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THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
In building a fruit-room, the principal points to be secured are a low- 
uniform temperature, dryness, darkness, and means for thorough ventilation 
when required. The interior fittings should consist of boarded shelves and 
drawers. The boards for the shelves should be planed smoothly, and should 
be fitted close together. In most places it is usual to have the shelves made 
of narrow laths, with openings of an inch or more between, than which 
nothing can be worse, as all the finer or tender-skinned Pears get marked 
by the sharp edges of the laths, and in consequence never look well when 
dished-up. 
In walking round a gentleman’s place last autumn, myself and a friend 
were invited by the gardener, a most worthy man, by the way, to inspect the 
contents of his fruit-room. We found a goodly assortment of the best Apples 
and Pears. The collection of the latter was extensive, and very good ; but I 
was disappointed with the storing of the fruit, and the interior of the fruit- 
room. In the first place there was a window large enough for a drawing¬ 
room. wholly unobscured, which let in a floor of light, the result of which 
was that Pears which in general ripen in November were quite fit for use at 
the time of our visit, the middle of October ; and in the next place the 
shelves were of narrow laths, with large openings between. On these the 
fruit, when there happened to be many of a sort, were placed in heaps, many 
between the openings resting on the edges of the laths. I was really astonished 
at this state of things, as the gardener is a first-class man, and I expected to 
find things different. Nothing takes so much from the appearance of fruit as 
being marked. Gardeners in general are so well aware of this, that they take 
the greatest care in handling Grapes, Plums, &c., not to rub off the bloom. 
With keeping Pears this precaution is even more necessary, as the slightest 
injury they sustain by handling or otherwise shows itself very distinctly, 
especially if they happen to be kept a day or two after they are taken from the 
fruit-room before they are dished-up for table. The fruit-room should undergo 
a thorough cleansing before any fruit is stored away. The whole of the 
shelves and drawers should be well scoured, and all the ventilation possible 
should be given to dry and sweeten the place before any fruit is brought 
into it. 
All fruit intended for keeping should be most carefully hand-picked. This 
is one of the most important points to be attended to, as the slightest bruise 
or injury is fatal to their keeping ; and yet it is too common a practice, even 
when hand-picked, to throw the fruit roughly into a basket, thereby seriously 
damaging a great portion of it. This is not perceived at the time, but after 
the fruit has been a short time in the fruit-room, the spawn of fungi soon 
establish themselves on those parts of the fruit which were injured by being 
thrown into the basket, and decay takes place long before people are aware of 
it; and when discovered they are astonished, and then they say fruit keeps 
badly, not thinking that they themselves are to blame. Fruit should always 
be handled with the greatest care and gentleness, and not thrown roughly from 
one basket into another, and then on to the fruit-room shelves. Some people 
make it a rule to gather the fruit at a stated time every year. This is a great 
mistake, as it is ready two or three weeks sooner some seasons than others. 
All fruit intended for immediate use, or that is fit soon after gathering, should 
remain on the trees until nearly ripe; but all fruit intended for late keeping 
should be gathered before ripening proceeds too far, as when fruit once arrives 
at the proper state of ripening it begins to lose its quality, and ere long it will 
begin to decay naturally. Every sort should be gathered separately, and all 
the small, spotted, or shrivelled ones should be put aside; then the finer ones 
should be laid carefullv on the shelves in single lavers, if there be sufficient 
