October, 1905 



THE GARDEN MAGAZINE 



120 



189. PicK piums by Iheir stems so as not to rub 

 off the waxy bloom, which keeps the juice from escap- 

 ing. Leave the stems on; the fruit will Keep better 



celled for home use, spread a straw mulch 

 beneath the tree and allow the apples to ripen 

 on the trees and drop upon it. The time of 

 picking winter apples varies considerably. 

 If it is desired to keep them very late, they 

 may be picked a little green, but usually it is 

 best not to harvest them until mature — well 

 colored, of full size, and usually with brown 

 seeds, although the color of the seeds is not 

 always a reliable guide to maturity. Some 

 winter varieties, such as Spy, are often 

 allowed to hang upon the trees for a few 

 weeks after the first frost. From the home 

 orchardist's point of view — that of good eat- 

 ing — the chief desideratum is complete ma- 

 turity, which brings quality; and the signs 

 of maturity are readily distinguished by an 

 observing man. 



Pears. — Most varieties of pears should be 

 picked when mature, but not ripe, and ripened 

 in a cool, dark place. This applies with 

 especial force to the early sorts, as Summer 

 Doyenne, which are likely to be dry and 

 stringy if tree ripened: and most of all to 



iSG. PicKing in;c a padded basket. Fruit should 

 be handled like eggs. A bruise becomes a rotten place 



Clapps, which, nine times out of ten, will ret 

 at the core if left to ripen on the tree. In 

 addition to the usual signs of approaching 

 maturity — heightening color, full size, and 

 darkening seeds — the snapping of the fruit 

 stem from the spur is an especially reliable 

 guide. Experienced growers take the fruit 

 in the hollow of the hand and bend it straight 

 upward from the spur. If the stem snaps off 

 easily and smoothly at its attachment to the 

 spur, the fruit is mature and the whole crop 

 may be picked with safety, though none of 

 the fruits may be at all soft. If, however, 

 the stem breaks off below its attachment to 

 the spur, the fruit is probably not yet ready 

 for the basket. 



Plums are more commonly picked when 

 nearly or quite ready for eating than any 

 other orchard fruit; but, if necessary, as in 

 commercial growing, they may be picked 

 some time before ripe. The Japanese va- 

 rieties, as Abundance and Red June, can be 

 gathered when quite green, and will color 

 and ripen well if stored properly. The com- 

 mon varieties of the European class, as 

 Bradshaw and Lombard, may be picked 

 while still hard; but when grown for home use 

 plums should always be allowed to hang on 

 the tree as long as possible. If there is diffi- 

 culty with rot, the fruit may be gathered 

 early to save it, although the rot is often quite 

 as serious in the storage room as on the trees. 

 Certain varieties of native plums, as Wild- 

 goose, are likely to burst open some seasons 

 if allowed to ripen on the tree and drop to the 

 ground in their natural way. Early harvest- 

 ing remedies this trouble. With these ex- 

 ceptions the home grower should let his 

 plums hang till their delicate aroma and 

 juicy plumpness assure him that they are 

 ready to grace the centre of his table. 



Cherries are usually picked when they are 

 ready to be eaten. For marketing they are 

 commonly picked just before they ripen. If 

 there is difficulty with birds, boys or rot, it 

 will pay the home grower also to pick his 

 cherries before they are fully ripe. This is the 

 only way to handle rot if it starts at that time. 

 Many a man has had a crop of cherries rot 

 in one night, just when the fruit was ready to 

 be eaten. In wet seasons especially one must 

 forestall this disease by early picking, as 

 spraying does not usually control it. For the 

 birds, plant a tree or two of mulberries near 

 the cherries; the fruit ripens about the same 

 time, and birds prefer the mulberries. I 

 have no advice to offer on handling the 

 boys, except to give them a pocketful 

 occasionally. Coals of fire are better than 

 sticks, or shotguns loaded with salt, for most 

 boys. 



Peaches and apricots should be picked when 

 fully ripe, for the best quality; but, if neces- 

 sary, as soon as they show the first signs of 

 ripening. If the fruit is of good size and 

 well colored it may be tested for maturity Im- 

 pressing it gently with the ball of the thumb. 

 If it feels springy, or gives at all, it may be 

 picked safely and ripened in storage, though 

 these fruits cannot be expected to have quite 

 the sweetness and aroma of tree-ripened 

 fruit. The earliest varieties, as Amsden and 

 Alexander, which are more liable to rot than 



191. The kind of pears that keep — well grown, 

 free from disease and carefully picked. This is a 

 superb variety — Patrick Barry. It keeps all winter 



later sorts, may often be saved to some extent 

 by early picking. 



THE WAY TO RUIN GOOD FRUIT 



Care in picking is not an unimportant 

 point. One can pick fruit either carefully 

 or carelessly — handle it like eggs or like 

 potatoes. The delicate and perishable na- 

 ture of fruit ought to be apparent to every- 

 body" yet I have seen, I suppose, more than a 

 hundred different men shake off, or knock 

 off, with poles, apples and pears that they 

 expected to put in the cellar. Every jam r 

 knock, jolt, fall, rub, that injures the skin or 

 bruises any of the pulp, usually becomes a 

 rotten place sooner or later. 



I used to work for an old farmer who> 

 preferred "specked" apples to any other. In 

 fact, he would not eat any that were not 

 specked; he said the pulp was of better qual- 

 ity next to the speck. Most of us, however, 

 have not such a refined taste; we like sound 

 fruit. 



The only way to have sound fruit is to 

 pick it and handle it with care. No shaking 



192. A meal sack is a good receptacle for apples or 

 pears : does not bruise the fruit, is easily emptied 



