58(3 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



and seal. Place the jars on a board and out of a draught of air. If the screw 

 covers are used tighten them after the glass has cooled. 



Large fruits, such as Peaches, Pears, Quinces, Crab Apples, &c, will require 

 about a pint of syrup to each quart jar of fruit. The small fruit will require a 

 little over half a pint of syrup. 



The amount of sugar in each quart of syrup should be regulated to suit the 

 fruit with which it is to be used. The quantity may also be increased or 

 diminished to suit the taste. 



Canned Fruit Cooked in a Water Bath. — Prepare the fruit and syrup as 

 for cooking in the oven. 



Fill the sterilised jars and put the covers on loosely. Have a wooden rack 

 in the bottom of a wash boiler. Put in enough warm water to come to about 

 four inches above the rack. Place the filled jars in the boiler, but do not let 

 them touch one another. Pack wads of hay or, perhaps better, cotton rope 

 between and around the jars to prevent them from striking one another when 

 the water begins to boil. Cover the boiler and let the fruit cook ten minutes 

 from the time the water surrounding it begins to boil. 



Draw the boiler back and take off the cover. "When the steam passes off 

 take out one jar at a time and place in a pan of boiling water beside the boiler, 

 fill up with boiling syrup, and seal. Put the jars on a board and do not let 

 cold air blow upon them. If screw covers are used, tighten them when the 

 glass has cooled and contracted. 



Selection and Handling of Fruit for Jelly -making. — An acid fruit is the 

 most suitable for jelly-making, though in some of the acid fruits, the Straw- 

 berry for example, the quantity of the jelly-making pectin is so small that it is 

 difficult to make jelly with this fruit. If, however, some Currant juice be added 

 to the Strawberry juice, a pleasant jelly will be the result; yet, of course, the 

 flavour of the Strawberry will be modified. Here is a list of the most desirable 

 fruits for jelly-making. The very best are given first : Currant, Crab Apple, 

 Apple. Quince, Grape, Blackberry, Raspberry, Peach. 



Apples make a very mild jelly, and it may be flavoured with fruits, flowers, 

 or spices. If the Apples are acid it is not advisable to use any flavour. 



Juicy fruits, such as Currants, Raspberries, &c, should not be gathered after 

 a rain, for they will have absorbed so much water as to make it difficult, with- 

 out excessive boiling, to get the juice to jelly. 



If berries are sandy or dusty it will be necessary to wash them, but the 

 work should be done very quickly so that the fruit may not absorb much 

 water. 



Large fruits, such as Apples, Peaches, and Pears, must be boiled in water 

 until soft. The strained liquid will contain the flavouring matter and pectin. 



It requires more work and skill to make jellies from the fruits to which 

 water must be added than from the juicy fruits. If the juicy fruits are gathered 

 at the proper time, one may be nearly sure that they contain the right proportion 

 of water. If gathered after a rain, the fruit must be boiled a little longer that 

 the superfluous water may pass off in steam. 



In the case of the large fruits a fair estimate is 3 quarts of strained juice 

 from 8 quarts of fruit and about 4 quarts of water. If the quantity of juice be 

 greater than this it should be boiled down to 3 quarts. 



Apples will always require 4 quarts of water to 8 quarts of fruit, but juicy 

 Peaches and Plums will require only B or I3£ quarts. 



The jelly will be clearer and finer if the fruit be simmered gently and not 

 stirred during the cooking. 



It is always best to strain the juice first through cheese-cloth and without 

 pressure. If the cloth be double the juice will be quite clear. When a very 

 clear jelly is desired the strained juice should pass through a flannel or felt bag. 



