564 REPUKT OK OFFICE OF KXPEIUMENT STATIONS. 



of apples ill :i <('Il!ir at the Maine Station" tlic t'ollowiiij^ conclusions 

 wore reached relative to \arietie.s: 



Dudley, lliuiy, ami most of the liussian varieties are eoiiiparatively jxjor keepers 

 and ^Jll()ulll he used ])efore .Tamiary. lioi-sdorf, Ldii^Mielil, I'ewaiiki'c, Porter, and 

 Sliiawassee are at tlieir hef<t hefure tlie lut of Fehruary, tlioii<,'li kee]iin<,' well into 

 Manh. Murlhut, .Mildiu^, and Munson Sweet hegin to hreak down in March; the 

 latter is in <ri>od condition from October to this (hite. Arctic, Bethel, IJoiken, >hinn, 

 Nortliwt'stern (ireenin<r. Kail Janet, Stark, Westlield, and Winesa]) are in prime 

 condition up to Aj)ril 1. Munson Sweet, Porter, an< I Shiawassee showed most sur- 

 prising results, and indicate that with care these sorts may be kept imu h loiiixcr than 

 is generally supposed. Peter, which ])ecame too soft fur market in January, made 

 very good pies as late as the end of Mari^h. 



The Ohio Station'' has I'eported an experiment to determine the 

 ertecton the kee})ino- (jualitv of pickino- apples at four diti'erent pei'iods 

 between September :H) and Octol)cr 20. The dilierence in keepintr 

 (piality became decided only after nearly six months. The earl}' picked 

 fruit lost sliohtly more in weight than late-picked fruit. 



The Illinois Station '' also investigated the degree of maturity most 

 suitable for picking apples to be held in cold storage. The results 

 obtained indicate a great superiority in the keeping quality of mature 

 over innnature fruits. The mature fruit in storage showed a much 

 smaller percentage of rot, was less subject to scald, did not shrink as 

 DUich, had l)etter color and better selling qualities when removed from 

 storage. The same station '' erected a cold-storage building capable 

 of holding 2,500 barrels of fruit and costing $;>,080.4l. ^^'ith T<» tons 

 of ice placed in the building the temperature was maintained at 33'-' F., 

 or a little lower, for about seven months, and the cost of storage 

 averaged about 19.1 cents per barrel. Without exception the fruit in 

 this l)uilding kept well. ''There was no scald, no withering, the 

 fruit remained plump and in perfect condition, and the percentage of 

 rotten fruits was very small." The results are believed to plainly 

 show the utilit}' of ))uildings of this character cooled by ice. "Com- 

 mercial growers of apples can well afford to in\est in similar storage 

 houses and thus add greatly to their profits. " Other experiments by 

 the same station show prett}^ clearly that horticulturists in southern 

 Illinois at least can not afford to insulate a cellar for storing fruit; 

 the earth proved too good a conductor of both heat and cold and a 

 uniform temperature could not be maintained. Fruit stored in such 

 cellars was more or less wilted and the percentage of rot quite high. 



Experiments reported by the Iowa Station ' indicate that the varie- 

 ties McMahan White, Northern Spy, Pewaukee, Roman Stem, Seek- 

 Ko-Further, White Pippin, and AVolf River possess poor keeping 

 qualities and are not suitable for storing in cold storage in that State^ 



"Maine Sta. Bui. 82. rf Illinois Sta. Circs. 44 and 67. 



''Ohio Sta. Bui., Vol. II, No. 4. «Io\va Sta. Bui. 72. 



c Illinois Sta. Circ. 67. 



