172 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



one entrance door. Use eight or ten inch joists, which should be 

 set down level with the wall, ceil overhead with good seasoned, 

 hard pine fencing, and fill in with saw dust or chaff, well packed, 

 and floor over to suit convenience. Every ten feet of extension 

 should have a foot square ventilator, which should communicate 

 with an opening in the ridge of the building. The roof and up- 

 per structure may be made to suit the further use which may be 

 required of the same, provided it affords ventilation at all times, 

 and keeps off the rain and snow. This basement or underground 

 room may be partitioned to suit the wants ot the farmer; but 

 there should be at the entrance end a workroom, lighted from the 

 end windows and the door, and separated from the main store- 

 room by a stuffed partition and double door. The only access of 

 air to the fruit room should be through registers at the end or 

 sides of the room and at the bottom, communicating with deep 

 earth passages running at least two ways for one hundred feet 

 before opening to the outside air. This air passage should be of 

 stone or tile, and be made so it will be free from rats, or rubbish 

 of any kind. The object of this deep earth ventilation is to se- 

 cure air from loithout and of low temperature, summer or winter, 

 day and night. 



The cost of such a store house will vary according to local cir- 

 cumstances, but at best need not be very expensive, and will 

 prove valuable for keeping surplus fruits and vegetables to a time 

 of greater need. Any builder can estimate the cost for his lo- 

 calitv when he knows the size desired. Upon the same princi- 

 ples of construction the farmer can build temporary storage with 

 plenty of poles and straw, so that he may have uniform low 

 temperature and protection from frost. 



With our fruit house constructed, we may commence picking 

 our fall apples ten days before they are ripe, which last fall was 

 September 1st to 15th for Utters', Plumb's Cider, Fameuse, Fall 

 Orange and others of that class, in Southern Wisconsin. This 

 was some ten to fifteen days earlier than their usual time of ripen- 

 ing. These fall apples put into our fruit house will ripen slowly, 

 and, when winter fairly sets in, will not be too far along to keep on 

 till spring. Later ripening varieties will not need to be picked 

 until nearly matured. 



