360 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  18,  1900. 
6att(ering  and  Storing  Fruit. 
The  fruit  harvest  of  the  closing  year  is  a  bountiful  one  indeed, 
which  will  probably  be  remembered  in  the  years  to  come  as  a  time 
when  Nature  in  her  generous  mood  lavishly  bestowed  her  gifts  upon 
us.  It  is  not  a  year  when  heavy  crops  are  seen  in  one  locality  and 
light  ones  in  another;  but,  on  the  contrary,  in  whatever  direction  we 
go,  the  branches  of  Apple  and  Pear  trees  may  still  be  seen  bending 
beneath  the  weight  of  fruit — fruit  which  during  the  last  few  sunny 
days  has  become  brighter  in  colour  on  the  cheek,  and  which  in  the 
green  parts  is  fast  changing  to  yellow,  a  sure  sign  that  that  stage  has 
been  reached  when  all  is  ready  for  gatherer’s  hand.  When  so  many 
duties  press  upon  the  gardener  it  is  not  an  easy  matter  to  gather  all 
varieties  of  Apples  and  Pears  just  at  the  right  time,  but  their  flavour 
and  good  keeping  qualities  are  greatly  influenced  by  correct  treatment 
in  that  respect.  If  gathered  too  early  the  full  flavour  peculiar  to  each 
variety  is  never  secured,  and  the  fruits  often  shrivel  long  before  they 
should.  On  the  other  hand,  when  gathering  is  deferred  till  too  late 
a  period,  many  choice  specimens  fall,  and  the  supply  for  table  purposes 
cannot  be  regulated  so  well,  as  the  fruit  ripens  simultaneously. 
Too  much  care  can  scarcely  be  exercised  in  gathering,  as  the 
choicer  the  fruit  the  more  liable  is  it  to  damage  through  being  bruised, 
a  condition  which  greatly  reduces  its  value  in  the  market,  and  makes 
it  unsuitable  for  placing  on  the  dessert  table.  Baskets  lined  with  soft 
woollen  material  have  long  been  used  by  some  gardeners  when 
gathering  fiuit,  and  the  sooner  they  are  adopted  by  all  the  better, 
then,  with  care  in  handling,  the  risk  of  damage  is  reduced  to  a 
minimum.  When  fruit  on  tall  trees  has  to  be  gathered  baskets  with 
a  flat  side,  and  holes  to  pass  a  strap  through  before  fastening  it  around 
the  waist,  are  exceedingly  useful.  In  fruit-growing  counties  such 
baskets  are  often  displayed  in  shop  windows,  in  other  counties  they 
are  unknown.  The  old  canvas  bag  which  is  fastened  over  the 
shoulders  may  be  tolerated  when  gathering  the  common  sorts  of 
Apples,  but  should  never  be  used  for  choice  fruit.  Large  specimens  of 
Apples  and  Pears  need  extra  attention  in  gathering  and  conveying  to 
the  fruit  room  ;  a  good  method  to  follow  is  to  place  a  single  layer  in 
trays  or  flat-bottomed  baskets. 
Those  who  have  large  and  well  appointed  fruit  rooms  can 
fortunately  dispense  with  the  makeshift  contrivances  with  which 
many  have  to  manage.  But  it  is  not  always  that  the  most  expensively 
built  fruit  rooms  are  the  best  for  keeping  the  fruit.  I  have  known 
some  to  be  dismal  failures  in  that  respect.  Conditions  essential 
toward  the  preservation  of  fruit  are  darkness,  a  cool  dry  atmosphere, 
and  an  equable  temperature.  Great  fluctuations  of  temperature  cause 
the  deposition  of  moisture  on  the  fruit,  which  gives  it  a  musty 
flavour,  and  hastens  decay.  When  artificial  heat  has  to  be  resorted 
to  to  keep  ont  frost  shrivelling  quickly  takes  place.  It  is  clear, 
therefore,  that  fruit  rooms  should  be  so  constructed  as  to  be  capable 
of  excluding  frost  without  resorting  to  artificial  heat  except  during 
the  prevalence  of  very  severe  weather. 
