International Congress of Poultry Breeders. 87 



January; a temperature of 36 clegs, being found most suit- 

 able. Ripe fruit did not keep quite so well as that which 

 was fully grown and coloured but not quite ripe. A few of 

 the best market sorts of pears were placed in store between 

 August 27th and October 8th, and were found to keep three 

 or four months at a temperature of 36 degs. or a trifle 

 under. The fruit must be stored just before it is fully ripe, 

 care being taken to avoid bruising. 



Mr. Wright states that he visited the cold store at the end 

 of March and found sound fruit of the following varieties :— 

 Apples : Cox's Orange Pippin, Colonel Vaughan, Duchess 

 of Gloucester, Worcester Pearmain, Chelmsford Wonder (all 

 early market varieties), Bismarck, Blenheim Orange, 

 and Ecklinville Seedling. Pears : Conference, Doyenne 

 Boussoch, Doyenne du Cornice, and Pitmaston Duchess. 

 Most of these are over by Christmas at the latest. 



The result of the trials with tomatoes was not a com- 

 plete success, for, although the tomatoes kept for six 

 weeks, the appearance of the fruit was defective owing to a 

 discoloration at the point of attachment to the foot-stalk, 



In concluding his report Mr. Wright observes that, in his 

 opinion, people do not quickly weary of high-class fruit, and 

 a longer season than at present exists could be secured for 

 many kinds if the best quality were ensured ; but, apart from 

 this, there are periods within the season of several perishable 

 fruits, black currants for instance, when ability to hold the 

 pickings over, if only for a few days, would mean securing 

 an enhanced price. 



International Congress of Poultry Breeders at 

 St. Petersburg. 



An international Congress of poultry breeders was held in 

 St. Petersburg from the 16th to the 20th May last under the 

 honorary presidency of the* Grand Duke Nicholas. According 

 to the official programme the work of the Congress consisted 

 in a discussion of the actual condition of the poultry-rearing 



