"The fruit must, of course, be fresh and good and the bottles clean. The fruit is first packed into the bottles, which are then filled up to the neck with cold water, or if preferred, with thin syrup made by dissolving ½ lb. of loaf-sugar in hot water and leaving it to cool. The bottles are then put into the cooking pot where they must remain for certainly not less than two hours at a temperature of between a minimum of 145 degrees and a maximum of 160 degrees. This low sterilising temperature being maintained for two, three, or four hours will destroy all germs without cooking the fruit, and is the great secret of successful bottling. No actual harm is done by the heat rising above 160 degrees, but if it does the fruit will probably burst, lose its shape, and not look so nice. Vegetables may be preserved in exactly the same way, but they must be done twice over with an interval of twenty-four hours to allow of their becoming quite cold. Jams and fruit jellies can be preserved fresh and good for years in the same way." Success in bottling and preserving fruit depends chiefly on two points: (1) The destruction of every germ of mildew, etc., by keeping the bottles at a certain temperature for a certain time; (2) the absolute prevention of any possible re-entry of air into the bottles afterwards. The bottles must be hermetically sealed while in the steam or standing in almost boiling water (see _Journal R.H.S._, vol. xxvi. part iii. p. 365). BOTTLING OR CANNING IN SYRUP.--This is done by boiling together at the rate of 3 lbs. of cane-sugar to 1 quart of water and the white of 1 egg; pour the fruit whole into the syrup while boiling, and continue to boil together for only a few minutes, then pour into bottles or cans, and stopper or seal air-tight immediately whilst boiling. Pears may be preserved in the same way. Cheal, _Journal of R.H.S._, vol. xxi. 1. PLUM JAM makes a rich preserve. Take equal quantities of fruit and cane-sugar; boil quickly half to three-quarters of an hour, then put into hot jars and cover well at once. Exclude the air as much as possible. The colour of the flesh is said to make a difference in the sale. Red jam is usually preferred, but greengage is also popular. Coe's Golden Drop or Autumn Compôte (September, hardy, fairly productive, but the fruit often splits) are good for yellow ("Amber"--Dr Hogg) jam; Belle de Septembre (September, "a good late cooking variety," good bearer, but fruit prone to split) for crimson colour. Free-stones are better than cling-stones. The following are free-stones: Bittern, Coe's Late Red ("fruit small, good bearer, a very useful late cooking plum"), Early Orleans, Early Transparent Gage, Old Greengage, Orleans, Oullin's Golden Gage, Red Magnum Bonum, Comte d'Althann, Victoria. The following are nearly so: Early Prolific, Czar, Cox's Emperor, Jefferson. Belle de Septembre is a cling-stone. Damsons make good jam, the colour being a dark rich red. PLUM JELLY