The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1867-09-28


orchard fruits we propose in this article ii s4et 81
a few,words on gathering and ripeL ing apples
and pears. There is no such thing as having
sound and perfect apples through the winter
months, unless much care be taken in gather
ing them. This should be deferred, with win
ter fruit as late, as practicable so as not to be
exposed to severe frosts. The fruit should be
picked by hand from the tree by means of
ladders, and placed carefully in baskets. This
should be done after all dew has dried off-in
clear weather. Very soon after being picked,
the fruit should be assorted. All defective
ones should be excluded, and the sound, un-
bruised ones packed carefully in tight, clean
barrels. These barrels, after being headed up,
should be removed from the orchard on sleds
to a shed through which the air circuates
freely, or they may be protected easily from
the dew and rain by placing boards over them.
They may be allowed to remain in this situa-
alton aweek or more, or until the cold is too
severe, when they should be transferred to a
cool dry cellar, into which air may be admit
ted in mild weather. The barrels should be
placed in tiers upon their sides, numbering
upon each head the quantity of fruit con-
tanned in the barrel, and also the name of it.
The small, imperfect but sound fruit, is to be
treated in the same manner and marked No.
2, indicating a second quality. Apples which
are intended for market are frequently assOrt-
ed into three different qualities, as best, good
and inferior; the former being all selected
fruit, the "good' containing sound fruit ofme-
dium or small specimens; the third being so
poor that the fruit is unfit for market and
suitable 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
left upon the tree very late in the autumn,
frequently till they have been exposed to two
or three severe frosts. When convenient they
are shaken from the trees getting bruised by
the way as they fall upon the limbs or strike
each other upon the ground; the good and
the bad are picked up and poured into bar
res or open wagons and perhaps half dozen
sorts mixed together. Afterwardsthey areput
promiscously into bins, barrels or open boxes
where they are expected to keep well all winter.
This is slovenly and ruinous method; yet i
is practiced by great many farmers.
Fully one half is lost by this practice Of
gathering, as the fruit ripens prematurely and
decays rapidly on being bruised. The decay
is very much fastened when several sorts are
mixed promiscuously together, ripening at as
many different periods, Those kinds which
do not come to maturity till late in winter
or early in the spring are turned and handled
many times when asserting those which are
in season during November and December
For this reason it is always best to keep each
sort separate by itself, and handle the apples
as little as possible, excepting as once or twice
in course of the winter, they may need TO be
picked over to detect andremove the rotting
ones.
Light is unfavorable to the keeping of fruit
that when fruit, particularly pears, are placed
in room above ground, and often in a very
dry cellar, and left exposed to the air, they
shrivel up and lose their life. They should
therefore, be kept either in barrels or boxes.
About the time pears are needed for use they
can be removed to a room of higher tempera-
ture and kept as closely as before in drawers
or boxes where they will ripen and will pos
sess much finer flavor thanif allowed to rip
en- in cooler place. By treating pears in
this way, one variety can be made to last a
long time.
Summer pears ought to be gathered week
before ripe; late fall ami autumn varieties
ought to be allowed to hang upon the trees as
long as they can escape frost.
There is, we think, much yet to learn in
ripening winter pears well, more particularly
the late sorts But few pear raisers have
been successful in ripening such sorts as Eds-
ter. Beurre, st. GermGin and other winter
kinds. In fact, it is found almost impossible
with the fruit room conveniences and cellars
now in ordinary use. Some few enterprising
persons have expended considerable sums in
buildings, &C., to ripen winter sorts, and in
the main they have succeeded well; but it is
quite useless tor farmers and many others to
plant trees of such varieties of fruits that re-
quire SO much care in ripening, unless they
are prepared to embark in it extensively,