380 



THE GARDENER'S ASSISTANT. 



if care is exercised to provide firm packing, and 

 no fruits are used that are too advanced in 

 ripening. 



Miscellaneous. — A few other fruits may be 

 incidentally mentioned that require special 

 packing. Melons, for instance, should be 

 wrapped in paper, and packed with wood wool 

 either in boxes or flat baskets, never more 

 than a single layer in one package. Cucumbers 

 are almost invariably packed in flat wooden 

 trays that will take a single layer of about a 

 dozen fruits. Paper is generally used as pack- 

 ing material. Tomatoes are packed in small 

 boxes or baskets, usually with paper, but some- 

 times cork dust is used with imported fruits, 

 as it is with the Almeria grapes sent in barrels 

 to British markets. [r. L. c] 



CHAPTER XXVI. 



STORING FRUITS. 



Requisite Conditions — Storage Conditions— Stages, 

 Shelves, Trays, and Drawers — Preservative or 

 Non-conducting Materials — Tem peratuee— At- 

 mosphere, Ventilation, Moisture — Light — Floor 

 and Path Materials : Dust — Special Fruits for 

 Storing — Apples — Pears— Soft Fruits— Grapes 

 — Cold Storage. 



Every year considerable quantities of British- 

 grown fruits are temporarily stored, for periods 

 of varied duration according to the nature of 

 the fruit being dealt with, and the requirements 

 of the storer. In all private gardens attention 

 to this matter is a necessity, and in the greater 

 proportion of commercial establishments it is 

 now recognized as an essential demanding due 

 care as regards the principal varieties of Apples 

 and Pears. With the majority of soft fruits 

 storing is of much less importance, or other 

 methods have been resorted to when it is 

 desired to retain some for use at a later period 

 than their ordinary season of maturation. As 

 a rule, there is little to be gained by attempting 

 to store the early fruits; they so quickly de- 

 teriorate in quality, even under the best care, 

 that growers for sale usually prefer to place 

 them on the markets immediately they are 

 ready to be gathered. Even in this case, how- 

 ever, storing may occasionally be utilized to 

 a very good purpose, and may enable the 

 grower to secure better prices. For instance, 

 the fruits of most of the early Apples and Pears 

 must be taken from the trees as soon as they 

 are ripe; in the high temperatures which usually 



prevail at that time of year the chemical 

 changes in the substance of the fruit proceed 

 with great rapidity, and the result is that 

 when maturation is reached incipient decay 

 at once follows. Though such fruits deterio- 

 rate to some extent under the best systems of 

 storing, it is in a less degree than if they are 

 left too long upon the trees. The markets 

 also are soon "glutted" with early hardy fruits, 

 and the prices fall in proportion, therefore 

 sometimes the possibility of holding over a 

 portion of the supplies for a few days may be 

 of commercial advantage. 



In private gardens and for home use the 

 reservation of fresh fruits for particular dates 

 is often a matter of importance, but the vari- 

 ability of the seasons and weather conditions 

 may cause disappointment unless some means 

 are adopted for storing fruits that ripen too 

 early. 



For most of the mid-season and late fruits 

 storing is indispensable; indeed, as regards 

 all the latest varieties of Apples and Pears 

 a long period is usually required under the 

 right conditions to ensure the full development 

 of the characteristic qualities. This is espe- 

 cially the case with many of the finest Pears 

 grown in British gardens, which have to be 

 gathered months before they are fit to be 

 eaten, yet with proper care they acquire an 

 aroma and a delicacy of flavour that cannot be 

 surpassed by any other fruits. Similar re- 

 marks also apply to many Apples of the 

 Russet type, which under the right conditions 

 develop an unrivalled spicy flavour. Even 

 amongst Apples for cooking purposes there are 

 some which improve greatly both in flavour and 

 substance by a period of storing — the acidity 

 is mellowed, and the flesh breaks down under 

 the operation of cooking into an excellent pulp. 

 Notable examples of such improvement are 

 afforded by Dumelow's Seedling, and by Bram- 

 ley's Seedling, which from a culinary point 

 of view must be ranked with the best Apples, 

 especially when the fruit has been kept a suit- 

 able time. 



Requisite Conditions. — The ripening of fruit is 

 one of Nature's most elaborate and delicate 

 operations. The changes in the combinations 

 of the constituents are numberless, and present 

 a great and difficult study even for the most 

 advanced chemical authorities. The general 

 effects are easily perceived, but the processes 

 by which these results are reached are not so 

 apparent or so easily understood. The majority 

 of unripe fruits while in a green state perform 



