68 THE MINIATUEE FRUIT GARDEN 



packed in Icegs, barrels, or small boxes, and placed in a 

 cool dry room, free from frost. Some varieties, as the 

 Beurre d'Aremberg, will ripen finely with no other care 

 than placing them in barrels in the cellar, like apples. 

 But most kinds of the finer winter dessert pears should 

 be brought' into a warm apartment for a couple of weeks 

 before their usual season of maturity. They should be 

 kept covered, to prevent shrivelling. Many sorts that 

 are comparatively tough if ripened in a cold apartment, 

 become very melting, buttery, and juicy, when allowed 

 to mature in a room kept at a temperature of 60 or 70 

 deg.' 



The following is from Mr. Glass's ' Gardening Book,' 

 as given in the ' Gardener's Chronicle ' : — 



HOW TO STOEE WINTER PEAES Df SMALL QUANTITrES 



'Get some unglazed jars — garden pots will do; make 

 them perfectly clean, if they have ever been used. The 

 best way is to half burn or bake them over again. 



' Gather your pears very carefully, so as not to rub 

 off the bloom or break the stalk. On no account knock 

 them about so as to bruise them. Put them on a dry 

 sweet shelf, to sweat. When this sweating is over, rub 

 them dry with a soft cloth, as tenderly as if you were 

 dry-rubbing a baby. 



' As soon as they are quite dry, put them, one over 

 the other, into the jars or garden pots, without any sort 

 of packing ; close up the mouth of the jar loosely, or of 

 the garden-pot, by whelming the pan or placing a piece 



