September 10,1891. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
219 
the surface of a bed of ashes and gravel, on which pot plants stand 
during winter and spring, have been so fine that it is difficult for visitors 
who know something about Tomatoes to determine the variety ; the 
flavour, moreover, is quite as good as is Perfection. The plants have 
been fed with regularity. I noticed something of the same type in a 
large Kentish establishment, where the fruits grown in strong soil with 
plenty of manure were coarse, while on plant stages they were of 
much better quality. I have thought this note might be of service to 
those who have not much room to grow Tomatoes, and who may put 
themselves to much trouble to introduce good soil in order to have them 
finer. But with a really good variety it is astonishing what grand 
results may be secured in the manner described.—B. 
THE BRITISH FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
The third conference of the present season was held in the 
Garden Hall, Crystal Palace, Sydenham, on Friday, Sept. 4th, in 
conjunction with the fruit show, and attracted a large audience 
of cultivators and amateurs. The proceedings commenced shortly 
FIG. 33.— MR. WM. MCKELVIE, BROXMOTTTH. 
after 4 p.m. with a short address by the Chairman, Mr. T. F. 
Rivers, who referred specially to the steady advance in fruit 
culture for profit, and to the assistance the British Fruit Growers’ 
Association had rendered in that direction. 
The first paper was the following, by Mr. G. Hammond, which 
was fully appreciated by the audience, as Mr. Hammond’s addresses 
invariably are, and Mr. J. Wright discoursed on pruning. 
Gathering, Packing, and Marketing Fruit. 
We are all familiar with the usual instruction in cookery books 
on how to cook a hare—viz., “ First catch yonr hare,” which, if 
not the most important point, is certainly one indispensable ; but 
having accomplished this, it is desirable to know how to cook it 
properly and well. 
So, perhaps, some will say concerning the subject of this paper, 
“ We want you to tell us how to grow a crop of fruit ; anybody 
can gather it when it is grown.” Stay, ye critics, I am not so sure 
of that. Nay, I go further, and say I am quite sure that compara¬ 
tively few people know how to gather and pack fruit properly. 
In a few words, therefore, I will endeavour to tell first how it 
should not be done, and then also how it should be done. 
Perhaps the way which gives least trouble (and this is the way 
lazy folks look out for) is to let the fruit hang until ripe (and then 
to climb the tree, if a large one) and give the branches a good 
shaking, when nothing will be needed but to pick up the fruit from 
the ground. Some may feel inclined to laugh at the mention of 
such a method, but I knew of a case in which this method was 
adopted with small dessert Pears, ripe and juicy, and from a high 
tree, with what results I leave you to guess. This is one way of 
how not to do it. Another way in which it should not be done is 
suggested by a common expression of “ pulling ” the fruit, which 
always seems to me to suggest much too rough usage both for the 
fruit to be gathered and for the tree from which it is to be taken. 
Anyone who has had any experience in this matter knows that if 
you take hold of any kind of fruit, and pull it off anyhow, that 
you break some part of the tree with almost every fruit. On 
examination of a fruit tree it will be observed that clustered round 
the present fruitstalks are numerous fruit buds, which are next 
season’s fruit in embryo. Now if by carelessness or ignorance these 
be destroyed it is evident that not only has the present crop of 
fruit been pulled, but with it also a large part of next year’s crop 
as well. 
Then, again, when the fruit has been gathered from the tree it is 
often allowed to fall from the hand into the basket, thereby causing 
it to be bruised and unsightly, and of course, to some extent, unsale¬ 
able, or at least it looks like what a friend of mine calls “ tumble- 
down Pippins.” This should not, and need not, be. As a general 
principle I may say, Always turn the fruit upwards, putting the 
thumb against the base of the stalk, when (if the fruit be ready) 
it will part readily from the tree without breaking a single spur or 
fruit bud. This applies especially to Apples and Pears ; with Plums 
it will be generally found that the fruit parts more easily from the 
stalk than the stalk from the tree, and it is as well in ordinary 
picking that it should be so, as less damage is done to the tree 
thereby. Care should be taken in picking Plums not to destroy 
the beautiful bloom which most kinds have upon them; they 
should never be touched by hand except to pick them from the 
tree. 
