358 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



to act as a preservative and also to improve the 

 flavour, but this must be done with judgment 

 or a syrup will result that will conceal the dis- 

 tinctive flavour of the fruits. 



Miscellaneous Methods. — Besides those already 

 described, there are various other means for pre- 

 serving or utilizing our hardy fruits. Amongst 

 these the pulping previously referred to inci- 

 dentally is important, especially with Apples. 

 The pulp of Apples is employed as the basis 

 of enormous quantities of cheap jams, which 

 are either flavoured with other juices, or mixed 

 with the whole fruits of such kinds as Straw- 

 berries, Raspberries, Blackberries, Red and 

 Black Currants, a comparatively small quan- 

 tity of the flavouring fruit sufficing to consti- 

 tute the mixture. The extraction of fruit 

 juices for various purposes is also of some 

 commercial value, and large quantities of Black 

 Currants have been bought up of late years 

 for such extracts. 



Another branch of manufacture has been 

 developed in the production of non-alcoholic 

 drinks flavoured with fruit juices. Cider and 

 perry are receiving more attention now, and 

 the adoption of improved methods with care- 

 fully-formed blends, and the latest scientific 

 aids in the fermentation, have resulted in an 

 improved quality. The subject is too large a 

 one to enter upon here, but there is no question 

 that there is a demand for the best brands of 

 cider, which might be increased by an extension 

 of the same systems on a scientific basis. The 

 old rough-and-ready methods sometimes re- 

 sulted in a liquor worth drinking, but very 

 often the product was not fit for human beings, 

 and it is this uncertainty which has caused a pre- 

 judice against cider. 



Hardy Fruits — Varieties — Modes of Preserv- 

 ing. — In all the methods of preserving fruits 

 already described, the measure of success at- 

 tainable must partly depend upon the varieties 

 grown or utilized. We therefore now propose 

 to point out the special uses of each kind 

 of hardy fruit, and at the same time indicate 

 the varieties that have been found to give the 

 best results. It is necessary to keep this in 

 view in the formation of any commercial fruit 

 plantation, because the greater the number of 

 ways available for marketing fruits, the better 

 chance there is of substantial results. 



Apples. — It is most profitable in these times 

 to grow only such varieties of Apples as will, by 

 reason of their size, colour, and quality, ensure 

 a ready sale fresh, at fair prices. There are 

 plenty to select from which combine these 



properties in a high degree, and where land is 

 being freshly planted those are the sorts to rely 

 upon, as indicated in earlier chapters of this 

 work. But there are thousands of acres occupied 

 with Apples of inferior quality compared with 

 those now available. The destruction of these 

 old trees is not always possible for the occupiers 

 of the land, and even where it is, the expense 

 of " grubbing " out an old orchard and prepar- 

 ing it for other crops is too heavy to be under- 

 taken in a time of agricultural depression. If 

 the tenants cannot face this, neither can many 

 of the landlords at the present time, and so the 

 old orchards are allowed to exist, and the fruits 

 are used or sold in seasons of moderate crops, 

 while in times of abundance a large proportion 

 is wasted. The inability to replant or renew 

 an orchard is no excuse for the neglect often 

 seen. The actual annual expense of keeping 

 a plantation in fair condition is not so great 

 that it cannot be provided by any occupier. 



These old neglected trees and poor varieties 

 often yield heavy crops of small Apples that 

 would not pay for carriage to market in that 

 form; in fact, they are usually practically un- 

 saleable, and, except where cider -making is 

 followed out systematically, the greater por- 

 tion of such crops is absolutely lost. With 

 the appliances now at command, and with the 

 demand existing for preserved fruits in various 

 forms, this waste might be turned to good pur- 

 pose. Then, too, even with the best varieties 

 in time of heavy crops there are always large 

 numbers of small fruits which cannot be mar- 

 keted to advantage, and if thinning is resorted 

 to, the fruits removed may amount to a con- 

 siderable weight in a large plantation. Yet 

 the whole of this surplus or waste produce 

 might be turned to good account, and the 

 methods applicable are those already described 

 in general terms, namely — 1, drying; 2, Apple 

 pulp or jam; 3, Apple jelly; 4, Apple chutney. 

 For the first-named process the larger fruits 

 should be selected; for the second, any sort or 

 size can be used, either alone or in mixture; 

 for the third and fourth it is preferable to have 

 the varieties separated for each boiling, unless 

 a large and equal blend can be formed, so that 

 both colour and flavour may be uniform. 



Jelly. — The great advantage of this process is 

 that the refuse coring and parings from the dry- 

 ing can be readily converted into an excellent 

 preserve. The smallest Apples can be similarly 

 utilized without any preparation beyond clean- 

 ing. The common wild Crabs, and the culti- 

 vated ornamental Crabs, such as the Siberian, 



