FRUIT IN AND OUT COLD STORAGE. 



59 



of the cell, consequently the tree as the cells 

 become older the walls thicken, filling' up the 

 greater part of the cavity. Now if we renew 

 the growth of wood we will always have new 

 active living cells to carry on the development 

 of the tree. 



Pruning is important financially. You 

 lessen your crops by pruning as reg"ards the 

 number of individual apples, but we have 

 somethings in size and quality to make up 

 for it and in increase of price. 



A small i^ inch apple takes about as 

 much from the soil as an apple 4 inches. The 

 seeds and pulp are the great feeders on the 

 expensive fertilizers, whilst the balance is 

 obtained without cost from the air and water, 

 84 per cent, being water. Here is an actual 

 fact : 72 apples, respectable size, netted the 

 writer of this article $".30 for the bare cost 



of apples before packing. Now a package 

 of the same size would hold 275 to 300 small 

 apples worth about 30 cents. 



Where trees have been fruitless for some 

 years a pruning in the latter part of June 

 will induce a growth of fruit buds. Downing 

 says prune in winter for wood and in June 

 for fruit. This may be so, but my experience 

 is that by annual pruning in winter or early 

 spring you will have wood and sufficient fruit 

 buds. Vast sums of money are annually 

 spent in costly pictures to adorn our draw- 

 ing rooms which are occasionally seen by a 

 few friends; would it not be advisable to 

 spend a few dollars and convert our apple 

 orchards into works of art which is a source 

 of revenue. 



J. W. Brennan. 



Grimsby. 



FRUIT IN AND OUT COLD STORAGE. 



'N more than one item that I have seen 

 lately in the papers with regard to fruit 

 in cold storage, or perhaps I should say 

 ^ fruit that has been in cold storage, there 

 seems to be some erroneous views held that 

 it would be well to remove if possible. One 

 of these erroneous views is, that if fruit is 

 kept in dry cold storage it will not become 

 moist on being taken out of it. Now that 

 is decidedly a mistake, as we had abundant 

 evidence of during the whole term of the 

 Paris Exhibition. The system in operation 

 there provided dry cold air, very dry, and 

 very cold. The thermometer very frequently 

 showed a temperature, if I remember rightly 

 of about 38° F. with a steady current of air. 

 I kept the atmosphere within the chamber 

 a live one, there was nothing stag^nant in it, 

 it seemed as near perfect as it was possible 

 a temperature and atmosphere for such a 

 purpose, and yet, in a few minutes after 

 coming" out of the cold air chamber the fruit 



was as wet as if a sprayer had played on it 

 for some time. After our first experience, 

 we allowed the fruit to dry of itself by let- 

 ting it stand for an hour or two, it then 

 looked better than if we had wiped it dry 

 with towels. 



Here let me call attention to the remarks 

 of the men who were directed by Professor 

 Robertson to examine the fruit being loaded 

 at Montreal for Great Britain. Amongst 

 other statements made as to condition and 

 quality was the remark that so much of it 

 was wet. Now if it was discharged from 

 cold storage cars in which the temperature 

 was say, not higher than 38 to 40 F. , the 

 moment it was exposed to the outer atmos- 

 phere on a hot summer day it would become 

 moist and in half an hour would be wet. 



For several years past I have been struck 

 with the losses sustained by shippers from 

 wet fruit, and I suspected that it was not so 

 much due to the heat in the holds of the ves- 



