& 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
Avaust 6, 1906 
ee NE NNN 
JONATHAN 
Fruit medium size, conical and regular 
in its outline, over ¥ inches in diameter 
and 3 inches high. Skin covered with 
_ bright red, kecoming dark red when ex- 
posed to the sun, a brilliant and beauti- 
fully colored apple. Flesii white, tender 
and juicy, with a good flavor: eye closed, 
set in a deep rather broad basin, stalk 
about three quarters of an inch long, set 
in a deep and regular cavity. 
In season from February till June, 
The tree is rather a moderate grower, 
making slender wiry wood of a greyish 
brown color. It comes into bearing early 
and is a regular and good bearer. 
Downing says—‘ The original tree of 
this variety is growing on the farm of Mr 
Phillip Rick, of Kingston, New York. It 
was first described by the late Judge 
Buel, and named by him in compliment 
to: Jonathan Hasbrouck, of the same 
place.’ It was introduced into Victoria 
by the Royal Agricultural Society about 
thirty-five years ago, and has become one 
of the most popular varieties with all 
maiket growers. 
The variety first introduced as Jona- 
than, when it fruited, turned out to be 
Fsopus Spitz nberg, while the true Jona- 
than was introduced under the name of 
Marston’s Red Winter. This gave rise 
to great confusion amongst the experts. 
Yo settle the matter the Jonathan was 
again imported from America, when it 
proved to be the same variety previously 
jntroducea as Marston’s Red Winter. 
Cleopatra, or New York Pippin 
Fruit medium size, about 3 inches wide 
at the widest part and 3 inches high, 
conical, even and regular in its outline. 
Eye closed, set in a small deep corro- 
gated basin; stalk long and slender, set 
in a small deep funnel shaped cavity, 
which is generally of a green color. 
Skin green, covered with small white 
specks. When fully ripe it is of a beauti- 
ful clear lemon yellow color with a fine 
clean skin—a most beautiful apple. The 
-seed cells are often surrounded by a 
large hollow cavity, which sometimes 
causes decay: flesh white, tender and 
juicy. with a fine sprightly flavor.’ 
It is in season from February till No- 
vember, and is one of the best and 
longest keeping apples. 
This variety is subject to bitter pit, 
especially on young trees, and on larger 
trees on which there is a light crop. 
Where the trees are bearing a good 
crop the fruit is generally clean and 
good. It is also subject to the scab (Fu- 
sicladium dentriticium) and should be 
carefully sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. 
It is cne of the very best apples for 
export, especially in the warmer districts 
of the State, as it is one of the earliest — 
export apples to mature. It cun be 
shipped early in February. 
Although the fruit may not have 
grown to its full size when picked it will 
‘ripen and color without shrivelling, if 
kept closely packed, 
The origin of this valuable apple is 
unknown. It seems to have been first 
introduced into Victoria from Tasmania. 
The trees in an old orchard at Harcourt, 
planted in 1855, were obtained from Tas- 
mania, and amongst them were sume 
trees of the New York Pippin. 
Mr L. M. Shoobridge, Glenora, Tas- 
mania, writes—‘I had some trees in a 
garden planted about 80 years ago, and 
there were some New York Pippins in 
it, so it is evident that the variety has 
been long established here. I do not think 
it is a Tasmanian seedling.’ 
Yhis variety seems to have been known 
in the early days under the name of the 
New York Pippin. How, or when it 
became known as Cleopatra ‘the writer 
has been unable to ascertain. At one 
time it went under the names of Pomme 
de Roi, Pomeroy and Spanish Reinette. 
Notwithstanding its drawbacks this is 
one of the most valuable apples for ex- 
port, and should be largely grown for 
that purpose. In Tasmania and South 
Australia it is also one of the leading 
export apples, 2 
A Method of Preventing the Rapid 
Decay of Ripe Fruit. 
Soft fruits like strawberries were im- 
mersed for ten minutes in cold water con- 
taining 3 per cent of commercial formalin. 