Specimen  fiuits  should  be  stored  in  single  layers  on  shelves 
covered  with  stiff  white  paper,  hut  those  of  medium  size  may  be 
placed  in  layers  from  9  to  12  inches  in  thickness.  Varieties  which 
ripen  early  ought  to  be  placed  on  the  higher  shelves,  and  the  late 
varieties  on  the  lower  ones  where  the  temperature  is  naturally  slightly 
cooler.  It  is  also  a  good  plan  to  label  each  variety  as  stored,  giving 
also  the  date  of  gathering.  When  it  is  desirable  to  preserve  a  few 
extra  fine  specimens  a  long  as  possible  for  special  occasions  they 
should  be  wrapped  in  tissue  paper  and  placed  in  drawers  covered  at 
the  bottom  with  cotton  wool.  In  this  way  they  may  often  be  kept 
fresh  and  plump  for  a  long  time  if  the  position  is  a  dry  cool  one.  The 
resources  of  the  fruit  room  will  even  this  year  in  many  establishments 
suffice  for  storing  the  choicer  fruit,  but  other  positions  will  be 
required  for  the  heavy  crops  the  orchards  supply.  An  excellent 
plan  which  many  successfully  practise  is  to  store  them  in  boxes  and 
barrels  lined  with  paper,  and  covered  on  the  top  with  straw.  These 
if  placed  in  sheds,  or  even  cellars — though  the  latter  are  often  too 
damp — take  little  room,  and  the  fruit  keeps  well  in  them.  Varieties 
which  ripen  quickly  may  be  safely  stored  on  the  second  floor  of 
outbuildings  it  the  floors  and  walls  are  well  lined  with  straw,  but 
it  is  never  safe  to  place  late  varieties  in  such  positions  because  of  the 
difificulty,  I  might  almost  say  impossibility,  of  keeping  them  safe 
from  frost  during  severe  weather.  Whenever  late  varieties  are  stored 
in  sheds  which  cannot  be  heated  by  artificial  means  they  should 
always  be  placed  on  the  ground  floor.  The  floor  and  walls  need 
coating  with  straw  fully  a  foot  in  thickness,  then  if  the  heap  is  covered 
with  double  that  thickness  of  similar  material  on  the  top,  the  fruit  is 
safe  during  the  severest  weather. 
It  is  an  easy  matter  to  advise  all  to  store  fruit  thinly,  but  with 
only  a  limited  amount  of  space  at  command  and  much  fruit  to  store 
it  is  not  always  possible  to  follow  such  advice.  I  have  at  various 
times  had  a  good  deal  to  do  with  storing,  sorting,  and  packing  Apples^ 
and  I  usually  find  when  packing  in  winter  that  where  the  heaps  were 
a  couple  of  feet  in  thickness  the  fruit  kept  fairly  well,  but  when,  as 
was  sometimes  the  case.  Apples  were  piled  to  a  depth  of  3  feet,  rotten 
and  specked  fruits  were  far  too  plentiful.  All  fruit  for  the  first  few  days 
after  being  stored  ought  to  have  a  free  circulation  of  air  around  it  till 
sweating  ceases,  then  light  and  air  must  be  gradually  excluded. 
— Pomona. 
- >  ■ - 
White-leaved  Plants. 
When  the  markings  are  clear  and  good  and  the  general  outlines  of 
the  plants  are  graceful  or  handsome  these  are  greatly  admired  by  most 
people  of  refined  tastes.  The  white  must  be  pure,  as  a  dirty  white  or 
cream  is  anything  but  pleasing  in  association  with  green.  I  intend  to 
enumerate  and  touch  upon  cultural  details  relating  to  these  fine-foliaged 
plants,  whether  hardy  or  exotic,  and  shall  commence  with  those 
requiring  a  stove  temperature  to  bring  out  their  beauties.  Ananassa 
sativa  variegata  is  a  plant  of  noble  form  that  is  eminently  adapted  for 
room  decoration;  it  will  not,  of  course,  stand  in  a  cold  or  draughty  position 
during  autumn  or  winter.  A  compost  of  fibrous  loam  with  a  liberal 
addition  of  sand  and  good  drainage  suits  it  admirably.  It  should  not 
be  overwatered  during  the  dull  seasons  of  the  year,  and  drip  must  be 
kept  from  the  crown  of  the  plants  or  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  It 
associates  well  with  gold  or  silver  plate,  and  may  be  used  either  in  a 
medium  or  small  size  on  the  dinner  table.  Aralia  Chabrieri  is  an 
elegantly  cut  leaved  variety  that  has  not  the  stiff  and  rigid  outlines  of 
others;  it  is  easily  propagated  by  cuttings  taken  with  a  heel,  and 
inserted  in  a  propagating  case  with  bottom  heat. 
