WINTER MEETING, 1882. 5 



fruit-room was imperceptible, too slight to note. Again, in January, 1881, 

 tlie temperature fell for five days in succession to from G" to 20' below zero, 

 yet in our fruit room in those five days the temperature changed scarcely one 

 degree. And here again is a fact worthy of notice. The larger the fruit- 

 room, and the greater the hulk of fruit in store, the less liable will it be to be 

 affected by any sudden changes, either of cold or heat, providing the house is 

 properly built and skillfully managed. 



From my past experience I am of the opinion that good solid winter fruit, 

 properly managed, can be kept in a house of this description until mid-sum- 

 mer; yet it would be very unwise to hold our apples pasta certain point in 

 spring when their market value depreciates. By a careful review of the Chi- 

 cago markets for a term of years I have ascertained that an average of the 

 highest prices is about the 2()th of May ; from that time on winter apples are 

 not so eagerly sought for. My last car, the past season, was shipped about 

 the middle of May to Chicago. Although prices were low all through, yet I 

 realized 300 per cent for seven months' storage. 



As we are rapidly passing over this subject many important questions nat- 

 urally suggest themselves. What are the organic substances of which the 

 different varieties of fruit are composed? What elements and agencies are 

 requisite to mature fruit? What agencies are requisite to ripen fruit? At 

 what stage of ripening should fruit be gathered to obtain the best results from 

 its keeping qualities? To what degree of cold or heat can fruit be subjected 

 and not destroy its keeping qualities? What are the principal causes which 

 bring about premature decay in winter fruit? All these questions and their 

 solutions have an important bearing upon the subject before us. 



By experimenting we have ascertained to a certainty that winter apples can, 

 he kept to almost an indefinite length of time in a refrigerator. (By this term 

 refrigerator I wish to be understood as referring to a house which is constructed 

 in such a manner as to be able to maintain continually a very low temperature 

 by means of large quantities of jce above the store room.) But supposing 

 we can keep our fruit one, two, or three years, what have we gained, unless its 

 market value is increased, unless its eating and culinary qualities are preserved 

 or maintained? Can we expect to hold over a cargo of fruit in good condi- 

 tion for sale from the fruitful to the unfruitful season, at a gain? It is im- 

 practicable; it can't be done. 



The fact is, there are certain limits beyond which we cannot reasonably 

 expect to succeed. Strawberries can and have been kept, the past season, 

 fifteen days in fair condition. We have eaten them seven weeks after picking, 

 but their flavor was gone ; nevertheless they were strawberries. My friend 

 Conklin kept Early York peaches thirty days, and then exhibited them at the 

 a county fair four days, and yet they were in fair condition. We exhibited 

 seven varieties of peaches at the fair in October last, a quautity of which I 

 kept to Christmas, in not very fair condition either. 



To illustrate : We have before you two or three varieties of summer apples 

 which were kept during the fall and early winter in a refrigerator; since that 

 time in my cooler. Although, as you see, in fair condition, yet I presume their 

 usually excellent qualities are considerably impaired by the too low tempera- 

 ture of the refrigerator, from which we may infer that although the fruit may 

 never have been frozen, it may have been chilled to such an extent as to render 

 it nearly worthless. I am aware, my friends, that I may meet opposition on 

 this point by refrigerator men, yet I think I can substantiate my point. 



