May 9, 1895. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
401 
us there is not any danger of this occurring. We may at least 
acquire an elementary training, and derive much benefit from it. 
By its means new fields of thought are opened up, additional 
interest given to those objects of our direct care, and the beauty 
of our native flora revealed. A concise analysis of the organs of 
plants is given in the “Gardeners’ Assistant”—this, with the 
practical lessons on chemistry following it, cannot well be over¬ 
looked by you ; add to this a manual on elementary botany as a 
pocket companion, your rambles will then be neither aimless nor 
fruitless. Opportunities will be afforded for making acquaintance 
with new bits of the old country, and Shanks’ mare—an unrivalled 
means of locomotion within a radius of twenty miles—will give 
facilities for observation, storing up many a pleasant picture for 
the future when recalling memories of the past.— An Old Boy. 
(To be continued.) 
PACKING AUSTRALIAN FRUIT. 
That large numbers of sound antipodean Apples arrive in 
London at this season of the year is beyond question; but how 
many fail on the way we have no means of knowing. In a recent 
experimental consignment of fruit the failure was, iu the case of 
Grapes, Plums, and Pears, complete (except in the case of a hard 
stewing Pear), while the special means taken to preserve the 
Apples did not in any sense answer the purpose intended. We 
have been requested by Mr. L. M. Hutchinson to examine samples 
of fruit sent by Mr. George Neilson, Curator Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Gardens, Melbourne, Victoria, and mention the results. 
As we have said, the Grapes and Plums were all spoiled, also, with 
one exception, the Pears ; we have only to refer to the Apples. 
Some of these, also the other fruits, had been dipped in a 
preservative solution, and appeared as if varnished ; while others 
were wrapped in soft white paper and embedded in Melaleuca or 
Titree bark, a colonial product. 
The preservative solution, from which so much appears to 
have been expected, proved either useless or worse. The Apples 
were gathered and dipped on March 1st, shipped the next day, 
and examined in Fleet Street on April 26th. 
Three out of four of the dipped Cox’s Orange Pippins were 
quite spoiled, the prevention of evaporation appearing to have 
incited internal fermentation, blackening the fruits throughout. 
Those not varcished were not all decayed, but the best of them 
were devoid of the characteristic flavour. The fruits were excel¬ 
lent samples when gathered. 
Fruits of .(Esopus Spitzenberg Apple were not decayed, yet 
were of practically no value, being musty, sweet, and soft. 
Samples of the variety named Perfection were very attractive, 
but too far gone and quite mealy. 
All the specimens of London Pippin were sound, varnished and 
unvarnished, but were either devoid of flavour or unpleasant to the 
palate. This proved the best traveller; but nob many persons 
would twice buy Apples so defective in quality. 
Adams’ Pearmain fruits were of the first size, but two out of 
three that had been dipped were blackened and spoiled ; sound 
fruits, sweet, but very dry, and of practically no value. 
The Melaleuca bark has proved the reverse of advantageous as 
packing material. As a matter of fact it was more decidedly Apple 
flavoured than were the fruits themselves, from which it had 
absorbed the virtues. 
We received in May, 1883, a small consignment of Australian 
Apples, packed by Mr. Neilson and brought over by Mr. Hutchin¬ 
son. These were exhibited at an evening meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society at Burlington House, and evoked expressions 
of surprise and admiration. Each fruit had been simply wrapped in 
white paper and closely packed. Only a few were shrivelled, most 
arriving in splendid condition. It is pos4ble that if the few that 
were shrivelled had been wrapped in less porous paper (such as 
“butter paper,” in which “W. R. Raillem’s ” Roses (page 407) 
came so fresh last week) that they might have been fresh too. 
A sample of the paper has been taken by Mr. Hutchinson, and will 
probably be tried in Australia. 
We are inclined to think, however, that if sound fruits, gathered 
at the right time, and firmly packed so as to be quite immoveable, 
without paper or anything else, except, perhaps, a surrounding 
lining of non-conducting material, such as hair felt, attached inside 
the cases, would be as likely to arrive in a sound state and of good 
quality, as they would under more elaborate methods ; and certainly 
both the “ preservative dipping ” and Melaleuca bark led to the 
decay of most of the fruits and loss of flavour of others in the 
consignment in question. Obviously Australian Apples arriving 
in this country in May and June do not prejudice the sales of 
home-grown fruit. 
MY FIRST FLOWER SHOW. 
