HARVESTING AND STORING 



bird Is a good one. So far as rules can be laid 

 down, the following are pretty safe ones to 

 keep In mind: It Is safest to store apples when 

 they are of the highest quality; In a season 

 most unfavorable to common storage; when the 

 fewest are being stored; when the price In the 

 fall Is medium to low, never when high; and 

 when one can afford to lose the whole crop. 



Successful storage requires several things: 

 good fruit, stored Immediately after picking, 

 careful sorting and handling, subsequent rest, 

 and a reasonable control of the temperature. 

 The functions of storage are to arrest ripening, 

 retard the development of disease, and furnish 

 a uniform, cold temperature. Storage of ap- 

 ples does not remedy over-ripeness nor prevent 

 deterioration of already diseased, bruised, or 

 partly rotted fruit. There are three general 

 methods of storage: (i) by ventilation, (2) 

 by the use of Ice and (3) by mechanical means. 



Cooling by ventilation offers the most prac- 

 tical system for a farm storage. It requires 

 that there be perfect Insulation against outside 

 temperature changes, adequate ventilation, and 

 careful watching of temperatures. To provide 

 for good Insulation a dead air space Is neces- 

 sary. This can be secured by a course of good 



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