40 AGRICULTURE OF MAINE. 



and not in edible condition for several months after it is offered 

 for sale. There are Baldwins, Ben Davis and other late keep- 

 ing varieties that under these circumstances are forced into the 

 market before the first of December. Thousands of barrels of 

 these were sold in 1907 and sent forward to the markets, either 

 somewhere in the states or to some foreign port. They were 

 unripe and not fit for consumers for two or three months later, 

 and somewhere all this time it was necessary to hold them in 

 storage. Storage around the cities is expensive to the growers, 

 for the cost of that is sure to affect the price of fruit at the 

 farm. It is a ruinous way of doing business, and if it continues 

 will grow worse for years to come. 



LOCAL STORAGE WILL PROVIDE A REMEDY. 



It seems to the writer that the great need in the present case 

 is in some way to provide for local storage. The individual 

 farmers may do this, but we very much doubt the wisdom of 

 this, though some are doing it successfully. Some have advo- 

 cated the erection of large storage houses at Portland where the 

 fruit would be nearer the market. Theoretically this all seems 

 very well, but a storage house there would have to be operated 

 "very differently than one situated in the interior of the State 

 where ice may be had at a nominal cost, and in many cases 

 would not be needed at all. Some years ago at a Winthrop 

 iruit meeting the writer proposed the erection of large storage 

 houses in the fruit growing sections of the State alongside of 

 the railroad tracks. The plan then proposed was in a way to 

 make them co-operative affairs, yet controlled by a stock com- 

 pany. Properly made it is believed that the use of ice would" 

 not be found necessary, but if it should be it could be obtained 

 at a low price, so as to make its use comparatively inexpensive. 



It is a well established fact that the sooner fruit can be cooled 

 down after it is picked and put into storage the better it will be. 

 When fruit is stored in sheds and outbuildings the shrinkage is 

 considerable and its keeping qualities are somewhat affected 

 thereby. The best plan therefore would be, as soon as possible 

 after the fruit is picked, to take it to the store house, cool it 

 down and have it stored. The best time to do this would be at 

 the picking, as the fruit would then have to be handled but once. 