For large trees'I thiiik nothing has yet surpassed? the ordinary 
fruit gathering ladder— i.e , wide at the bottom, and the usual kind 
of basket, somewhat smaller at the bottom than the top, with a 
cross handle and hook attached. For low trees a pair of steps will 
be found of very great service. In all cases the ladder should be 
set as nearly upright as possible, so as to press lightly against tho 
tree, and keep the basket close to the picker, so that the hand may 
easily reach the bottom of the basket. The fruit should never be 
dropped into nor rolled about in the basket, or it will speedily show 
signs of rough usage. When it is intended to send the fruit direct 
to market, place it at once into the market sieves from the picker’s- 
basket. 
Notwithstanding many suggested improvements during the last 
few years I think there is nothing so suitable for general use as 
the ordinary market baskets known as bushels, half-sieves, flats,, 
half-flats, and pecks. These all allow the escape of heat, which is- 
one of the greatest enemies of fruit after it has been gathered. 
Place the fruit into these carefully, and in doing so it should be- 
properly sorted into large and small, or best and seconds, and of 
one quality throughout, not small at the bottom and large at the 
top, which in the end means loss. All packages should have a 
sheet of paper (blue tissue is generally used) over the top, and 
may be covered with fern or straw in any way most convenient,, 
and is then ready to be despatched to the market or elsewhere. In 
the matter of packing fruit we have much to learn from our neigh¬ 
bours across the channel, who do more in grading the fruit and 
putting it into small baskets or boxes than we do. As a rule, it 
may be said that the smaller the packages into which the best 
fruits are placed the better, especially in a scarce season. 
As to the time of picking, everything depends upon what is 
intended to be done with the fruit when gathered. If it is to be 
sent direct to market, in the case of Apples they may be gathered 
as soon as they have attained a saleable size and will part fairly 
easily from the tree, but if they are to be stored for winter use 
they must be allowed to hang until fully developed, and if possible 
until they are well ripened and the pips turned brown. Fruit to- 
be stored should only be picked when quite dry, and must also be 
handled with great care ; but if for immediate use it is not neces¬ 
sary to be quite so particular. Plums for ordinary kitchen may be 
gathered when only slightly coloured and still hard, but if of the 
best dessert kinds they must be allowed to ripen first. Most Pears 
require to be kept for a time after being gathered to become ripe 
and fit for use. Care must be taken not to gather too early, which 
causes them to shrivel, nor to let them hang so long as to have 
most of the crop blown down by a moderate wind. 
I need not say much upon the marketing of fruit, but a few 
hints may be useful. As most of the fruit grown is consigned to 
salesmen I would say, Try and discover someone who bears the- 
character of honest dealing, and trust him. Do not dodge about 
from one to another, which often has led to getting “ out of the 
frying pan into the fire.” Let the fruit be honestly packed, giving 
good measure, and customers soon discover this, and inquire for the 
goods, with the result that full market price is obtained with little 
difficulty. I find it to be a good plan as a rule to have a con¬ 
tinuous supply of the same kind of fruit. In sending, say, 
100 bushels of Apples of one kind to market, I would not send 
them all at once ; but commence, say, with 15 to 20 bushels, 
increasing the quantity as the customers seemed to appreciate 
them. On the other hand, do not send a small quantity of a 
large number of sorts, which is very bewildering to the salesmen, 
who finds such consignments a great nuisance. 
Lastly, let all fruit be in marketable condition when sent, or it 
will probably be left for days or weeks before finding a purchaser, 
and then only at a low price, alike unsatisfactory to the salesman 
and the grower. I have this year seen Damsons upon the market 
while still quite green, and absolutely unsaleable. How can 
