, I 

 may mention, that a lady of my acquaintance, whose garden 

 produced annually a considerable quantity of fine Ribstons 

 and Nonpareils, has been anxious for several years to pre- 

 serve them till spring, and last year complained to me that, with 

 all her care and attention, she was unable to effect it, as the 

 fruit invariably shrivelled before the end of the year. On in- 

 specting the place where it was kept, I found it a dry closet 

 on the second floor of the house. I advised her this year to 

 deposit them in the cellar, which is several feet under the sur- 

 face ; and I was agreeably surprised, some days ago, to be 

 shown specimens of Ribstons and Nonpareils preserved in 

 both places : those from the closet shrivelled and skinny ; 

 those from the cellar as fresh as when pulled from the tree. 



I know not if these unconnected observations may be worthy 

 of a place in your pages ; but from the apple and pear being (as 

 you justly observe in your last Number) the food of the mid- 

 dling and pcor classes, and more generally useful than any 

 other, I hope, at all events, you will call the attention of your 

 correspondents to the subject. I am, Sir, yours, &c. 



Haddington, Dec. 16. 1829, John Ferme. 



