H

OW frequently are complaints heard, that the reputed long-keeping kinds of apples and pears, frequently decay long before the times assigned in fruit manuals and nursery lists for their being in season; which complaints are not unfrequently followed by hasty affirmations, that all pomological authors are little else than humbugs, and that especially no dependence is to be placed on what they record in regard to the durability or keeping qualities of the different kinds of fruits which they essay to describe. Before judging thus rashly, it is but fair, however, to consider the latitudes and places for which the maligned authors may have written, and it is also necessary to bear in mind that the great diversity which exists in the earliness and lateness of different seasons has a material influence on the keeping properties of fruits. But far beyond all natural influences are those arising from the management and mismanagement of fruit-rooms and their stored

contents.

It should be always kept in view that fruits, as well as flowers and foliage, have their naturally assigned limits of duration, which, as in the case of these two last, may be lengthened or shortened according to the diminution or increase of temperature to which they are exposed. But, as with flowers and foliage, fruit should be protected from frost, yet the lower that the temperature can be maintained without causing actual injury, so much longer will long-keeping fruits remain before they attain to perfect ripeness or maturity, provided no other hurtful agencies, such as dampness, impurity of atmosphere, or contamination with decay, be allowed to exert their baneful influences.

The first care with keeping-fruit is to see that it is gathered when sufficiently but not over ripe; that it be, at the same time, perfectly dry; and that no blemishing be caused by roughness in handling or otherwise. Then it should be carefully deposited in the fruit-room separately, if there is sufficient space to allow, but if not, then apples or pears may be laid over one another, four to six deep, provided due care is afterwards taken in frequently looking through them, and removing any that are shewing symptoms of decay.

Shortly after being thus stored, these fruits, but more especially smooth-skinned apples, commence what is termed sweating, by the exudation of moisture, which, if left untouched, soon becomes clammy and then dry, so as to form a surface varnish, which by retaining the natural moisture and ex cluding air, materially aids in preserving the fruit, but the drying and rubbing off of which by cloths, is often the first perpetrated piece of mismanagement after the fruit is shelved. Until the natural drying up of this moisture is completed, the fruit-room may be moderately aired for a few hours in the morning and evening, but it is better that it be shut up and kept dark throughout the warmest portion of the day. The great essentials for fruit-keeping being an atmosphere which is neither too dry nor too moist; exclusion from air, in so far as compatible with the requisite dryness and freshness in the atmosphere; the exclusion of light; and the maintaining of a nearly equal low temperature.

To secure the proper amount of dryness

or moisture in the atmosphere, much less airing is requisite than is generally applied, and fresh air should never, if possible, be introduced when the weather is very moist, nor when very dry and windy-quiet, dry, cool, but not frosty days being the best; and it is advisable to admit it through or near to the floor, and to pass it off through openings in the highest parts of the ceiling. All of which openings should be made to shut easily at pleasure, so as to exclude the air almost entirely after the fruit is stored from four to six weeks, and particularly when warm, dustdrying weather sets in.

As light promotes the maturation of plants, so in like manner it does that of fruits; and in combination with over-dryness it causes that shrivelling of the skin, which destroys its beauty as well as texture, and imparts a toughness to both late- or long-keeping apples and pears. This shrivelling is a frequent annoyance, and although it may in some instances be primarily caused by too early gathering, yet it principally arises from the injudicious admission of light, air, and heat. In confirmation of which, an instance may be quoted of a gentleman who had a fine healthy tree of the Easter Beurré pear, that regularly bore excellent crops of large and beautiful fruit, which, however, invariably became so shrivelled, tough, and unpresentable, when it should have been in season, that its owner resolved on cutting down and regrafting the tree, but a friend, chancing to call at the time of pulling them, who admired the pears, was made welcome to the whole, with the assurance that they were never fit for anything else but feeding pigs. In the following Easter holidays the grower dined at his friend's house, and partook of some most excellent pears, which pleased him so much that he asked for some grafts of the kind, and his astonishment may be guessed at on being told that they were the identical pears which he had so lightly esteemed at the time of gathering; but that, instead of their having been shelved in a dry fruit-room, each had been enveloped separately in soft dry paper, then packed among dry

sand in a strong close deal box, and placed on the cellar floor, under the potato bin, till ready for use.

