A New Orchard And Garden Part 13

For the true ordering of all sorts of _Fruits in their due seasons; and how double_ increase commeth by care in gathering _yeere after yeare: as also the best way_ of carriage by land or by water: _With their preseruation for_ longest continuance.

{SN: Cherries.} Of all stone Fruit, Cherries are the first to be gathered: of which, though we reckon foure sorts; _English_, _Flemish_, _Gascoyne_ and _Blacke_, yet are they reduced to two, the early, and the ordinary: the earely are those whose grafts came first from _France_ and _Flanders_, and are now ripe with vs in _May_: the ordinary is our owne naturall Cherry, and is not ripe before _Iune_; they must be carefully kept from Birds, either with nets, noise, or other industry.

{SN: Gathering of Cheries.} They are not all ripe at once, nor may be gathered at once, therefore with a light Ladder, made to stand of it selfe, without hurting the boughes, mount to the tree, and with a gathering hooke, gather those which be full ripe, and put them into your Cherry-pot, or Kybzey hanging by your side, or vpon any bough you please, and be sure to breake no stalke, but that the cherry hangs by; and pull them gently, lay them downe tenderly, and handle them as little as you can.

{SN: To carry Cherries.} For the conueyance or portage of Cherries, they are best to be carried in broad Baskets like siues, with smooth yeelding bottomes, onely two broad laths going along the bottome: and if you doe transport them by s.h.i.+p, or boate, let not the siues be fil'd to the top, lest setting one vpon another, you bruise and hurt the Cherries: if you carry by horse-backe, then panniers well lined with Fearne, and packt full and close is the best and safest way.

{SN: Other stone-fruit.} Now for the gathering of all other stone-fruite, as Nectarines, Apric.o.c.kes, Peaches, Peare-plumbes, Damsons, Bullas, and such like, although in their seuerall kinds, they seeme not to be ripe at once on one tree: yet when any is ready to drop from the tree, though the other seeme hard, yet they may also be gathered, for they haue receiued the full substance the tree can giue them; and therefore the day being faire, and the dew drawne away; set vp your Ladder, and as you gathered your Cherries, so gather them: onely in the bottomes of your large siues, where you part them, you shall lay Nettles, and likewise in the top, for that will ripen those that are most vnready.

{SN: Gathering of Peares.} In gathering of Peares are three things obserued; to gather for expence, for transportation, or to sell to the Apothecary. If for expence, and your owne vse, then gather them as soone as they change, and are as it were halfe ripe, and no more but those which are changed, letting the rest hang till they change also: for thus they will ripen kindely, and not rot so soone, as if they were full ripe at the gathering. But if your Peares be to be transported farre either by Land or Water, then pull one from the tree, and cut it in the middest, and if you finde it hollow about the ch.o.a.re, and the kernell a large s.p.a.ce to lye in: although no Peare be ready to drop from the tree, yet then they may be gathered, and then laying them on a heape one vpon another, as of necessity they must be for transportation, they will ripen of themselues, and eate kindly: but gathered before, they will wither, shrinke and eate rough, losing not onely their taste, but beauty.

Now for the manner of gathering; albeit some climb into the trees by the boughes, and some by Ladder, yet both is amisse: the best way is with the Ladder before spoken of, which standeth of it selfe, with a basket and a line, which being full, you must gently let downe, and keeping the string still in your hand, being emptied, draw it vp againe, and so finish your labour, without troubling your selfe, or hurting the tree.

{SN: Gathering of Apples.} Now touching the gathering of Apples, it is to be done according to the ripening of the fruite; your Summer apples first, and the Winter after.

For Summer fruit, when it is ripe, some will drop from the tree, and birds will be picking at them: But if you cut one of the greenest, and finde it as was shew'd you before of the Peare: then you may gather them, and in the house they will come to their ripenesse and perfection.

For your Winter fruit, you shall know the ripenesse by the obseruation before shewed; but it must be gathered in a faire, Sunny, and dry day, in the waine of the Moone, and no Wind in the East, also after the deaw is gone away: for the least wet or moysture will make them subiect to rot and mildew: also you must haue an ap.r.o.n to gather in, and to empty into the great baskets, and a hooke to draw the boughes vnto you, which you cannot reach with your hands at ease: the ap.r.o.n is to be an Ell euery way, loopt vp to your girdle, so as it may serue for either hand without any trouble: and when it is full, vnloose one of your loopes, and empty it gently into the great basket, for in throwing them downe roughly, their owne stalkes may p.r.i.c.ke them; and those which are p.r.i.c.kt, will euer rot. Againe, you must gather your fruit cleane without leaues or brunts, because the one hurts the tree, for euery brunt would be a stalke for fruit to grow vpon: the other hurts the fruit by bruising, and p.r.i.c.king it as it is layd together, and there is nothing sooner rotteth fruit, then the greene and withered leaues lying amongst them; neither must you gather them without any stalke at all: for such fruit will begin to rot where the stalke stood.

