348 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



on the surface by the aid of a wooden ladle. 

 The stirring must not be done to excess, or the 

 fruit is broken down unduly, an undesirable re- 

 sult, except where pulp alone is required. In 

 the case of such fruits as Strawberries and Rasp- 

 berries it is important to retain the form of the 

 fruit as far as possible; but though this can be 

 accomplished with the first-named fruits it is 

 very difficult with the others. Whole -fruit 

 Strawberry jam has gained for some firms a 

 considerable reputation, and commands prices 

 well in advance of the pulped products. Special 



Fig. 1124.— Glass Jars for Jams. 



sorts must, however, be used, to which reference 

 will be made later in this chapter. 



In the effort to produce a high-quality jam 

 that will take a good place in the market it is 

 important to turn it out bright and clear. Colour 

 has a material effect on the selling value of fruit 

 preserves, and a dull, muddy -looking compound 

 has no chance side by side with a bright pro- 

 duct which has a distinctly appetizing appear- 

 ance. So well is this recognized that artificial 

 colouring is resorted to for the purpose of im- 

 proving dull -looking jams. These colouring 

 matters are now manufactured largely, and 

 analyses are published to show that they are 

 free from all injurious substances, but the pure- 

 fruit product must have the preference, and it 

 only requires due care to ensure the desired 

 effect. One of the chief points is absolute 

 cleanliness in all respects, the fruit should be 

 gathered when dry and clean, the utensils should 

 be cleansed after every boiling, and the best 

 sugars only should be employed. Common or 

 imperfectly purified sugar will often spoil a 

 large boiling of good fruit. 



For all the best jams neat and clean glass jars 

 should be used, and though this is an expensive 

 item in the small quantities such as 1-lb. or 2-lb. 

 vessels, it is a needful provision and helps the 

 sale considerably. The cheaper jams and fruit- 

 pulps that are sold in 3-lb. to 7-lb. quantities 

 are usually placed in stone jars, and in some 

 populous districts there is a large demand for 

 this quality at low rates. Where glass jars are 

 used careful filling is required to ensure a uni- 

 form appearance and to exclude air, but in all 

 cases the latter must be ensured, or the jam will 

 not keep well. The surface 

 of the jam should be covered 

 with a slip of specially-pre- 

 pared, thin, oiled or waxed 

 paper, and the mouth of the 

 jars must be covered with 

 bladder or vegetable parch- 

 ment and tied down tightly 

 and neatly. A tastefully- 

 designed label indicating the 

 character of the jam and the 

 maker's name should com- 

 plete the operation. 



The only other questions 

 to be considered are those 

 relating to the storing and 

 packing. In storing, a cool 

 dry place should be chosen, 

 where a fairly uniform tem- 

 perature can be maintained, 

 and where the jam is not exposed to full light. 

 Under such circumstances well -prepared jam 

 will keep good for a great length of time, but 

 obviously there is no object in retaining such 

 preserved fruit until the next season, except 

 that an unusually heavy crop one season may 

 be followed by a poor one the next, when good 

 prices can be obtained. But to take full ad- 

 vantage of such an occurrence it is necessary to 

 prepare the preserve very cheaply, and even 

 then, with the cost of storing, the possible losses, 

 and the interest on the capital, it is not a very 

 encouraging risk. Then, too, there is always 

 the chance that a second "glut" may follow, 

 which would mean a heavy loss. As a general 

 rule, if jam is prepared so that it will keep sound 

 for at least a year, it is all that is requisite, and 

 most traders dispose of the bulk of the produce 

 within a few months of the end of the fresh 

 fruit season. 



In packing, straw is usually employed, but 

 the coarse grades of wood wool are now cheap, 

 and are preferable for all small consignments 

 of glass jars. With well-constructed boxes or 



