GATHERING FRUIT. 



139 



and receptacle, in doing which the fruit, or pulp, is 

 compressed between the finger and thumb, and de- 

 tached from those parts by the pressure, bv which 

 the fruit is often much bruised, and injured in flavor. 

 In this state it is conveyed in baskets, boxes, &c, 

 to its destination, and when prepared in dishes for 

 the table, it has more the appearance of a jam, than 

 of a fruit from the vine to be eaten separately ; 

 whilst if it had the strig and natural appendages, its 

 appearance would be extremely handsome. So 

 much for appearance. The next consideration is 

 quality ; which is evidently partly destroyed or lost 

 by the pulp being bruised and exposed to the 

 air. The raspberry, the next fruit in question, 

 bears the same fate, in every particular, as the straw- 

 berry. That refreshing fruit, the cherry, is often 

 badly treated, although in many cases its strig is 

 allowed to remain. The currant, however, is worse 

 managed ; the general method being to grasp whole 

 handfuls of the fruit at once, some of which is 

 badly bruised, others quite broken, and some 

 bunches left entire, mashed with the juice of others 

 which have met a worse fare. 



However custom might have sanctioned the above 

 methods, I think prudence should dictate a more 

 proper manner of picking and bringing to the table 

 those choice fruits which are so bountifully bestowed 

 on mankind. I hope the following methods will 

 receive some attention from my readers, even if they 

 are not inclined to adopt them. 



The strawberry, raspberry, currant, &c, I would 

 recommend to be picked ivith their strigs entire, 

 when intended for the dessert ; the strigs to be nip- 

 ped asunder, between the thumb and fore finger 