On rem«val such fruit was immersed for 
five minutes in cold water and afterwards 
placed on wire netting or sone similar 
open material to drain and dry With 
fruit haying a rind or skin that is not 
eaten, like bananas, mangoes, etc., the 
immersion in water after treatment with 
the formalin solution is omitted. 
Fruits purchased from shops in the 
market and thus treated kept perfectly 
sound after a similar quantity of untreated 
fruit from same lot had become mouldy 
or Cecayed, as follows :—Cherries seven 
days, gooseberries seven days, yrapes four 
days, pears ten days, and strawoverries four 
days. In this experiment all of the frnit 
treated was perfecily ripe. It is thought 
that if the fruit had been treated at a 
little earlier stage the results might have 
been still better. This method of treat- 
ment, it is thought. will be of great com- 
mercial importance in shipping tropical 
fruits. 
— 
- Preparation of Fruit Pulp. 
Hard fruits, such as apples and pears, 
are cut into small pieces without being 
peeled or having the cores or seeds re- 
moved and placed in cold water containing 
1.5 02, of salt to the gallon to prevent dis- 
coloration. The fruit is then boiled to a 
pulp and strained, a yield of about one- 
fifth the original weight being obtained. 
Plums and soft fruits are treated in prac-. 
tically the same manner. With plums the 
strained pulp is sweetened with bout 
4.5 lbs. of sugar to each cwt. of fruit and 
the boiling continued until the pulp is 
thickened sufficiently to hang from the 
spoon without dropping. With raspberries 
and strawberries the boiling must not be 
prolonged and the pulp need not be 
strained through so fine a sieve as in the 
case of plums. 
“The princip:! points to which care 
should be devoted are the processes of 
boiling the fruit. The first boiling should 
be continued only as long as the consis- 
tency of the fruit is such as will enable 
the pulp to pass through the sieve for 
straining, and at the second boiling the 
pulp must not he allowed to get too thick, 
otherwise it will acquire a bitter flavor.” 
PEARS 
By Jamus Lana. 
The Council of Agriculture gives some 
useful information upon the best variety 
of pears for export. 
Winter Nellis has so far given the best 
results, It is’ generally landed in fairly 
good condition, and being also a pear of 
the first quality realises a high price 
Exception may be taken to this variety — 
on account of it being a shy bearer in 
some districts but this is due in a great 
measure to faulty pruning. The tree has 
a tendency to form too many ripe spurs, 
and so exhausts itself in blooming; but if 
the fruit spurs are well thinned out at 
pruning time, the result would be a more 
satisfactory setting of fruit. 
Josephine de Malines is also one of 
the best varieties, and when landed in 
good condition realises a high price. 
Beurre d’ Anjou is another good export 
pear, and so also are Beurre Cl irgeau 
and Bretonneau. 
Eyewood, generally called Broompark, 
from which it is quite distinct, 1s also 
suitable for export. Glou Morceau also 
carries welland sometimes brings a high 
rice. i : 
Vicar of Wakefield has been shipped in 
large quantities, and hs been on the 
whole fairly successful. This is only a 
second rate pear, as far as quality is con- 
cerned, but it 1s a regular and constant 
bearer. 
The foregoing varieties have so far 
proved the best export pears, but the con- 
ditions under which pears have been car- 
ried by the various shipping companies 
leave room fora good deal of improve- 
ment. Pears require to be carried at a 
much lower temperature than apples, as 
near as possible 30 degrees Fah. From 
reports to hand the past season has been * 
a disastrous one for shippers, consign- 
ments in most cases arriviny in a rotten 
and absolutely worthless condition, owing 
to being carried at too high a tempera- 
ture, or in some cases allowed to get 
frozen. A good trade c.uld be done with 
pears 1f the carrying conditions were more 
reliable. 
It is not essential in all cases, but it is 
a wise plan, to so arrange garden crops 
that they follow each other in rotation. 
Land intended for planting should be 
thoroughly prepared some time before- 
hand, and if it be virgin scrub or forest 
land a crop of cereals or vegetables should 
be taken off before planting fruit trees. 
