The Canadian llorticultunst. 



283 



FRUIT ROOMS. HOW CONDUCTED AND MANAGED. 



THE veteran fruit grower, J.J. 

 Thomas, in a recent number of 

 New York Tribune, offers some val- 

 uable sugfTestions in regard to fruit 

 rooms and their management. 



For common capacity, says he, the 

 leading and essential requisites are a 

 building or room with non-conduct- 

 ing walls, and ventilating windows 

 which ma)' be opened on cool nights 

 for the admission of cold air and be 

 closed again for retaining this cool 

 air while the temperature is higher 

 outside in the daytime. In very cold 

 weather in winter the windows are, 

 of course, closed to prevent freezing. 

 One or two thermometers are to be 

 used and frequently consulted for 

 maintainmg an even temperature. 

 Such a house, properly regulated, 

 will keep fruit a few degrees above 

 freezing through a large part of the 

 year, except in summer, when there 

 are no cool nights for filling the 

 apartment with cold air. 



In a building like this, regulated 

 as described, winter apples, which 

 commonly decay before the arrival 

 of the warm weather of spring, have 

 been retained in good condition until 

 the middle of June; and our early 

 winter pears, such as Lawrence and 

 Nelis, have been kept in fair eating 

 condition into February and March. 

 This fruit-room may be a separate 

 apartment in the basement of a dwel- 

 hng ; or it ma)- be a building speci- 

 ally erected for the purpose. 



If a separate building it ma)' be 

 placed on slightly descending ground 

 and sunk a foot or two below the sur- 

 face, but this is not absolutely essen- 

 tial. Erect the frame of six inch 

 studs, or eight inch if the building is 

 large, and cover the inside, as well 

 as the outside, with building paper, 

 the studs being placed just far enough 

 apart to receive the strips of paper 

 with a little lap. Then board up 

 both sides, over the building paper. 



This double wall will be hardl\- 



sufficient protection against cold in 

 the north ; and additional protection 

 is afforded by nailing vertical strips 

 of lumber, an inch or two square, on 

 every joist, adding another covering 

 of building paper and another l)oard- 

 ing. This will make three thick- 

 nesses of boards and three of build- 

 ing paper, and be sufficient to exclude 

 hard frost without the addition of 

 any sawdust hlling, which, if used, 

 will be liable to cause crevices by 

 settling or to be disturbed bv vermin. 

 Use double doors. 



Some fruit-houses have been built 

 with two feet spaces filled with tan 

 or sawdust, retjuiring useless labor 

 and expense, as half that thickness 

 would be (]uite enough in any case. 

 The roof will be made in the same 

 way as above described, with the 

 shingles adcked. For small and very 

 simple fruit-rooms or fruit-houses, 

 windows placed on opposite sides, 

 which mav be opened to any degree 

 either for the gradual or copious ad- 

 mission of fresh air, will be sufficient. 



For a separate building, there 

 should be a plank or board floor, 

 with openings for the entrance of air 

 from below, or there may be a slatted 

 floor, which will always allow the 

 entrance of the warmer air from the 

 earth below and prevent the freezing 

 of the fruit, in the same wa)' that a 

 basement is kept from freezing by 

 the warmth of the earth. There 

 should be \cntilators in the under- 

 pinning of the building, which may 

 be shut for the exclusion of warm air 

 from without or opened to admit 

 cool air in the night. 



When cold air is to be admitted, 

 the current for its entrance is caused 

 by an Esp)- or Mott ventilator above 

 the roof, which always produces an 

 upward draft when there is an)- wind 

 or breeze. A small fruit-room may 

 occupy a portion of the basement of 

 a house, if separated from the rest of 

 the basement bv a double brick wall, 



