Nc. 6. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 431 



Question. Where do you aim to start the first limbs? 



MR. WILSON: About shoulder high. The limbs will co.me down 

 to the ground when loaded. In my sixten or eighteen year orchard 

 we have picked as many apples by standing on the ground as there 

 were left on the tree. 



W. H. BLACK: Have you tried alcoholic vapor as a preservative 

 of fruit? 



MR. WILSON: No, I think it has not proved of any value. 



F. H. PETERS: Do vou use any artificial heat? 



MR. WILSON: No, we have no need for heat. A large bulk of 

 apples together developes plenty of heat. Our sole concern is to 

 keep temperature down and we do that by a system of ventilation. 



J. W. PRICKETT: What is the cost of building storage? 



MR. WILSON: Our house, 40x60, tAvo stories, cost |2,200.00. 



Question. How is your storage constructed? 



MR. WILSON: It is built of concrete, two stories of twelve feet 

 each. The walls of lower story are two feet thick. Those of upper 

 story are twenty inches, thus forming an internal jog of four inches 

 to receive ends of joist, which bear second floor. These joist are 

 further supported by two lines of girders, each carried by four 

 heavy posts, thus dividing the basement into five sections of twelve 

 feet each. The basement is under ground for about half its height 

 and each section is ventilated by external concrete flues which ex 

 tend from floor level, where they penetrate to inside of walls, to 

 surface of ground outside. The basement is further provided for 

 ingress of air by means of five lines of fifteen-inch sewer pipes, 

 which are laid in the earth forming basement floor. These run 

 longitudinally from one end of building and curve upward to level 

 of floor at their inner ends, terminating, one in the center of each 

 quarter of the floor and one in the exact center of the basement 

 The second storv I walls are lined on four-inch studding which 

 stand on the jog mentioned above, and this four-inch space back 

 of lining all around the room furnishes egress for air from base- 

 ment to loft of building and thence to outer air through vents in 

 roof, covers being provided for these vents so as to control ventila 

 tion. The barrels are piled up seven high, and the building holds 

 7,000 barrels. We used 5 parts sand and gravel, and 1 part cement 

 in making concrete for this building, and also used a lot of field 

 stones. These stones were placed in form, being careful that thev 

 did not lie within an inch of form, and then covered with a slush 

 of the concrete mixture. Enough two-inch plank were provided to 

 make a course one foot high around entire building, both outside 

 and inside, and we always aimed to lay a foot each day and raised 

 the planks next morning, ready for another course. 



