362 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



is a great favourite for bottling, as also is the 

 Kentish, which, when ripe, has a very rich colour. 

 Many other brightly-coloured sorts can be used 

 for the same purpose, but neither the very dark 

 Cherries nor the light-coloured Bigarreaus are 

 well adapted for bottling. For jam, which is 

 not so much in favour as that of others in this 

 section, the fruits should always be stoned, and 

 the best results are obtained by mixtures, as 

 Cherries alone are apt to be insipid. An excel- 

 lent mixture can be formed of Apricots and 

 Cherries, as a small quantity of the former with 

 a few kernels will impart a fine flavour. About 

 7 \ lbs. of sugar to 10 lbs. of fruit boiled for 

 half an hour suffices for Cherries to be converted 

 into jam. When the crops of common Cherries 

 are very abundant it might pay to dry them, 

 but the stoning is a rather troublesome process 

 even with the aid of the special machines now 

 available, and some driers consider that it is 

 better to prepare the fruit without removing 

 the stones. Crystallizing is largely done, small 

 bright-red fruit being preferred, and these are 

 always stoned. 



Peaches. — In America, and in some British 

 colonies, as the warmer parts of South Africa, 

 where Peaches are grown on an extensive scale, 

 the preservation of the fruit is a matter of vital 

 importance, because all the fresh fruits produced 

 cannot be disposed of immediately. Drying 

 and canning are therefore employed for pre- 

 serving them, the latter being the more satis- 

 factory of the two, though both are difficult to 

 render thoroughly successful. The Peach is 

 such a delicate and succulent fruit that the 

 residue from drying is very small ; and in can- 

 ning, if the fruit is subjected to the heat neces- 

 sary to sterilize it for keeping, it is reduced 

 almost to pulp. Obviously for the latter pro- 

 cess the fruit must not be allowed to become 

 dead-ripe. In Great Britain fresh Peaches are 

 too choice and expensive for such methods. 



Small Fruits. — In fruit-preserving of all kinds 

 it is highly important to provide for the due 

 utilization of small fruits, of which such wonder- 

 ful crops are produced in some seasons that it 

 is almost impossible to market them fast enough. 

 When there is a rush like this, too, the prices 

 fall rapidly, and when the cost of gathering, 

 carriage, and sale are deducted the balance is 

 very small, or possibly on the wrong side. Any 

 means of dealing with these surplus crops must 

 therefore be serviceable to growers. 



Strawberries. — The varieties of Strawberries 

 which are now mostly in favour for general 

 cultivation to be sold fresh are those with large 



handsome fruits, and for market purposes their 

 value is unquestionable. These are not always 

 the best for preserving purposes, and where the 

 surplus from the large, soft-fruited sorts has to 

 be used it is difficult to produce anything but 

 Strawberry pulp. In the second or third gather- 

 ings smaller firmer fruits may be secured, and 

 these can be employed to better purpose. Some 

 varieties of Strawberries are, however, admir- 

 ably adapted for preserving, and when the 

 fruits are of bright colour and retain their form 

 and flavour, the beau ideal has been reached. 

 One of the most useful Strawberries in this way 

 is Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, which is also 

 extensively grown under the name of Garibaldi. 

 The fruit is of a bright scarlet colour, firm, and 

 of excellent flavour when ripened. Another 

 good variety is Grove-end Scarlet, as, though 

 the fruits are small, they are very bright in 

 colour, firm, and with a slight acidity, which 

 renders the jam much more sprightly in flavour 

 than is usual. Elton, though rather dark in 

 colour, is also excellent for preserving, and 

 forms a very rich jam. Roden's Duke of Edin- 

 burgh, though little grown now, is admirably 

 adapted for the same purpose, and to these may 

 be added Scarlet Queen for a combination of the 

 i characters necessary in a variety for general 

 use. Others could be named, and several recent 

 additions to the best of novelties seem likely 

 to become valuable in this and other ways, but 

 the general requirements are fairly indicated 

 by those already mentioned. 



It is seldom that Strawberries are preserved 

 in any other way than as jam in this country. 

 Drying is carried out in America to some 

 extent, but it is not a profitable operation, the 

 return of solid matter is so small in proportion. 

 Certainly here it would never be worth doing 

 on a large scale. In the manufacture of jam 

 much care is needed to preserve the essential 

 qualities of such a delicate and aromatic fruit, 

 and it can only be accomplished by quick boil- 

 ing. Equal weights of Strawberries and sugar 

 are used in a general way, but some large manu- 

 facturers contend that they can produce a better 

 jam, and one that will keep for a longer time, 

 by employing a larger proportion of sugar to 

 the extent of one-fourth or even one-half more 

 than that stated. The result is in many cases 

 an excessively sweet and syrup-like compound, 

 which retains the colour and some of the ardma 

 of Strawberries, but the flavour is almost entirely 

 disguised. A shorter period of boiling is also 

 needed when the amount of sugar is increased, 

 and the time required will thus vary from fifteen 



