38 THE BOOK OF THE APPLE 



of the fruit. However, * necessity is so often the 

 mother of invention,' that we commenced trying 

 experiments. First, we tried placing the fruits in 

 barrels, on the American plan, as gathered from 

 the trees. This preserved the firmness of the fruit ; 

 but from being packed in bulk the flavour was very 

 much impaired, and the fruit appeared to lose its 

 juiciness and briskness of flavour. At that time the 

 bulk of those kinds had to be purchased from the farm, 

 whereas now our own surplus runs into tons ; but 

 even this would not, under the old system of storing, 

 maintain the required supply after the month of March. 

 Our next experiment was in an ordinary cellar, and 

 here we found that the fruit kept as firm and as sound 

 several months longer as when gathered. In fact, we 

 were so convinced of the advantages of an underground 

 cellar that we decided at once to adopt the Irishman's 

 method of raising the roof of his cabin by ' lowering 

 the floor.' We consulted a builder, and he undertook 

 to excavate the interior of the room, so as to form an 

 additional seven feet for shelves, underpinning the walls 

 to form the cellar. Iron girders were thrown across, 

 and the original floor was replaced thereon : an opening 

 shutter was let in the floor of the interior at the one 

 end, and another door through the outer wall at the 

 other end, giving access both from the exterior or 

 interior, and affording ample and necessary ventila- 

 tion during the sweating operations shortly after being 

 gathered. A current of air is thus allowed to pass 

 through the underground stores of long keeping fruit 

 until the skins have parted with their surface moisture ; 

 and then, taking advantage of a cold morning, we shut 

 up the cellar with the coldest air, only ventilating again 

 when we can exchange for a fresh supply of cold air. The 

 more moisture on the floor the better. The important 

 point is to dry well the surface of the fruit before 