Alocasia  macrorhiza  variegata  is  useful  during  the  summer  (it  is 
semi-dormant  in  winter).  I  have  seen  it  best  grown  in  a  compost  of 
living  sphagnum,  dry  cow  manure,  and  silver  sand,  filling  the  pot  half 
full  of  drainage,  as  liberal  supplies  of  water  must  be  given. 
Propagation  is  readily  effected  by  division.  Cyperus  alternifolius 
variegatus  is,  when  in  perfect  condition,  unsurpassed  for  room  or  table 
decoration.  It  is  frequently  recommended  to  pot  this  in  poor  soil  to 
encourage  variegation,  but  I  have  found  when  propagated  by  division 
instead  of  by  the  terminal  heads  it  retains  its  variegation.  Being  a 
semi-aquatic,  unlimited  supplies  of  water  are  essential.  Caladium 
argyrites  is  well  known  as  a  valuable  decorative  plant  during  summer  ; 
under  good  culture  it  increases  rapidly.  Abundance  of  water  is 
necessary  during  the  season  of  growth,  while  during  winter  an 
occasional  watering  must  be  given ;  it  requires  a  minimum  winter 
temperature  of  60°, 
DracEcna  Sanderiana  is  fast  gaining  in  popularity  as  a  distinct  and 
elegant  plant,  either  in  small  pots  as  a  single  specimen,  or  in  larger 
pots  or  pans  with  several  of  its  cane-like  growths ;  it  is  easily  increased 
by  stem  cuttings  of  two  eyes  placed  uprightly  in  small  pots  in  a  propa¬ 
gating  pit.  Fittonia  argyroneura  is  a  charming  scandent-growing 
plant  with  a  network  of  white  on  a  green  ground ;  it  is  splendidly 
adapted  for  rockwork  or  covering  bare  places  on  the  tops  of  tubs  or 
pots  in  which  large  Palms  are  grown.  This  plant  requires  a  warm, 
moist  atmosphere,  and  will  not  thrive  in  a  low  or  airy  temperature. 
It  also  makes  fine  specimens  in  pans  which  can  be  used  for  room 
decoration  if  not  kept  in  too  long.  Ficus  Parcelli,  although  a  striking 
variegated  plant,  cannot  tolerate  the  drying  atmosphere  of  rooms ;  it  is 
propagated  by  side  shoots  taken  with  a  heel  in  summer  and  put  into  a 
propagating  pit.  Panax  Victorite,  a  plant  of  graceful  outline  that  is 
easily  propagated  by  top  or  side  shoots,  requires  a  light  position  and 
makes  a  very  fine  vase  plant. 
Phrynium  variegatum  is  only  useful  during  summer;  as  it  dies 
down  in  winter  it  requires  to  be  kept  on  the  dry  side  then.  It  is 
increased  by  division  in  the  spring  when  growth  is  starting,  and  is  best 
grown  in  4J-inch  pots,  as  the  variegation  is  better  when  the  plant  is 
somewhat  cramped  at  the  roots.  A  moist  atmosphere  and  shade  frrm 
strong  sun  are  its  essential.  Phyllanthus  nivosus  is  a  plant  of  elegant 
appearance,  but  as  the  young  tips  of  the  shoots  are  the  only  white 
portions,  it  is  not  popular  with  some  people,  while  it  does  not  success¬ 
fully  withstand  the  drying  infiuence  of  rooms.  It  is  propagated  by 
cuttings  taken  with  a  heel  during  summer  and  placed  in  a  close  case, 
Panicum  variegatum  is  indispensable  in  almost  all  grouping  arrange¬ 
ments,  and  as  a  drapery  for  the  front  of  stages  it  is  unequalled.  The 
stock  should  be  maintained  by  inserting  cuttings,  which  root  readily, 
three  or  four  times  a  year.  Unlimited  supplies  of  water  will  be  found 
