August 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
275 
formed me that he at length yielded to the importu¬ 
nity. He had the top of the hogshead taken off, and 
displayed the contents, the remains only of common 
stable-dung. He had had stable-dung put into the 
hogshead, filled it with water, and ordered his gar¬ 
dener to water the plants twice a week with the solu¬ 
tion, renewing the water in the hogshead until no 
smell remained there from the dung. He had done 
no more than this surface-watering regularly twice a 
week.” 
The next important consideration is—where ought 
liquid manure to he applied? a question somewhat 
novel, and involving consequences that will require 
more space to discuss than we can spare to-day. We 
must defer it, therefore, until next week. 
THE ERUIT-G ARDEN. 
Gathering and Storing Fruit. —As matter appro¬ 
priate to the season we will endeavour to offer a little 
sound advice on this head, a subject which concerns 
equally the humblest cottager and the most wealthy 
proprietor. 
The most important feature to consider at the out¬ 
set of the question is the fact that all unripe fruit, 
such as apples and pears—fruit, we mean, in which 
the ripening process is not quite complete—ferment 
exceedingly when first housed ; and that this fermen¬ 
tation, after spending itself for a fortnight or so, 
gradually subsides, and by the time the fruit has 
been a couple of months or so in the store-room 
becomes imperceptible, although it never entirely 
ceases as long as any moisture remains. The first 
requisite in fruit gathering is, of course, care in the 
handling. No one can suppose that an apple torn 
from the tree at random, leaving its footstalk behind, 
will possess equal keeping capabilities with one 
slipped off with that peculiar twist well known to 
practical men, and which saves the fruit from abuse. 
In almost all cases the fruit requires lifting slightly 
afterwards, and good gatherers generally take hold 
of the bough or branchlet with the left hand to steady 
it, whilst with the right they gently raise the fruit 
upwards; this, if the fruit is as far advanced towards 
ripening as it ought to be, will generally cause the 
fruit to detach itself. Wo do not mean to say that 
those who have extensive orchards, and who have, 
perhaps, many hundred bushels of apples to collect, 
can pursue such a nice operation through the whole 
of their trees; these have not the same object in 
view as the amateur or cottager, and make use of 
expediencies which would be quite incompatible 
with the objects of small gardeners. We, therefore, 
merely point to the course necessary to be pursued 
by those who look forward to a nice succession of 
fruit through a tedious winter and protracted spring, 
whether for home consumption or for sale. 
Many instruments have been invented whereby to 
facilitate the gathering of fruit, and some of them 
will be found very useful helpmates to the amateur 
especially, who is in many cases not so well drilled 
in such rule-of-thumb matters as the ordinary gar¬ 
dener. Amongst them we would particularize a 
most convenient ladder, which is equally adapted 
for pruning standard trees, or for gathering their 
produce; the accompayning sketch will convey some 
idea of it. It is 12 feet in length, and may be thus 
described: — At A A arc iron loops, by means of 
which the legs, C C, work in every 
direction, and by which they can 
be stretched to a proper distance : 
these legs fold up to the ladder 
when about to be removed, or 
when not required during use. 
The sharp point, B, enables it to 
be pushed up among the branches, 
and is useful for the operator to 
take hold of. B B are cords to 
act as an additional safeguard 
against the legs moving; they are, 
however, scarcely necessary. 
In addition to the above, what is termed the Or- 
chardist's crook is used by some. The use of this 
implement is to seize the branch with one hand and 
draw it to the operator, and then, by putting the 
sliding piece over another branch, such branch is 
held in that position by the obliqueness of the line 
of pressure, which prevents the sliding piece from 
moving, thus leaving the operator free to use both 
hands in gathering the fruit. The following is a 
sketch of the implement. 
Some other modes exist for facilitating the gather¬ 
ing of fruit, but they, for the most part, have fallen 
into disuse, it being pretty well known that, after all, 
the chief point is careful handling. An earnest, 
active gatherer, with a long ladder, a pair ol steps, 
and a hooked stick, will seldom call for more imple¬ 
ments : a little off-hand sharpness, with much activity 
and care, will generally accomplish all that is needed. 
Baskets. —We must now come to the really prac¬ 
tical part of the business—the getting the fruit oil 
the trees, and storing it securely. The mode ot 
gathering must depend in some degree on the cha¬ 
racter of the tree; thus, for, instance, a dwarf-trained 
espalier needs but a common hand-basket—steps or 
ladder are scarcely needed. One thing, however, is 
necessary, provided more than one layer is put in 
the same basket, and that is cap paper: we place a 
sheet between each two layers in the case ol choice 
dessert fruit. In ordinary cases we use hay, or, it 
may be, rhubarb leaves, but we dare not recommend 
them ; they are generally expedients forced on us by 
the hurry of the moment. To be sure, where there 
is a very small amount of fruit, and it is unpacked 
immediately, such will suffice ; but if, unfortunately, 
baskets should stand a day or two through pressure 
of business, the hay will impart a musty flavour, 
and the leaves in decaying corrode the skin ol the 
fruit. 
In gathering from trees eight or ten feet in height 
a pair of steps becomes necessary; ordinary steps, 
such as are used by workmen in-doors, will suffice, 
or those figured in our present Number may be put 
in requisition by those wno wish to have everything 
very complete. It is necessary in this case, wdiere 
only one person gathers, to have a basket with a pot¬ 
hook, the straight end of which being fastened to the 
cross handle of the basket by a cord, the hook end 
may he hung at pleasure on any part oi the tree. 
Thus equipped, an amateur may move his own steps 
in any direction; ascend, gather a portion in his pot¬ 
hook-basket, descend and place them in a larger 
basket—using a layer of cap-paper between the 
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