September 4 1890. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
207 
weather at the same time is of a kind that favours “ forcing,” 
which it certainly does when it is warm at the periods spoken of. 
Now, as the Ribston Pippin cannot be preserved under circum¬ 
stances as described, let us suppose an opposite case—a backward 
unkindly season, half-perfected fruits, presenting little but a thick 
tough skin, and a core quite as large as usual. Some of these 
fruits possibly might keep longer than was ever known before ; as 
they contain so little saccharine matter there was scarcely anything 
within them to engender decay, hence a sort of withering or shrivel¬ 
ling-up instead of the usual spot and rot which consume the better 
class of fruits. 
From the above it will be seen that warmth favours decay by 
forwarding the fruits and thereby hastening on the period of their 
existence ; so in like manner cold encourages preservation by 
retarding the natural ripening of the fruit, and when it has 
approached that condition it tends to keep it from advancing 
further. But this unnatural state of things has its disadvantages. 
Fruits so treated are never good. Pears may be kept in an ice¬ 
house to a period much beyond that of their usual keeping time ; 
but the flavour is gone. The same may be said of summer fruits, 
as Strawberries, Peaches, and the like, which have been so tried 
frequently. We may therefore learn from this that Nature cannot 
be so far outraged as is here shown with impunity. There exis f s a 
proper time for such fruits to be had in perfection, and to retard 
them much beyond it only produces an article much diminished in 
its most important qualities. From this we therefore learn that an 
ice-house is not a suitable place to preserve fruit intended for table, 
although it may become a very good medium to preserve some that 
it may be desirable to keep from motives of curiosity for as 
lengthened a period as possible. Some other conditions are also 
necessary to the weU keeping of fruit, as will be shown. 
Whenever a quantity of fruit is piled up in a heap in begins 
what in common language is called “ to sweat.” This sweating 
brings out an oily substance to the outside. Sweating will also 
occur without the fruit being so closely piled up as spoken of, but 
it is more slow ; and if it be thinly on a shelf it is in its most 
legitimate way. This sweating coats the skin with a sort of 
varnish, which resists the action of the atmosphere, and certainly 
promotes the keeping qualities of the fruit. This varnish ought 
not to be removed by any means, handling being one of the certain 
ways to do so. Let the fruit, therefore, be placed at first singly on 
the shelves, and little else will be wanted but looking over them 
and picking out decayed ones ; and the place being kept cool and 
ventilated there is a tolerable certainty of their keeping well, other 
things also being favourable. 
As everyone is agreed that perfect cleanliness and sweetness 
are indispensable requisites in a fruit room the situation ought to 
be so chosen as to insure these as far as external circumstances will 
do so, but a full southern exposure is not good. The best fruit 
room I ever remember to have seen had broad shelves surrounding 
the building, and in the centre a tier of shelves with drawers in 
the bottom compartment, the whole affording ample space to get 
round, and the shelves not too crowded. I forget the means of 
ventilation, but believe it was ample. Some other useful fruit 
rooms that I have seen are lean-to against the north wall of a 
garden, the great defect in these being the want of ventilation 
which, in part at least, ought to be at top, and is rarely thought of 
in a lean-to shed. The sides being low, the exhalation from fruit 
cannot well be all carried off them ; it is better, therefore, to leave 
an opening at top to allow it to escape, otherwise the fact of being 
behind a wall is an advantage rather than otherwise, and more so if 
it be isolated, and not form part of a series of buildings, as by that 
means end ventilation could be more easily accomplished. I have 
also seen a very useful fruit room half underground ; but this is 
only advisable on a dry, gravelly, or sandy soil. I have also seen 
one under the shade of a tree, not in a dense wood (which is bad), 
and it answered very well. The main thing to stipulate for is 
plenty of space and ventilation, and to use the latter on all occasions 
except perhaps in damp warm weather, and the probability is that 
fruit will keep as long as it is required to do. A Kentish farmer 
stores his Apples away in the oast kiln, than which nothing can be 
more airy ; and although the large quantity they often have 
compels them to lay them thicker than they otherwise would, they 
often contrive to keep Nonpareil and Golden Knob Apples in a 
good condition till March, and French Crabs still longer.—N. 
THE PROTECTION OF ALPINE PLANTS. 
The Association for the Protection of Plants, founded in 1883 at 
Geneva, gives us in its bulletin interesting accounts on the necessity for 
their protection and the procedure to follow to gain this result. 
It is requisite to form an efficacious protection, as the number of 
the Alpine species diminish in an alarming manner. Sometimes it is a 
question of species which, badly provided for the struggle, are but little 
and slowly reproduced ; sometimes and most frequently it is a question 
of species which man pursues in a disastrous manner. The culprits are 
chiefly botanists and plant sellers. Botanists who are acquainted with 
the rarity of certain plants do not hesitate to collect all the specimens 
they meet with in order to make exchanges with their confreres; the 
plant sellers who do the same to re-sell to the botanists and also to the 
public chiefly in the markets of Geneva, Lausanne, &c., to enable it 
to satisfy its tastes and cultivate Alpine plants in its gardens. This 
persisting demand has brought about a certain number of fatal results 
which it is good to signalise in passing. Cyclamen hedermfolium, a plant 
which is never abundant, is also disappearing gradually from the Alpine 
Flora. Many native Orchids have become very rare or totally dis¬ 
appeared from the woods in which they abounded twenty years ago. 
