FRUIT ON THE FARM 155 



they should be picked before they are fully ripe. Ripeness 

 -can be judged by the color of the fruit and the ease with 

 which the stem is separated from the tree. In picking the 

 :stem should be allowed to remain attached to the apple. 



Storage. — Apples keep best when stored in a uniform 

 temperature of from 30 to 32 degrees F. The air also should 

 be moist, saturated to about 80 per cent. If the temperature 

 is too high, the apples will decay, and if the atmosphere is 

 dry, they will shrivel. Commercial fruit is generally placed 

 in rooms that are cooled artificially. That which is stored 

 at home should be kept in frost-proof buildings or dugouts. 

 <^uestions: 



1. How has apple-growing been made possible in districts not 

 originally adapted to it? 



2. What kind of soil do apple trees require? 



-3. How are different soils or sods prepared for apple trees? 



4. Tell what you can of trees suitable for setting. 



5. How and when should trees be set? 



6. What cultivation is necessary? 



7. What mulching and pruning are necessary? 

 Arithmetic: 



1. If trees are set 25 ft. apart each way, how much space does 

 each tree occupy? How many trees can be set on an acre? 



2. If trees are set 25 ft. apart each way and each tree produces 

 4 bus. of apples, how many bushels will be produced per acre? How 

 much are they worth at $1.00 per bushel? 



3. If one has 10 apple trees, each producing 4 bus. of apples, 

 Jiow much will the apples be worth at 90c. per bushel? 



^Exercises: 



1. Make a list of all the different kinds of fruit you have eaten 

 and tell where each came from. 



2. Who raises the finest strawberries in your neighborhood? 

 Visit this place and get the owner to tell you just how to raise straw- 

 berries. Then write a story about what you have learned. 



3. Make a list of all the kinds of fruit that are grown in your neigh- 

 borhood. How many of these grow wild? 



4. Ask your mother or your teacher to show you how to can fruit. 

 Then write a story telling just how to do it. 



5. Ask some fruit grower in the neighborhood to show you how 

 to prune an apple tree. 



6. Visit some orchard in the fall and hunt until you find a per- 

 fect apple. Find out, if you can, why some of the apples are not per- 

 fect. Why do some have bad spots and worm holes? What could 

 have been done to prevent them? 



7. Of two equally sound apples place one in a cool place and the 

 other in a warm place and see how much longer one will remain good 

 than the other. 



