676 



FRUIT GARDEN. 



absence of sunlight and air, flavour, under such 

 circumstances, cannot be expected. The case is 

 somewhat different in private gardens, where, to 

 suit a particular demand, they may be gathered 

 when they are what is called bone-ripe, kept for 

 a week in a cool fruit-room, and a day or two 

 before they are required for use, if placed close 

 to the glass in a moderate temperature, and fully 

 exposed to light and air, their flavour will be 

 considerably improved. Attempts have been 

 made to keep them in ice, and a case of necta- 

 rines, transported from America, consigned to 

 the London Horticultural Society, came per- 

 fectly safe and sound to hand ; but their flavour 

 was gone, in consequence of the extremely low 

 temperature to which the fruit had been ex- 

 posed. Some connoisseurs in fruits recommend 

 keeping the peach and nectarine a day or two in 

 the fruit-room previous to its being used, and 

 consider that the flavour is by this means im- 

 proved. Such an opinion prevails pretty gene- 

 rally in France, where the finest peaches are 

 produced. Mr Williams of Pitmaston long ago 

 stated in " Horticultural Transactions," vol. ii. 

 p. 115, that should the season prove wet when 

 the peaches are ripe, they should be gathered 

 and placed for about two days in a drying-room 

 before they are eaten. In this that excellent 

 pomologist was right; and it would be well if 

 cultivators paid more attention to his recom- 

 mendations. 



Plums of most sorts may be kept for several 

 days on the table of the fruit-room without de- 

 terioration, and, like peaches, may be improved 

 by a day or two's keeping, particularly in wet 

 seasons. It is a sort of received opinion that 

 each sort should be brought to table as soon as 

 they are gathered. There are, however, excep- 

 tions to this rule ; for the Blue imperatrice and 

 Coe's golden drop will keep long after they have 

 attained all the ripening which our climate 

 affords them. Both, particularly the latter, will 

 keep for several weeks, if wrapped in soft paper 

 individually, and placed in air-tight drawers or 

 cases in a dry airy fruit-room. We have fre- 



quently kept Coe's golden drop till Christmas. 

 The fruit-room also becomes the depository of 

 other fruits, which, although less difficult to 

 keep in a useful state, are nevertheless not the 

 less important to the gardener. 



The almond is seldom cultivated in Britain on 

 account of its fruit, because, unless in the fa- 

 voured climate of the south of England, it is 

 seldom brought to perfection, and also because 

 of the reasonable charge made for imported 

 much better samples. Those, however, who 

 ripen the almond may have it, in perfection, in 

 a fresh state, from September to the end of 

 October, after which the outer coating or pulp 

 should be removed, and the stones thoroughly 

 dried and imbedded in dry sand in boxes, and 

 if placed in the fruit-room they will keep through 

 the winter. 



The chestnut seldom ripens in Scotland unless 

 in very favourable situations; in England it 

 does, but not equal to those imported from 

 France and the south of Europe. With us, we 

 select the finest and best ripened, and after 

 removing the husks we dry them, and after- 

 wards deposit them in layers in boxes amongst 

 very dry sand. These keep till March, but for 

 winter use we lay the dr;ed specimens on 

 shelves similar to those used for our apples. 

 If laid in large quantities together, a slight fer- 

 mentation takes place, a premature decay en- 

 sues, and the season of their usefulness is 

 thereby shortened. 



The filbert, and all the hazel-nut tribe, should 

 be gathered when the cup or covering of the 

 fruit turns brown, and when the nuts begin to 

 drop of their own accord. When gathered with 

 the husks attached to them, they may be laid on 

 the shelves of the fruit-room like any other fruit, 

 and by this means they will keep good till 

 Christmas. For later keeping, remove the 

 husky covering, and pack the nuts in boxes in 

 dry sand, which will exclude the air, and pre- 

 vent the kernels from shrivelling. The late Mr 

 Braddick kept filberts thus packed in air-tight 

 barrels for two years in a cool cellar. 



