May 17, 1894. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
381 
acids, psctin bodies, tannin, albuminoids and so on—perhaps not all of 
them in the very youngest fruit, but all of them, sooner or later^ and 
others besides. 
But, in the building up of the fruit, and stocking its multitude of 
cells, the fruit itself is by no means required to do the whole of the 
viork ; it receives help from the other green parts of the plant, whether 
a shrub or tree, or a mere garden plant like the Tomato, In the case 
of real fruits Ihe most interesting stage of chemical change is that of the 
ripening period, during which the fruit changes colour, becomes softer, 
usually sweeter and less astringent or puckering. The fruit loses its 
power more and more as the departure from the original leaf-green 
colour widens, of making the material for its own growth out of carbonic 
acid and water, and such matters as are drawn from the soil ; and 
instead of taking up carbonic acid and giving off oxygen, it comes more 
and more to behave like animals in their respiration. It takes up 
oxygen and gives off carbonic acid, and it comes to be entirely depen¬ 
dent on the green parts of the plant, the leaves, for whatever more it 
may need for new building material, or of material to put into its cells. 
This process of respiration in animals results, as you know, in a slow 
burning up of certain substances in the body. Heat is a product of the 
operation, as heat, more or less intense, is a product of all burning, 
whether slow or fast; if slow we may see no fire, but there is heat 
nevertheless, and it is this heat that makes the living animal body 
warm. So, if the ripening fruit takes up oxygen and gives off car¬ 
bonic acid, a slow burning must take place in it also; tannin is 
probably burned first, or is among the first substances to be destroyed ; 
the puckery character of the fruit gradually lessens, and finally 
disappears altogether, as one of the important phases of the ripening. 
This i.s true, at least of the Grape, and in all probability of fruits in 
general. 
Insoluble pectose substances change to soluble and the fruit becomes 
softer, especially towards the end of the ripening process. The propor¬ 
tion of albuminoids increases, and consequently the fruit becomes more 
nutritious. The most important changes that take place, however, are 
in respect to the sugar and the acids. These changes have been studied 
more than any others, for upon the relative proportions of these two 
constituents, as well as on those subtle substances that give aroma and 
flavour, the eating qualities of the fruit depend altogether. The 
proportion of sugar increases from the beginning—sometimes steadily, 
as in the Peach and Strawberry. In the Gooseberry and Cherry a sudden 
increase has been observed at just about the time when there is a 
correspondingly rapid growth in the size of the berry. In the Grape 
the sugar increases rapidly also through a certain period, which some 
investigators make out to be longer than others, and some make later 
in the season than others do. 
The proportion of acid also usually increases through at least a large 
part of the period of ripening; but in the case of some fruits it after¬ 
wards falls off, and in some cases, as in the Strawberry, it may rise 
again. In the Grape the acid seems to diminish steadily, and it has 
been supposed that it was converted into sugar—a change which, 
though not possible in our chemical laboratories, may be brought about 
in the plant’s laboratory. But it is not probable that this is the source 
of the sugar. It has been fairly proved that sugar is transported into 
the fruit in the current of sap from the leaves, and it is generally 
believed that when the acid increases too, it also is carried into the fruit 
from wdthout. 
While, in the Grape, the greater sweetness of the ripe fiuit, as 
compared with that which is only partially ripe, may be due to the 
lessened proportion of acid, as well as the increased proportion of sugar, 
it is evident that this cannot be the case in those fruits whose acid 
increases as the ripening progresses. The ripe fruit is sweeter only 
because the sugar increases more rapidly than the acid does. 
As fruits differ in their method of ripening before being plucked, so 
do they differ, and much more, in their methods of after-ripening, when 
detached from the plants on which they grew. All fruits undergo a 
certain amount of ripening on the tree or Vine; but some ripen no 
further when detached therefrom, while others need to be picked before 
fully ripe in order that we may finally have them at their best. As to 
the Grape, the best authorities find no after-ripening, or no chemical 
change, taking place that makes the fruit better; others find some 
diminution of the acid, without any loss of sugar, which would make 
the fruit swmeter. But I do not know that anyone will affirm that the 
Grape is ever better than when fully ripened on the Vine, or that the 
Strawberry, Raspberry, or Blackberry is improved by keeping in storage. 
But, on the other hand, we all know that the Pear is spoiled if allowed 
to pass a certain stage of maturity on the tree. What this deterioration 
consists in has not, so far as I can learn, ever been ascertained. The 
Apple comes in between these two extremes. We can enjoy it in 
summer or autumn if freshly plucked w’hen fully ripe, and can store our 
winter varieties quite uneatable when picked, to go through a process 
of after-ripening in our cellars or fruit houses. 
