ORCHARDING. 



323 



Fig. 2122. The Box and Barrel Package. 



ture. Apples piled on the ground will 

 develop heat to some degree which naturally 

 encourages condensation of moisture. It is 

 desirable, therefore, that if fruit is to go into 

 cold storage it should be cooled gradually. 

 In taking it from the low temperature of the 

 storage chamber to a warm room the change 

 should also be a gradual one. If this pre- 

 caution is not taken the fruit becomes wet 

 on the surface and presents favorable oppor- 

 tunities for the development of germs caus- 

 ing decay. 



The fruit grower frequently finds it desir- 

 able to store his fruit after picking until 

 more favorable market conditions occur ; 

 but only sound clean fruit should be packed. 

 He often fails to appreciate the fact that 

 various kinds of vegetable parasites (fungi) 

 are as likely to continue growth on the 

 fruit in ordinary storage as on the fruit 

 before picking. The greatest care should 

 be exercised in barrelling this fruit, to see 

 that it is free from scab, bitter rot, fly- 

 speck fungus or any other vegetable para- 

 site. Packers are often surprised on open- 

 ing the barrels in midwinter to find that 

 there is considerable waste in fruit which 

 appeared moderately fair and clean when 



packed in the fall. This impresses the 

 lesson that at the first packing every blem- 

 ished specimen should be rejected. It is 

 economy to do this in the long run. Not 

 only is it wise to reject specimens affected by 

 scabs and spots but also those infested by 

 insects, because the larvae of codling moths 

 for instance, may continue the destruction of 

 barrelled fruit where temperature is not very 

 low. 



Early fruits should be picked successively . — 

 Pears and apples should not be pulled from 

 the tree. This way of pulling often separ- 

 ates the stem from the fruit and injures the 

 appearance and keeping qualities. Apples 

 and pears, when ready for picking, may be 

 separated from the spurs, to which they are 

 attached, by turning the fruit upwards. 

 This knack is quickly mastered by deft- 

 handed pickers. As a rule pears ripen more 

 satisfactorily in the store house than on the 

 tree. Bartletts may be picked before reach- 

 ing maturity, and if stored in a cool dark- 

 ened room will become more rich and but- 

 tery than if left on the tree. Loss of pears 

 from rotting at the core may be obviated in 

 large measure by early picking. Sometimes 

 it pays to remove the fruit of certain varieties 

 in two or three successive pickings. This 

 is particularly true of early varieties of 

 apples, pears and peaches. A prominent 

 apple grower in this State makes a specialty 

 of Oldenberg (Duchess) apples. In order 



Fig. 2123. Compartment Box. 



