The Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1854-1855, 1855-10-04
Ripening of Apples and Pears.

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Ripening Of Apples and Pears.
As many farmers and orchardists will be
busy in gathering their fruit crop for winter
use during this and the coming month, we
may be able to give some useful hints.
To have sound and perfect apples through
the winter months, it is absolutely necessary
that much care should be given in gathering.
This should be deferred with the winter fruit
as late as practicable and avoid early frosts.
The fruit should be picked from the tree BY
means Of ladders. and placed in baskets,
when it should be assorted and packed at once
carefully in new tight barrels. These barrels,
after heading, should be removed on sleds to
a shed through which the air crculates freely
or they might be protected easily from the
dew and rain by placing boards over them.
They may be allowed to remain in this situa-
ton a week or more, or until the cold is too
severe, when they should be transferred to Z
cool. dry cellar and into which air may be
admitted in mild weather. The barrels should
then be placed in tiers upon their sides. mum.
berng upon each head the quality of fruit
contsined in the barrel, and the name. The
small imperfect but sound fruit is treated in
the same manner and marked No. g. indica-
ting an inferior sort. Apples which are in
tended for market are frequently assorted into
three different classes, the best. good and inte.
rior--the former being all selected fruit the
good containing sound fruit of medium or
small specimens; the third being so poor that
the fruit is wholly unfit for market and suita-
bic only for stock or immediate family use.
All of this is easily done, yet many whole
orchards bring but an inferior price for want
of this care.
Too often we find that winter apples are
ID. al. a. e.
quenty until they have been exposed to two
three severe frosts; when convenient they
are shaken from the trees, the good and bad
poured into barrels open wagons. of per-
haps half dozen sorts. Afterwards they are
emptied promiscuously into bins. barrels. or
open boxes. where they are expected to keep
well through the winter. This is q most ruin
ous method, vet it is practiced by At least three
fourths Of the farmers; or they adopt another
course equally as wasteful in securing the
.-uit.
Fully one-half is lost BY this method Of
Gathering. as the fruit ripens prematurely and
decays rapidly by being bruised. The decay
is very much FASTENED where several sorts
are mixed promscuously together, ripening At
rs many different seasons. Those kinds. too.
which do not come to maturity till late in the
winter or early in the spring. are turned and
handled many times when asserting those
which are in season during November and
December.
Light is found unfav orable to the keeping
of fruit. and should be excluded: and it is
often noticed that where fruit. particularly
pears. is placed in . room above ground. and
oftentimes in . very dry cellar, and left ex-
posed to the air they shrivel. They should
therefore be kept either in barrels or tight box
es. About the time pears are needed for use
they can be removed To . room of higher tenn
perature and KEEP. as closely as before in draw !
ers or boxes, where they will ripsn very
speedily, and will possess much finer flavor
than if allowed to ripen in q cooler place.
BY treating pears in this way. one variety can
be made to last q long time.
Summer pears ought to be gathered week
before ripe; early autumn kinds about ten
days or more: late fall and winter varieties
ought to be allowed to hang upon the trees as
they may escape frost.
There is yet very much TO learn in ripen.
ing winter pears well, more particularly the
late sorts. But few orchardists are there who
have been successful in ripening such sorts as
Easter Beurre, josephine de Malines, Princes
81. Gernaoin, and many other late winter kinds.
In fact. it is found almost impossible with the
fruit rooms, conveniences. and cellars now
in ordinary use. Some few enterprising per-
sons in this country have expended consider.
able sums in buildings, ETC.. to ripen winter
sorts, and in the maia succeed well: but il is
quite useless for farmes> As many others to
plant trees of such Varieties Of fruits that re.
auire so much care in ripenhg, unless they
are prepared to embark into Il extensively.
erect the necessary buildings. and E<s close
attention to il: then it win pay and ,sove
quite remuneratiye: otherwise all trials or q,
periments viii be quite Neutrality-suspicious."
esSe Farmer.
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