{SN: To vse the fallings.} For such fruit as falleth from the trees, and are not gathered, they must not be layd with the gathered fruit: and of fallings there are two sorts, one that fals through ripenesse, and they are best, and may be kept to bake or roast; the other windfals, and before they are ripe, and they must be spent as they are gathered, or else they will wither and come to nothing: and therefore it is not good by any meanes to beate downe fruit with Poales, or to carrie them in Carts loose and iogging or in sacks where they may be bruised.

{SN: Carriage of fruit.} When your fruit is gathered, you shall lay them in deepe Baskets of Wicker, which shall containe foure or sixe bushels, and so betweene two men, carry them to your Apple-Loft, and in shooting or laying them downe, be very carefull that it be done with all gentlenesse, and leasure, laying euery sort of fruit seuerall by it selfe: but if there be want of roome hauing so many sorts that you cannot lay them seuerally, then such some fruite as is neerest in taste and colour, and of Winter fruit, such as will taste alike, may if need require, be laid together, and in time you may separate them, as shall bee shewed hereafter. But if your fruit be gathered faire from your Apple-Loft, them must the bottomes of your Baskets be lined with greene Ferne, and draw the stuborne ends of the same through the Basket, that none but the soft leafe may touch the fruit, and likewise couer the tops of the Baskets with Ferne also, and draw small cord ouer it, that the Ferne may not fall away, nor the fruit scatter out, or iogge vp and downe: and thus you may carry fruit by Land or by Water, by Boat, or Cart, as farre as you please: and the Ferne doth not onely keepe them from bruising, but also ripens them, especially Peares. When your fruit is brought to your Apple-Loft or store house, if you finde them not ripened enough, then lay them in thicker heapes vpon Fearne, and couer them with Ferne also: and when they are neere ripe, then vncouer them, and make the heapes thinner, so as the ayre may pa.s.se thorow them: and if you will not hasten the ripening of them, then lay them on the boords without any Fearne at all. Now for Winter, or long lasting Peares, they may be packt either in Ferne or Straw, and carried whither you please; and being come to the iourneys end must be laid vpon sweet straw; but beware the roome be not too warme, nor windie, and too cold, for both are hurtfull: but in a temperate place, where they may haue ayre, but not too much.

{SN: Of Wardens.} Wardens are to be gathered, carried, packt, and laid as Winter Peares are.

{SN: Of Medlers.} Medlers are to be gathered about _Michaelmas_, after a frost hath toucht them; at which time they are in their full growth, and will then be dropping from the tree, but neuer ripe vpon the tree. When they are gathered, they must be laid in a basket, siue, barrell, or any such caske, and wrapt about with woollen cloths, vnder, ouer, and on all sides, and also some waight laid vpon them, with a boord betweene: for except they be brought into a heat, they will neuer ripen kindly or taste well.

Now when they haue laine till you thinke some of them be ripe, the ripest, still as they ripen, must be taken from the rest: therefore powre them out into another siue or basket leasurely, that so you may well finde them that be ripest, letting the hard one fall into the other basket, and those which be ripe laid aside: the other that be halfe ripe, seuer also into a third siue or basket: for if the ripe and halfe ripe be kept together, the one will be mouldy, before the other be ripe: And thus doe, till all be throughly ripe.

{SN: Of Quinces.} Quinces should not be laid with other fruite; for the sent is offensiue both to other fruite, and to those that keepe the fruite or come amongst them: therefore lay them by themselues vpon sweet strawe, where they may haue ayre enough: they must be packt like Medlers, and gathered with Medlers.

{SN: To packe Apples.} Apples must be packt in Wheat or Rye-straw, and in maunds or baskets lyned with the same, and being gently handled, will ripen with such packing and lying together. If seuerall sorts of apples be packt in one maund or basket, then betweene euery sort, lay sweet strawe of a pretty thicknesse.