No matter where, no matter when, sufficient to say that the 
importance I felt from the time it was decided who was to go, 
who stay at home, was out of all proportion to the subordinate 
position I then held as a junior in the bothy. Days, nay weeks, 
previous had the coming event cast its shadow before, and as the 
crisis approached something akin to disorder was visible in the 
most orderly of well kept gardens. Grave, sober-minded old 
labourers took surreptitious peeps at us through door or sash, and 
prophesied according to their views of life in general, and of 
flower shows in particular. Even “ the Missus,” whose motherly 
supervision made our neat little bothy homelike, at last forsook 
the care of our beds and board, and was engaged, spectacles on nose, 
peering into specimen plants for stray bugs which might mean dis¬ 
grace, or sponging the foliage, so that no leaf was left unturned, 
whereby our efforts might be crowned with success. For were we 
not competing for the group—the blue riband of the Royal Stone- 
wallshire Horticultural Society ? 
It was to be a hard fight. So said those who knew, and from 
what I could glean, victory or defeat hung in the balance over a 
fine specimen Allamanda, which—that it might be in the primestof 
prime conditions at the appointed time—had made journeyings oft 
from a hot house to a cool one, and back again according as blooms 
developed or hopes rose and fell. Our most formidable opponent 
possessed as good a specimen, but now, on the eve of the contest, 
our plant being engineered to perfection, it was a foregone 
conclusion that the enemy’s plant would be either a little early or a 
little late, and who could match the matchless ? 
So far so good ; with a sense of relief we took a last look at 
the beauties packed in the van ; fastened the tail sheets and saw 
the plants curtained in comfort for the night, with our hamper of 
necessaries, comprising blocks, matting, moss, and sundries swung 
hammock fashion from the axles. So far as weather was con¬ 
cerned, and needless to say it did concern, a falling glass did not 
provide the brightest of prospects, yet even that was (prematurely) 
settled to our satisfaction. Older heads shook out statistics showing 
how at such a show it was fine, and such a one wet, so that the 
balance of opinion went as we wished (beforehand). 
Now, as some twelve miles intervened between the sphere of 
our hopes and the arena of realisation, an early start to cover the 
distance at a walking pace was imperative. Well grown, well 
bloomed plants, however well packed, must not be needlessly 
shaken, nor whip nor spur urge our steady old horses to “ rattle 
their bones over the stones.” Having by such incontrovertible 
logic—as detailed—pre-arranged the weather, prejudged our plants 
so satisfactorily, a busy day with a prospective busier one to-morrow 
gave urgent reasons for rest, and the wisdom of it without further 
debate was impressed by the teeth of that old saw, “ early to bed, 
early to rise. ” Our carter, who lived outside the garden walls, had 
promised to call us at half-past two—should he wake ! We had 
promised to call him at half-past two, should we wake, hence from 
mutual dependence arose mutual distrust. My watch—a family 
heirloom of the turnip type—was not infallible, having a habit 
of marking time indifferently by stopping and going on again 
spontaneously, whilst the remaining watch in the bothy would not 
go at all. 
Fully impressed with my responsibility I fell asleep, matches by 
my side and the good old timepiece under my pillow, to be awakened 
by one of my comrades stentoriously exclaiming he knew it was 
time to get up. Assuming his knowledge to be reliable, one leap 
brought me to the floor with the prompt attempt to misfit on ray 
garments, when came the pertinent question, “ What’s o’clock by 
your watch ? ” It told me—and was endorsed by my own feelings— 
that we had been in bed just half an hour and five minutes. So 
again silence reigned, interrupted only by the striking of matches 
through the night. Finally some troubled dream connected with 
plants accompanied by a sort of spirit rapping-tapping at the 
window pane resolved itself into a tangible rattling, with the 
voice of our carter saying, “It’s half-past two and pouring o’ rain, 
be you chaps gwine to lay abed all day ?” Instant activity 
dispelled such an impertinent insinuation, and we were soon pro¬ 
specting our breakfast and the weather. A wet morning, however 
unpleasant, meant, of course, a fine day—it would clear, which it 
eventually did on the morrow. 
On with top coats, off in good time in spirits the downpour 
could not quench, probably sustained by some cigirs of the Chou 
d’Anglais type bought at the village shop specially by inyself as an 
offering meet for the occasion. So on, the three of us, riding by turns, 
through the grey gloom and the unceasing splish splash of the 
rain. What matter, the plants were safe and we were sound— 
neither pepper nor salt. 
Some anxiety was manifested by my comrades on approaching 
the turnpike, and the question w is raised, ‘ Will old Pikey be up ? ” 
