CURRANTS AS ORCHARD FILLERS. 



277 



can it correct the evils of bad orchard hand- 

 ling. Successful refrigeration is possible 

 only when both storage men and fruit grow- 

 ers understand the underlying principles of 

 refrigeration and co-operate intelligently. 



The Apple is the most important fruit that 

 is stored in refrigeration, in fact it is stored in 

 greater quantities than all other fruits com- 

 bined. The following statement of the Na- 

 tional Apple Shippers' Association, taken 

 from a recent number of Cold Storage, 

 gives a conception of the magnitude of the 

 industry. 



APPLES IN STORAGE ON DECEMBER I. 



Barrels in Barrels in 



Cold Storage Cominon 



Storage 



1898 891,000 400,000 



1899 1,518,750 634,000 



1900 1,226,900 794,000 



190 1 1.771,200 138,000 



1. The apples used in the experiments ap- 

 pear to keep best when picked just before 

 they mature, i. e. , when very firm and only 

 fairly colored. 



2. The fruit that was stored immediately 

 after picking is keeping better than that in 

 which there was delay before the fruit was 

 placed in storage. 



3. The fruit is keeping better in a tem- 

 perature of 31 to 32 than in a temperature 

 or 34 to 36. 



4. The wrapped fruit is keeping better 

 than the unwrapped fruit. It shows less 

 shrinkage. 



6. A temperature of 31 to 32 appears to 

 retard the scald. The York Imperials in 

 this temperature shows about 3 per cent., 

 while in a temperature of 34 to 36 there is 

 about 17 per cent. The Rhode Island 

 Greenings show about 5 per cent., in the 

 higher temperature. 



CUEEANTS AS OECHAED FILLEES 



AN EASY CROP TO RAISE 



CURRANTS are about the cheapest and 

 easiest crop of fruit to produce, re- 

 quiring very little time and labor as com- 

 pared with many others, states American 

 Gardening. For fillers, or what might 

 be termed a catch crop, they are indispensa- 

 ble when grown between plum, pear, peach, 

 cherry and quince trees. They can be 

 grown in an orchard of any of these fruits 

 without retarding or injuring the trees. 

 When currants are fruited in this way it is 

 merely a question of more manure or fertil- 

 izer. Every intelligent fruit grower will 

 understand this at once. Under this sys- 

 tem of intensive gardening you have a nice 

 income from your currants, while your fruit 

 trees are developing and getting ready for 

 fruiting. 



It depends entirely upon yourself as to 

 how long these bushes will bear large, 

 marketable fruit. 



Remove the New Wood. — No matter how 

 great a sacrifice it may seem, you should 

 remove two-thirds of the new wood each 

 season. Failing to do this you will soon 

 have a lot of overgrown bushes on your 

 hands, and the fruit will dwindle in size and 

 be imperfect in many ways. On the other 

 hand, if you prune judiciously, spray as 

 often as it is necessary, manure well and 

 cultivate thoroughly, you can keep your 

 plantation of currants in perfect order for 

 at least ten years, and one year with anoth- 

 er, you will be well recompensed for your 

 investment and labor. 



