The Forest Republican. [volume] (Tionesta, Pa.) 1869-1952, 1882-08-30


fore the Massachusetts horticultural
society, makes the following suRges
tions; Summer and early fall pears
should be picked just before they BEGIN
to turn aud when they are nearly grown
should be handled with great re to
avoid bruising and should be psc.d in
barrels or boxes in cellar where the
temperature may be kept at about
seventy degrees and moderate degree
of moisture maintained. A very dry air
Is not so good, as it absorbs the moist.
ure and aroma from the fruit, Injuries
its favor and causes it to wilt and
shrivel mp. After being kept in such 3
room few days they will begin to turn
and some of them will mellow then
they should be scld or used before they
soften. The boxeJ barrels or what
ever thev may be placed in should
be c1ver, d with papers, to exclude the
light and prevent the escape of the
aroma. Care should also be exerc sed
TO avoid placing there so deep in bar
rele or hears as 10 allow Of the genera
ton Of much Internal heat, which mis- ht
carry the fermentation too high and de-
stroy the fruit. When one has the fa-
ciliiies for doing so he may improve the
color, and possibly the flavor, by spread
ing them on shelves between old news.
papers. This iipening between shelves,
in room where an even temperature
and the right degree of moisture can be
maintained, seems to give the most sat
isfactory results of any method with
which am acquainted. The manner
IN which early pears thus tIeat-d will
color is truly wonderful. It is often
desirable to lengthsn the season of
some of our early pears. Especially
IN this case where the Bartlett -
which seems to be the star dsld summer
pear for marketing purposes-is the
main crop. This may be readily done
by making two or more pickings from
each tree, with several weeks between
the first and the last picking. The
largest and ripest shou d be picked first
-as soon as the wind alls will ripen
ard be good-and the smaller and
greener ones should be left to receive
the ad iitiopal sap which the earlier
ones would have appropriated. S me.
times one side of a tree will be much
earlier than the other, in which case the
earliest side should be picked first
This early picking should be ripened
of at once by the process already de-
scribed-only obsei wing that the greener
the fruit the higher Temperature it will
require, and more humid atmosphere
viii be need, d to prevent their shrivel-
ing. Having rpened and disposed of
this early crop another pc ing should
be made and served in similar way,
Having the greenest on the trees as long
as they will keep green. Mulching,
and where pia ticable watering, will help
TO prolong their season bv keeping up
the vIgor of the trees. Most summer
and 10 pears may be kept best by leav-
ing them on the trees as long as they
will hang and keep green. / have tried
keeping them on ice; but while it
cht cked their ripeniDg, it introduced
decay and destroyed the life of the pear
If may be allowed snch an expires.
sion. Certainly keeping pears long
time at low temperature iujnres their
ripening properties. BY making early
and late pickings, as described, we may
obtain large crop from each tree and
sell 1t at better prices, bt cause we cea
put part of them into market ea IL,
before the bulk of the crop is received
and we can keep part of the crop until
quite late and sell when the rush is over,
thereby obtaining better prices. Splen-
did specimens for exhibition purposes
may be obtained by leaving few of the
largest and fairest sp cimens on the
tree, and picking all others early; then
when fully grown pick and rlpen be.
tween paper OF blankets, as the weather
and degree of ripeness they have at.
tanned on the tree may r quire. A great
many people pick tue pears too green.
Such pears are small, and they will
shrlvel unless ripened with great cal Q,
and they lack the body and flavor OF
those which are fully grown. Late fall
and winte' pears should be left on the
trees until hard frosts and windy
weather cause them to fall then they
should be carefully picked. sorted and
carefully packed in clean barrels anC
stored where the temperature can bC
kept as ne r forty degrees as possible,
until the season OF ripening ha,
arrived, when they should be placed
be ween wooden blankets, il
room where an even temperature o
as near seventy degrees as possible car
be maintained. aud they will soon ripel
like sumner pears. believe the caus
OF the failure of SO many people to sat
isfactorily rpen winter pears is that tn
fruit L. kept and 'ipened at so low
temperature that the tendency to sac,
charine fermentation is destroys
instead of being favored and conse
quently such pears are dry and tastelesf
The suR1gla stnamGrum of this Who'll
matter is if we Wish to keep pears an
retsrd the ripening we must kee
them in a still, dry air, at temperatur
IS near forty degrees as possible. Bu
when it is desirable to ripen them pC
them in q dark, warm place, with
moderate degree OF moisture in th
air, and keep them covered to exclud
the lisht and etain the heat and gas,
which are generated. In warm wealth,
uge paDers for a eOyerlng and in col