18 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



As Apricots are of an extremely perishable nature, those that are 

 intended to be sent to a distance should be gathered two or three days 

 before they are fully ripe : that is, as soon as they begin to colour on the 

 shaded side ; and the same should be done with the fruit intended for 

 preserving, as only firm-fleshed perfect fruit can be used for that purpose. 

 For the usual market-fruits the same form of basket is used for Apricots 

 as for Cherries. Dessert fruit, however, is wrapped in two thicknesses of 

 tissue paper, and then embedded in fine-cut wood-wool in a wooden case 

 with ventilation holes at the side, the lid of which can be sealed before 

 despatch. Another form of case for sending fine stone fruit by post 

 is made of corrugated strawboard with square divisions such as are to 

 be found in egg- boxes. These are generally made for two layers of the 

 fruit with a sheet of the board between. The interstices can be filled with 

 almost any soft material, but one of the best is the coloured cut strips of 

 paper (known as St. Joseph paper), which gives a very attractive appear- 

 ance to the whole. 



Apples and Pears. — In several cases these fruits are despatched from 

 the orchards to the railway or other destination in carts without springs, 

 during which process the fruit is much shaken and receives fresh bruises. 

 To minimise this, straw is generally placed on the bottom and sides of the 

 cart, and more straw is put between the fruits. It has also been found that 

 fruit packed and transported in sacks like potatoes travels better. Gene- 

 rally, it is despatched in open or closed railway waggons, but transport 

 by water is far preferable, as this method obviates any shaking and 

 damage. When fruit is sent by rail, care should be taken that air can 

 get to the fruit, so as to avoid it becoming heated, and consequently 

 deteriorating, and that the railway truck is thoroughly clean and has 

 no unpleasant smell, as this would be communicated to the fruit all too 

 easily. In all cases, a thorough sweeping-out of the truck is most 

 beneficial. 



It is impossible to define the exact time when the different varieties 

 of fruit are ready for packing, as this can only be arrived at by careful 

 observation, and the dates vary in different years according to the weather 

 and other causes. 



All the better-class fruits should be gathered by hand in order to 

 avoid bruising. It is most important to pick the fruit with the stalk 

 intact. A half-broken stalk, or no stalk at all, gives the fruit an un- 

 attractive appearance and lessens its market value. The fruit should 

 come away from the branch quite easily. The gathering should be done 

 in fine weather, and not before the dew has disappeared in the morning. 

 Women are much more skilful in gathering than men. * 



Some people employ one of the many forms of fruit-gatherers, of 

 which there are a large number of different patterns on the market. One 

 of the best consists of a shaft which is held in the left hand, and by a 

 simple contrivance the fruit is gripped by three "fingers " at the top on 

 a string being pulled with the right hand. Another form consists of a 

 net somewhat like that used for catching butterflies, the rim of which is 

 made of tin and has a few projecting teeth on the inside at the top, in 

 order to assist in detaching the fruit. The first-quality fruit is usually 

 packed in cases which hold a definite weight of fruit, and which are 