A temperature ranging between 35° and 42° is the best for keeping the forementioned fruits, and in a northern exposure, with a double ceiling, walls lined with thick deals and strong shutters, with extra straw or mat door and window coverings, in hard frosty weather, such a temperature is by no means difficult to retain. The covering of potatoes in the forementioned case ensured freedom from frost, and it is presumed that a high temperature was also guarded against in the cellar so as to ensure the proper preservation of the potatoes. Instances may occur, however, in which frost will reach the fruit, and in such cases the injury arising from it will be avoided, or at least greatly modified, by keeping them perfectly dark and untouched till they become thoroughly thawed by the return of fresh weather.

Many who cannot command the use of well-constructed fruit-rooms, store their longkeeping kinds of apples and pears in dry, airy garrets, or other equally unsuitable rooms and closets; and that often because it is supposed that they have no other places for the purpose, unless where the smell arising from them would taint the whole atmosphere of the dwelling-house. Let such try the packing of them in paper, dry sand or charcoal, and strong deal boxes, as before described; then, if they have no cellars for them, let them be set in presses or in spare rooms upon the ground floor; or, if large eathenware jars can be obtained for use in place of the boxes, and these covered over with oilskin or other airtight substances, the smell will be more efficiently prevented, and better keeping also ensured. Tin cases, such as are used for preserving biscuits, will do equally well, if properly closed. And if it be wished at any time to hasten the maturing of a particular sort, it is only necessary to place the box, jar, or tin case containing it in a convenient place where it will be surrounded with a suitable warmth of temperature. Some pack their long-keeping apples and pears in hay, straw, chaff, dry

tree leaves, dried ferns or brakens, dry moss, &c. None of these are, however, to be recommended, although the two last are the least objectionable; for, as a rule, all dried vegetable substances impart less or more of their flavour to the fruit packed among them.

Even shelves or boxes made of pine or fir deals should be avoided, more especially when new, as they impart a resinous flavour to fruit stored on or in them, so that hard wood is preferable, such as beech, plane, oak, poplar, &c.

TH

HE keeping of culinary roots, so as to retain their freshness and excellence unimpaired for the longest possible period, is a matter of the highest importance in household management, notwithstanding that it is too generally neglected; and these indispensable articles of daily consumption are treated as if their deterioration by careless or unskil ful management was of no material moment. Town residents have much to plead in excuse when their potatoes, or turnips, manifest signs of bad keeping; but even they are in most cases not entirely blameless, although they may be so to a much less extent than their neighbours who have ground-floor and underground cellarage at their command; or those country residents who have both ample out-door and in-door root storage at their disposal.

To maintain culinary roots in a proper state of freshness and excellence it is indispensable that the following general rules be attended to. They should not be taken up except in dry weather, nor stored when either too wet or too dry, without in the latter case being mixed with lightish soil or fine sand, either of which should be just so dry as to retain a lumpish form after being firmly pressed in the hand, without falling down immediately when it is opened. After storage they should be protected, by proper covering, from frost and rain, as well as from high temperature, or kept as near down to 38° of Fahrenheit as possible, so as to retard their vegetation to the utmost; and at no time during their storage should they be exposed to either light or drought. No universal rule can, however, be laid down for storing all

kinds of culinary roots, but the potato and the beet may be taken to exemplify different requirements in root-keeping, which, with certain minor modifications, will apply to most other kinds.

We will not here allude to the preservation of great masses of potatoes for wholesale marketing, further than that, other essentials being attended to, they should be provided at storing with ample ventilation to carry off all vitiated atmosphere and superfluous moisture caused by sweating, partial decay, or otherwise. Ventilation is seldom needed in the limited quantities that are required merely for home use; for storing which, out of doors, naturally dry, or well-drained, coolshaded airy sites should be chosen, in which the potato pits may be excavated in a northerly and southerly direction, to a depth. of about 9 inches by a width of 3 feet, which excavations should, however, be dispensed with when the ground is unavoidably of a wet or water-retaining nature. The potatoes, being then regularly heaped up as steep as they will lie, should have light dryish earth shaken over them in sufficient quantity to fill up the interstices, so as almost to cover the outer surfaces of the tubers. The whole should then be covered with good bare turf laid with its grassy side down; but where turf cannot be conveniently got, 4 inches in thickness of clean dry straw may be substituted, that of wheat being preferable, over which a covering of firmly tramped earth, from 9 to 12 inches in depth, must be laid, having its surface smooth beaten to prevent the ingress of rain. With the same view, any cracks or subsidences occurring afterwards