260 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 24, 1891. 
fruits be carefully examined the bulk of them will be found to be 
maggoty and diseased, and even if some sound fruits are blown 
down it is better to spoil a few of these early in the season when 
fruit is plentiful than to spoil the bulk later in the season when 
fruit is scarce and valuable. Allow plenty of ventilation at the 
top of the room for a week or two after storing, for the escape of 
the perspiration, which takes place immediately after gathering. 
When this has ceased close the room, and subsequently only give 
air very occasionally. 
The same remarks as to the time and mode of gathering Apples 
apply also to Pears. In the case of a few of the early varieties, 
such as Jargonelle, Beurre Goubault, &c., it is necessary to use them 
immediately after gathering, but a few of the second early may be 
gathered a few days previously ; but they attain their best and 
fullest flavour by remaining on the trees until fully ripe. Where, 
however, they are particularly required a few days in advance of 
the time at which they will become naturally ripe, they may be 
accelerated by gathering and placing in a close box or drawer 
amongst some sweet, dry hay or Fern leaves, and keeping close 
for a few days. Colour and appearance may thus be produced 
quite equal to natural ripening, but the same fulness of flavour 
must not be expected. 
Here, again, the choice dessert varieties are worthy of much 
more care in packing than they receive at present. For this small 
shallow boxe3 may be used, the fruit being packed closely in single 
layers, placing a small quantity of soft material at the bottom of 
the boxes, with a little also between each fruit, wedging each layer 
closely together ; then fill up with some soft material on the top, 
go that the lid presses firmly on the fruit. This is important, in 
order to prevent the fruit from moving and rubbing each other. 
Boxes of proper dimensions can easily be obtained of packing-case 
makers at a moderate price. The best and cheapest packing 
material to use is wood wool, specially made for the purpose. 
It is light, elastic, clean, and made of wood which is free from 
smell. 
Pears require when stored a warm, dry room in which to keep 
them, and they are very different to Apples in this respect. The 
cool and somewhat moist atmosphere required by Apples takes all 
the flavour out of Pears, whereas in a warm dry room the aroma, 
and a’so the rich saccharine flavour, are fully retained. A Pear 
store should be built where hot-water pipes can be introduced, or 
if that convenience is not attainable they may be stored in drawers 
or boxes in the dwelling house. In gathering for storing let the 
fruit hang as long as it is safe from frost, and be careful to gather 
when dry and without bruising. The same varieties should 
always be placed together in the store, and it will be found a 
great convenience to place them in the order of their ripening, 
with a distinct label to each, upon which should be noted the time 
when they will be in use. They require careful watching as they 
approach maturity, as in some cases the period in which they are 
in use is so short that it is needful to commence them the moment 
they are fit. 
Plums may be often gathered before they are fully ripe. For 
instance, when the trees are heavily laden some fruit may be 
gathered when still green. This will relieve the trees and allow 
the remainder to swell and mature themselves, and the fruit 
makes a fair preserve. In packing Plums for market I would 
urge growers to take much more pains than at present is the case 
with the choice dessert fruit, in the way of packing them in 
small light boxes or baskets, putting them up in an attractive 
and tasty manner, so that they may be handed to the consumer 
without being rubbed and mauled about by the various hands 
through which they may pass. For dessert purposes the fruit 
must remain on the trees until fully ripe, and some varieties 
will hang on the tree for some time after they are ripe. But 
little can be done towards keeping Plums in store for dessert 
purposes after gathering ; therefore, where succession of fruit is 
required it is essential that care be taken to prolong the season 
of use by planting varieties which will follow each other in 
ripening. 
Soft fruits must be dealt with as they ripen, and here again 
it will pay to gather the best quality and pack in small punnets 
ready for retail purchasers, or in small square card boxes or square 
chip baskets. These are made to fit into larger packing cases, in 
which they are forwarded to the agent or salesman. A neighbour 
of mine has this season adopted an ingenious method of packing 
Strawberries and soft fruits in square paper pockets to hold 1 lb. 
each. The pockets are formed by folding the paper upon a square 
tin mould without a bottom. Twelve of these moulds fit exactly 
into a flat square box. After being placed in the box the fruit is 
tipped out of the gathering baskets into the open papers, and 
when they are filled the tin frames are drawn out. The upper 
edges of the paper are left about 1 inch above the top of the tin, 
and when the lid is placed on the paper is gently pressed down over 
the fruit. When the box arrives at its destination each pocket 
with 1 lb. of fruit can be lifted out separately as required. When fruit 
is packed in some similar method to this, and is good and even in 
quality throughout, buyers soon find it out, and purchase accordingly. 
