200 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



On Saturday, October 3, the Chair was taken by Philip 

 Crowley, F.L.S., F.Z.S., at 3.30 p.m., who called upon Mr. J. 

 Watkins, of Hereford. 



GATHERING, STORING, AND PROFITABLE UTILISA- 

 TION OF APPLES AND PEARS. 



By Mr. John Watkins, F.R.H.S. 



[Read October 3, 1896.] 



Everyone looking round the grand collection of fruit exhibited 

 during the last three days at the Crystal Palace, under the 

 auspices of the Royal Horticultural Society, must be struck by 

 the fact that our growers know how to, and can, grow as good 

 fruit as any other growers in the world, and it may well be asked 

 why we let the foreigner capture our markets. We can grow the 

 fruit, but this is only one part of the business of fruit-growing for 

 profit ; even of more importance is the subject I have to deal 

 with, namely, gathering, storing, and profitable utilisation of 

 this fruit. In dealing with a subject of so much importance as 

 this, I do so with some diffidence, as I have to follow in the steps 

 of so many experienced growers, and naturally shall have to 

 repeat many old and well-known methods and practices. In 

 some few things some of my experienced gardening friends may 

 not agree with me, but I ask them to remember that I am 

 treating my subject from the point of view of how to make the 

 most money of apples and pears after they are grown, and not 

 altogether from a gardener's point of view, who has to consider 

 what is most suitable for private use, and has not got to keep 

 profit so much in view. You have all of you heard and read 

 much of late years on the importance of growing more fruit and 

 better fruit, and so many and various have been your advisers, 

 and the advice they have given you, that the inexperienced have 

 doubtless found some little trouble to sift the grain from the 

 chaff, some of them even having to give up in despair. I have 

 known many excellent growers fail to make both ends meet from 

 ignorance how best to harvest and to turn their apples and pears 

 into money. A grower can easily throw away all his previous 

 trouble and expense by the w r ay he performs this last essential 

 part of fruit-growing for profit. 