Tulipa sylvestris, the Martagon Lily, Erythronium Dens-canis, are 
also disappearing. We no longer find Anemone stellata, Lysimachia 
punctata, Euphorbia sagitalis, or Malaxis paludosa in their former 
stations ; of Geranium lucidum, formerly abundant in certain localities, 
there only remain six specimens ; Trapa natans has during the last 
sixteen years totally disappeared from a pond in which it was growing. 
Calla palustris is cultivated by the peasants who know its station, 
and at Lofingue where there were many species of Orchids, a single 
man exterminated them all except three of a common kind ; he sold 
them to amateurs for their gardens. Daphne cneorum and alpina 
have been destroyed in certain stations. Near the railway station of 
Aarbourg Holosteum umbellatum was established, the only example in 
Switzerland. A botanist exterminated it. 
It may seem extraordinary that so many misdemeanors are to be 
ascribed to botanists, that is to say to those who should better under¬ 
stand the necessity not to destroy plants. The best and wisest amongst 
them are aware how dangerous are collectors, and many professors in 
large towns can tell the ravages made by twenty or forty pupils who 
throw themselves on the rare species indicated to them, and an hour 
later or the next day throw into a corner these “ weeds,” for which 
they care nothing, and which they gathered to be like others, and 
appear to take an interest in botany. On the other hand, the exchange 
societies do still more harm. These societies are formed between 
persons of distant localities, each undertaking to obtain for its colleagues 
the rare plants of its own locality ; in this manner members can make 
very interesting herbaria, but it is to the great detriment of the rare 
local species, without science profiting much. They are chiefly amateurs 
and not savants who compose these exchange societies. M. H. Correvon, 
President of the Association for the Protection of Plants, saw a list of 
demands addressed to a member of one of these societies. Here, amongst 
other things are the demands. 
Papavier alpinum (all that can be found) ; Arabis arenosa, Iberis 
saxatilis (idem) ; Dianthus cmsius (thirty large tufts) ; Heracleum 
alpinum (many, but only fine specimens) ; Inula Yaillanti (100 fine 
specimens); Centranthus angustifolius (a barrowful); Hieracium 
lycopifolium (cartload) ; Pyrola minor (as much as possible) ; Myosotis 
versicolor (100 specimens) ; Scrophularia Hoppi (barrowful) ; Lysima¬ 
chia thyrsiflora (100 specimens) ; Centunculus minimus (a case full). 
Altogether they demanded more than 5000 specimens ! And the species 
of which they required most were naturally the rarest. If we add to 
the depredations of the botanists the extension of culture, the clearing 
of forests, and the draining of marshes, it is not surprising that 
the unfortunate plants succumb with exceptional rapidity, especially 
when these combined efforts are increased by those of the sellers and 
their agents. One collector absolutely destroyed the station of the 
Dracocephalum austriacum. He took awaj all he could carry, and 
pulled up and destroyed the rest. This was done to increase the market 
value of his own specimens. These collectors are the worst enemies of 
plants. They arrive with an order for 10,000 specimens for example, and 
that chiefly for uncommon species. The peasant sends his children in 
search of them, and as they do not always know how to pluck up the 
plant properly, we have seen 400 or 500 stocks refused for 100 accepted 
by the collector. In 1884 one of these agents forwarded to America 
4000 plants of Edelweiss taken in Engadine, and in England there are 
firms which require from 10,000 to 20,000 specimens of the same plant. 
Cattle and sheep dogs destroy many species, or at least limit the 
propagation. They are cropped before arriving at florescence and 
fructification. In these conditions the number of specimens can 
only increase with extreme difficulty. Amongst the causes of the 
destruction of plants there are two of which it is not easy to appreciate 
the importance. The struggle for existence amongst plants—that is to 
say, the conditions that favour or restrict the multiplication or exten¬ 
sion of the species ; the variations in the world of insects. 
The result of these multiplied causes of destruction is known ; it is 
the extreme rarity of certain species and the complete disappearance of 
some others. It is good to signalise both, the first especially, and the 
“ Association for the Protection of Plants” has published several works 
from the pen of Mr. H. Correvon amongst others indicating the 
species to protect. They are numerous. Tulipa Billictiana, very rare, 
known recently, and with a very circumscribed habit ; Tulipa Oculus 
Solis, almost impossible to find ; Carex ustulata, very scarce in Switzer¬ 
land, where there are only three stations, each comprising 100 plants 
at most ; Iris virescens, very rare ; the Snowdrop (Leucojum vernum), 
Hottonia palustris, Utricularias, Alisma ranunculoides, Anagallis 
tenella, of which only one station is known in Switzerland ; Trien- 
talis europsea, formerly abundant, is now only found in three stations. 
I cannot mention all. The Association, which naturally occupies 
itself chiefly with the Swiss flora, is gradually making a catalogue of 