One great advantage in thus packing the fruit is that small pur¬ 
chasers get the fruit without its being repacked, and no handling is 
needed from the time it leaves the garden till its arrival at the 
consumers. Ever bear in mind that dessert fruit should be made 
to look as clean and attractive as possible. A little taste displayed 
in packing into boxes margined with ornamental paper often 
insures a ready sale for foreign fruit of even second-rate quality. 
The dressing and packing of choice fruit can easily be done at the 
homestead by women and children, who, with a little practice, soon 
do it quickly and well.— Joseph Cheal, Crawley. 
[Read at the Conference of the British Fruit Growers’ Associa¬ 
tion, Edinburgh, September 10th, 1891.] 
HARDY FLOWER NOTES. 
A short absence from home has left so many arrears of work 
in both garden and greenhouse that but little leisure is left for 
writing. We are now, however, in the middle of September, and 
too soon winter’s icy winds will be upon us. Yet no one could 
imagine this from the garden to-day. Nature has not yet assumed 
her russet robe, and although the Virginian Creeper is resplendent 
with its coat of many colours most things still wear a garb of 
vivid green. A few warm—almost tropically warm—days suc¬ 
ceeded the heavy rains, and flowers have grown apace and glow 
with colour. Weeds, too, have flourished with a luxuriance which 
bids fair to conquer our utmost efforts to keep them in check. 
To-day was to have been devoted to a weeding campaign, but “ the 
best laid schemes ” have again been shattered by a return of rain. 
Meanwhile there is much to view in the garden. Annual Asters, 
albeit not hardy flowers, are none the less worthy of recognition of 
their beauty. Emerson says, 
“ Chide me not, laborious band, 
For the idle flowers I brought; 
Every Aster in my hand 
Goes home loaded with a thought." 
Thus to the admirer of flowers not only every Aster but every 
flower seems “loaded with a thought,’’ which will elevate the mind 
by its wonderful grace and design. 
Gladioli, too, raise their gallant flowers with colours of the 
brightest hue. They have been doing well here this season, 
although during the dry weather they required frequent soakings of 
water. One is unwilling, however, even to appear to trench upon 
the ground of “ D , Deal," who can discourse so well upon this and 
his other favourite flowers. 
The Colchicums have again appeared as if some magical art 
inspired their movements. Yesterday there was a patch of dark 
earth, which looked as if no flower would pierce its surface until 
the spring came to call it from its “ mother root.” To-day the 
same spot is bright with blossom buds which in a few days will 
open fully to the advances of their favourite wooer—the sun. I 
grow about eighteen species and varieties of these Meadow Saffrons, 
and year after year as autumn comes round I watch eagerly for 
their appearance. This season they are somewhat late in peeping 
through the ground. Only a few varieties have as yet appeared, 
and among them one of the best of all, C. speciosum rubrum. This 
has fine large brightly coloured crimson purple flowers, which ara 
of fine form, and in favourable soils and seasons would almost pass 
for a Tulip. C. speciosum rubrum failed to flower last year, and 
this season it is about a fortnight later than in 1889. This has 
been the case with nearly all my varieties, but they are only a 
week later than last year. The double forms are generally later of 
flowering than the single. I purpose this autumn and next spring 
(when the leaves appear) taking more copious notes of the various 
species and varieties, and to treat of them more fully than I have 
hitherto done in the Journal. None of the Croci are yet in flower, 
but they will follow shortly. 
Stately as are the Gladioli, still more so are the Tritomas or 
Ivniphofias. The tall species are noble ornaments of the garden, 
while the dwarfer T. MacOwani is one of the most interesting of 
our garden flowers. For long it looked as if none of these would 
flower this season, but they have made rapid progress of late. 
Strictly speaking, they are not usually herbaceous with me, 
generally retaining their foliage. I have given none any protection 
duiing the last winter, and the only one which suffered was 
T. nobilis, which was considerably damaged, but sprung afresh 
from the root. This will not flower with me this season. 
T. MacOwani, already mentioned, is very beautiful, being about 
15 inches in height, with bright apricot coloured flowers. It 
