HABDY FBUIT GABDEN 



1039 



should aot be too close to the trees, as the 

 latter like to have the soil coveriag their 

 roots in a fairly firm condition, and not 

 in a loose state. 



As a rule these borders slope at a 

 greater or less angle from the wall to 

 the footpath. The sharper the angle the 

 more directly the rays of the sun play 

 upon the surface of the soil and thus 

 make it warm sooner than if it were flat. 

 This is an advantage, but in dry seasons 

 it is also a disadvantage, especially where 

 difficulty is experienced in obtaining 

 water. Bain and water do not moisten 

 to any great extent the soil on a sharp- 

 angled border; the latter consequently 

 becomes very dry in the absence of 

 moisture, and the roots either suffer 

 considerably, or are driven to lower and 

 less fertile depths in search of it. Ex- 

 cept where abundance of water can be 

 given in hot dry weather, it is therefore 

 wise not to have the fruit borders at too 

 great a slope. The flatter border will 

 of course not obtain quite so much sun 

 heat, but on the other hand the evapora- 

 tion from its surface will not be so great. 

 And again, the extra heat of the raised 

 border naturally induces earlier root action 

 with the result that flowers are produced 

 at an early period, only to be nipped by 

 the late spring frosts. In fact during the 

 summer months, when there is plenty of 

 heat, but often little moisture, the flat 

 border has more advantages than the 

 sloping one. 



A good plan with a fruit border is to 

 have the portion near the wall quite level 

 for about 2 to 2^ ft. away from the wall, 

 the remaining surface being at any slope 

 required. The roots of the fruit trees will 

 thus be beneath the level portion which 

 wUl form a kind of pathway to enable one 

 to attend to the trees. Being walked 

 upon a good deal in the course of the 

 various operations the soil will natur- 

 ally be trodden down pretty firmly and 

 thus give a solid ' run ' to the roots. The 

 sloping portion of the border may then be 

 utilised for the cultivation of various 

 vegetable crops without interfering in any 

 way with the fruit. 



Storing Fkuit 



Various methods are adopted for 

 keeping fruit such as Apples and Pears in 

 a sound condition after they have been 

 gathered. In large gardens where it is 

 desirable to preserve a quantity of fruit 



for winter and spring use, it is essential 

 to hg.ve a special building for the purpose. 

 The main points to remember in storing 

 fruit are (i) to exclude the frost ; (ii) main- 

 tain a dry cool atmosphere averaging about 

 45° Fahr. ; (ill) a free circulation of air ; 

 and (iv) a very small amount of light, or 

 semi-darkness. Fruit if kept too warm 

 is almost sure to shrivel ; if allowed to 

 become too cold, an increase in the 

 temperature causes moisture to condense 

 on the fruits and thus injure them. Too 

 much light causes chemical action and 

 fermentation in the juice, hence the 

 reason for its almost total exclusion. 



Pears require rather a higher tempe- 

 rature, say 50° F., and a slightly drier 

 atmosphere than Apples to develop their 

 flavour to the utmost, but on the whole it 

 is safer to err on the side of dampness 

 rather than too much dryness in the fruit 

 room. In a well-constructed fruit-room 

 with care and intelligence there are many 

 kinds of Apples that can be kept in a 

 beautifully fresh condition to the end of 

 May and into June from the previous 

 autumn. 



A fruit room may be made of wooden 

 boards and covered with thatch. The 

 walls should be double, about 6 inches to 

 a foot apart, the intervening space being 

 filled with dry straw or sawdust. Glazed 

 windows may be placed at intervals along 

 the sides, but should be provided with 

 shutters to exclude strong light, or the 

 light may be excluded by stippling the 

 glass with whitewash, or one of the 

 mixtures used for shading greenhouses in 

 summer. Ventilation may be provided 

 by leaving an opening at each end of the 

 gable, protected however with a fine mesh 

 wire or perforated zinc, to exclude birds, 

 wasps &c. 



Shelves may be arranged all round, 

 each about 2 ft. or a little more wide, and 

 about 2 ft. apart. They are usually con- 

 structed of wooden battens 2-3 in. wide 

 placed about an inch apart so that the air 

 may circulate freely around the fruit and 

 keep the surface dry. The fruit should 

 be handled gently and placed in single 

 layers on the shelves, each kind being 

 kept separate, and if necessary labelled. 



Where there are lofts or cellars suitable 

 for the storage of fruit, lattice shelves 

 maybe easily fixed up as in the fruit room, 

 or better still fruit trays as made by 

 Mr. Orr of Bedford may be used. These 

 fruit trays are about a yard square, having 