This after-ripening of the Apple has been somewhat extensively 
investigated. The most reliable results show that there is no increase in 
the sugar ; that is, no sugar is formed, in addition to what was in the 
fruit when picked. There are many kinds of sugar, with two of which 
all of us are acquainted—ordinary cane sugar and glucose. The latter 
is much less sweet than the former. In this after-ripening of the 
Apple, much over half of the cane sugar was, in one series of tests, 
changed to a less sweet sugar, not entirely glucose, but a mixture of 
that with still another sugar, levulo«e. This was an average result 
obtained on twelve varieties of Apples, kept six months. While some 
other investigators found a slight gain in sugar as a whole, all agree 
that the acid diminishes, and hence the fruit may in any case become 
sweeter. As to the sugar and acid in the Pear, the changes are about 
the same as in the Apple, so far as the very meagre investigations of the 
subject inform us, 
(To be continued.) 
Coddling Chrysanthemums. 
As a grower of Chrysanthemums, and fond of experimenting, I can 
endorse all that Mr. H. Dunkin said on page .SIl of the Journal of 
Ilortioulture. That many cultivators coddle their Chrysanthemums 
too much there can be no doubt. I have frequently seen cuttings root¬ 
ing in stove heat, and the plants growing in a warm temperature until 
the spring. Can it be surprising that the plants under such conditions 
become tall—much too tall—and unsightly ? Last week I noticed a 
large number of Chrysanthemums in a greenhouse when they would 
have been better outdoors. 
It is quite probable, as Mr. Dunkin says, that cold cutting winds do- 
more harm to the plants than slight frosts. This, at least, has been my 
experience, and doubtless other readers could record similar instances. 
At one time I was very slow in placing Chrysanthemums outdoors until 
May had set in, but now I put all in a sheltered position in April, 
affording some slight protection from frosts and easterly winds.— 
Grower. 
The National Chrysanthemum Society. 
The very considerable attendance of members at the special meeting 
of this Society held last week, and of which you furnished a report, shows 
clearly that the question of judging of Cnrysanthemums is one that 
has for all considerable interest, though to those who are growers and 
exhibitors no doubt it is of interest in the highest degree. But the 
National has in its ranks not only the largest number of ex¬ 
hibitors of any other Chrysanthemum Society, but probably also of 
men selected here and there to act as judges, and to these very specially 
the subject of discussion was one that commanded their closest 
attention. 
Whatever may be the outcome, not only of Mr. C. E. Shea’s admir¬ 
able paper, but also of the discussion consequent upon its reading, at 
least it is certain that very much will have been accomplished in the 
direction of educating growers and judges in what are not merely the 
requirements of good blooms, but also on what principles the merits of 
blooms should be appraised. Even if it be not possible to secure 
absolute unanimity in judging, at least very much towards that desirable 
end will have been accomplished. I very much sympathise with all 
those members of the National Chrysanthemum Society present at last 
week’s meeting who, having ideas or views, and desirous of expressing 
them, yet found inna’^e shyness or want of speaking experience to fail 
them just then. 
A discussion arising from out of Mr. Shea’s paper and of the meeting 
referred to may be opened in your columns. Such discussion can hardly 
be other than htlpful to the Executive Committee, to whom the entire 
subject has been referred. We have now reached a stage in 
Chrysanthemum exhibiting when the principle on which flowers are 
judged should be as clearly defined as conditions will permit, and in 
that way alone can we hope to have such comoarative unanimity of 
awards as shall secure for them everywhere complete acceptance.—A. D. 
Judging Chrysanthemums. 
As notified in the Jotornal ot Uorticulture last wmek, a meeting of 
the members of the National Chrysanthemum Society took place at 
Anderton’s Hotel, Fleet Street, on the 7th inst., w’hen Mr. Shea’s paper 
on “ Judging Chrysanthemums ” was discussed. As stated in the 
report, I had the honour of opening the discussion, and was much 
gratified by the attentiveness of the audience, this proving to me that 
the subject is one of the greatest interest to all concerned. What 
surprised me was the almost perfect unanimity of opinion with which 
the principle embodied in Mr. Shea’s paper was accepted as being as 
near perfection as possible. One gentleman said he would rather see 
the bloorrs judged on “common sense’’ principles than under the 
suggested methods, though in my opinion Mr. Shea’s suggestions con¬ 
tain nothing but that which is common sense. 
As is well known to exhibitors the two methods of judging Chrys¬ 
anthemum blooms are known as point and comparison principles, and, 
as my writings and practice indicate, I distinctly favour the former, 
for the reason that under a system of point judging every bloom in 
a stand is appraised according to its merits on the day of adjudication. 
As 1 pointed out at the mreting referred to every judge should be in a 
position to give a reason for the awards made, and without adopting a 
method, as that advocated by Mr. Shea, I cannot see how such could be 
done. Unless two stands of blooms contain the same identical varieties 
I fail to see how comparison judging can be accurate. Where there is 
