﻿G. 
  L. 
  Goodale 
  — 
  -Possibilities 
  of 
  Economic 
  Botany. 
  287 
  

  

  fruits, 
  of 
  which 
  mention 
  is 
  now 
  to 
  be 
  made, 
  are 
  those 
  com- 
  

   monly 
  spoken 
  of 
  in 
  our 
  markets, 
  as 
  fruits. 
  

  

  First 
  of 
  all, 
  attention 
  must 
  be 
  called 
  to 
  the 
  extraordinary 
  

   changes 
  in 
  the 
  commercial 
  relations 
  of 
  fruits 
  by 
  two 
  direct 
  

   causes, 
  

  

  (1) 
  The 
  canning 
  industry, 
  and 
  

  

  (2) 
  Swift 
  transportation 
  by 
  steamers 
  and 
  railroads. 
  

  

  The 
  effects 
  of 
  these 
  two 
  agencies 
  are 
  too 
  well 
  known 
  to 
  

   require 
  more 
  than 
  this 
  passing 
  mention. 
  By 
  them 
  the 
  fruits 
  

   of 
  the 
  best 
  fruit-growing 
  countries 
  are 
  carried 
  to 
  distant 
  lands 
  

   in 
  quantities 
  which 
  surprise 
  all 
  who 
  see 
  the 
  statistics 
  for 
  the 
  

   first 
  time. 
  The 
  ratio 
  of 
  increase 
  is 
  very 
  startling. 
  Take 
  for 
  

   instance, 
  the 
  figures 
  given 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Morris 
  at 
  the 
  time 
  of 
  the 
  

   great 
  Colonial 
  and 
  Indian 
  Exhibition, 
  in 
  London. 
  Compare 
  

   double 
  decades 
  of 
  years. 
  

  

  1845, 
  £886,888. 
  

  

  1865, 
  £3,185,984. 
  

  

  ' 
  1885, 
  £7,587,523. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  Colonial 
  Exhibition 
  at 
  London, 
  in 
  1886, 
  fruits 
  from 
  

   the 
  remote 
  colonies 
  were 
  exhibited 
  under 
  conditions 
  which 
  

   proved 
  that, 
  before 
  long, 
  it 
  may 
  be 
  possible 
  to 
  place 
  such 
  

   delicacies 
  as 
  the 
  Cherimoyer, 
  the 
  Sweet-cup, 
  Sweet-sop, 
  Ram- 
  

   butan, 
  Mango 
  and 
  Mangosteen, 
  at 
  even 
  our 
  most 
  northern 
  sea- 
  

   ports. 
  Furthermore, 
  it 
  seems 
  to 
  me 
  likely 
  that 
  with 
  an 
  in- 
  

   crease 
  in 
  our 
  knowledge 
  with 
  regard 
  to 
  the 
  microbes 
  which 
  

   produce 
  decay, 
  we 
  may 
  be 
  able 
  to 
  protect 
  the 
  delicate 
  fruits 
  

   from 
  injury 
  for 
  any 
  reasonable 
  period. 
  Methods 
  which 
  will 
  

   supplement 
  refrigeration 
  are 
  sure 
  to 
  come 
  in 
  the 
  very 
  near 
  

   future, 
  so 
  that 
  even 
  in 
  a 
  country 
  so 
  vast 
  as 
  our 
  own, 
  the 
  most 
  

   perishable 
  fruits 
  will 
  be 
  transported 
  through 
  its 
  length 
  and 
  

   breadth 
  without 
  harm. 
  

  

  The 
  canning 
  industry 
  and 
  swift 
  transportation 
  are 
  likely 
  to 
  

   diminish 
  zeal 
  in 
  searching 
  for 
  new 
  fruits, 
  since, 
  as 
  we 
  have 
  

   seen 
  in 
  the 
  case 
  of 
  the 
  cereals, 
  we 
  are 
  prone 
  to 
  move 
  in 
  lines 
  

   of 
  least 
  resistance 
  and 
  leave 
  well 
  enough 
  alone. 
  

  

  To 
  what 
  extent 
  are 
  our 
  present 
  fruits 
  likely 
  to 
  be 
  improved? 
  

   Even 
  those 
  who 
  have 
  watched 
  the 
  improvement 
  in 
  the 
  quality 
  

   of 
  some 
  of 
  our 
  fruits, 
  like 
  oranges, 
  can 
  hardly 
  realize 
  how 
  

   great 
  has 
  been 
  the 
  improvement 
  within 
  historic 
  times 
  in 
  the 
  

   character 
  of 
  certain 
  pears, 
  apples, 
  and 
  so 
  on. 
  

  

  The 
  term 
  historic 
  is 
  used 
  advisedly, 
  for 
  there 
  are 
  pre-historic 
  

   fruits 
  which 
  might 
  serve 
  as 
  a 
  point 
  of 
  departure 
  in 
  the 
  consid- 
  

   eration 
  of 
  the 
  question. 
  In 
  the 
  ruins 
  of 
  the 
  lake-dwellings 
  

   in 
  Switzerland, 
  24 
  charred 
  apples 
  have 
  been 
  found, 
  which 
  are 
  

  

  Am. 
  Jouk. 
  Sci. 
  — 
  Third 
  Series, 
  Vol. 
  XLII, 
  No. 
  250.— 
  October, 
  1891. 
  

   20 
  

  

  