236 



TREATISE ON THE CULTURE ANT* 



remain eight or ten days, covered as before ; by that time 

 they will have thrown out the watery crudities which they 

 may have imbibed during a wet feafon ; then uncover the: 

 heaps, and wipe the fruit carefully one by one, as before* 

 picking out every one that is injured, or has the lead fpot, as. 

 unfit for keeping. 



Fruit fhould be gathered, if poffible, in dry weather, and; 

 when the dew is exhaled from off the trees ; and remember: 

 never to gather in the evening after the dew begins to fall. 



During the time that the fruit is fweating, the windows; 

 fhould be left open, except, in wet and foggy weather, to ad- 

 mit the air to carry oft" the moiflure which perfpires from the. 

 fruit. The perfpiration will fometimes be fo great, that on 

 putting your hand into the heap,, it will come out as wet as 

 if it had been dipped into a pail of water : when in this ftate,, 

 it will be neceflary to turn and wipe the fruit. 



In laying-up fruit, the common practice has been to lay it 

 on clean wheat-ftraw ; but I find by experience, that when 

 any of the fruit begins to decay, if it be not immediately 

 picked out, the ftraw, by imbibing the moifture from the 

 decayed fruit, will become tainted, and communicate a dif- 

 agreeable tafte to the found fruit. 



I would likewife caution thofe who erecl: new (helves in 

 their fruit-rooms, to have the timber well feafoned, and to 

 make ufe of white deal in preference to red, as the latter, 

 efpecially if not very well feafoned, is apt to give a very dif- 

 agreeabie refinous tafte to the fruit, which quite fpoils its 

 flavour. I would, therefore, recommend covering the bot- 

 toms of the {helves with thin coarfe canvas (fuch as may be 

 pLirchafed for about eight or ten pence a yard), on which the 

 fruit thould be laid in a fingle layer, after being wiped per- 

 fectly 