{SN: Emptying and laying apples.} Apples must not be powred out, but with care and leasure: first, the straw pickt cleane from them, and then gently take out euery seuerall sort, and place them by themselues: but if for want of roome you mixe the sorts together, then lay those together that are of equall lasting; but if they haue all one taste, then they need no separation. Apples that are not of the like colours should not be laid together, and if any such be mingled, let it be amended, and those which are first ripe, let them be first spent; and to that end, lay those apples together, that are of one time ripening: and thus you must vse Pippins also, yet will they endure bruises better then other fruit, and whilst they are greene will heale one another.

{SN: Difference in Fruit.} Pippins though they grow of one tree, and in one ground, yet some will last better then other some, and some will bee bigger then others of the same kinde, according as they haue more or lesse of the Sunne, or more or lesse of the droppings of the trees or vpper branches: therefore let euery one make most of that fruite which is fairest, and longest lasting. Againe, the largenesse and goodnesse of fruite consists in the age of the tree: for as the tree increaseth, so the fruite increaseth in bignesse, beauty, taste, and firmnesse: and otherwise, as it decreaseth.

{SN: Transporting fruit by water.} If you be to transport your fruit farre by water, then prouide some dry hogges-heads or barrells, and packe in your apples, one by one with your hand, that no empty place may be left, to occasion sogging; and you must line your vessell at both ends with fine sweet straw; but not the sides, to auoid heat: and you must bore a dozen holes at either end, to receiue ayre so much the better; and by no meanes let them take wet. Some vse, that transport beyond seas, to shut the fruite vnder hatches vpon straw: but it is not so good, if caske may be gotten.

{SN: When not to transport fruit.} It is not good to transport fruite in _March_, when the wind blowes bitterly, nor in frosty weather, neither in the extreme heate of Summer.

{SN: To conuay small store of fruit.} If the quant.i.ty be small you would carry, then you may carry them in Dossers or Panniers, prouided they be euer filled close, and that Cherries and Peares be lined with greene Fearne, and Apples with sweete straw; and that, but at the bottomes and tops, not on the sides.

{SN: Roomes for fruite.} Winter fruite must lye neither too hot, nor too cold; too close, nor too open: for all are offensiue. A lowe roome or Cellar that is sweet, and either boorded or paued, and not too close, is good, from _Christmas_ till _March_: and roomes that are seeled ouer head, and from the ground, are good from _March_ till _May_: then the Cellar againe, from _May_ till _Michaelmas_. The apple loft would be seeled or boorded, which if it want, take the longest Rye-straw, and raise it against the walles, to make a fence as high as the fruite lyeth; and let it be no thicker then to keepe the fruite from the wall, which being moyst, may doe hurt, or if not moist, then the dust is offensiue.

{SN: Sorting of Fruit.} There are some fruite which will last but vntill _Allhallontide_: they must be laid by themselues; then those which will last till _Christmas_, by themselues: then those which will last till it be _Candlemas_, by themselues: those that will last till _Shrouetide_, by themselues: and Pippins, Apple-Iohns, Peare-maines, and Winter-Russettings, which will last all the yeere by themselues.

Now if you spy any rotten fruite in your heapes, pick them out, and with a Trey for the purpose, see you turne the heapes ouer, and leaue not a tainted Apple in them, diuiding the hardest by themselues, and the broken skinned by themselues to be first spent, and the rotten ones to be cast away; and euer as you turne them, and picke them, vnder-lay them with fresh straw: thus shall you keepe them safe for your vse, which otherwise would rot suddenly.

{SN: Times of stirring fruit.} Pippins, Iohn Apples, Peare maines, and such like long lasting fruit, need not to be turned till the weeke before _Christmas_, vnlesse they be mixt with other of a riper kind, or that the fallings be also with them, or much of the first straw left amongst them: the next time of turning is at _Shroue-tide_, and after that, once a moneth till _Whitson-tide_; and after that, once a fortnight; and euer in the turning, lay your heapes lower and lower, and your straw very thinne: prouided you doe none of this labour in any great frost, except it be in a close Celler.

At euery thawe, all fruit is moyst, and then they must not be touched: neither in rainy weather, for then they will be danke also: and therefore at such seasons it is good to set open your windowes, and doores, that the ayre may haue free pa.s.sage to dry them, as at nine of the clocke in the fore-noone in Winter; and at sixe in the fore-noone, and at eight at night in Summer: onely in _March_, open not your windowes at all.

All lasting fruite, after the middest of _May_, beginne to wither, because then they waxe dry, and the moisture gone, which made them looke plumpe: they must needes wither, and be smaller; and nature decaying, they must needes rot. And thus much touching the ordering of fruites.

_FINIS._