150 THE AMERICAN APPLE ORCHARD 



considerable loss from windfalls under all circum- 

 stances. On the other hand, apples color up best when 

 they are left comparatively long on the trees. Many 

 varieties do not color thoroughly until after the leaves 

 thin out considerably. Some varieties can be left to ad- 

 vantage long after the first frost. This depends a good 

 deal, of course, on the variety itself and its habit of 

 holding on the tree. Northern Spy and Ben Davis 

 hold on extremely late, while Wealthy and Wagener 

 are apt to fall as soon as they are ripe, or even before. 



THE APPLE HARVEST 



If apples are to be sent to storage another factor 

 comes into consideration in determining the proper 

 time for picking. It used to be thought that apples 

 should be picked before they were mature in order to 

 have them hold well in cold storage. The extensive 

 experiments of the Department of Agriculture in re- 

 cent years have shown that this idea is wrong. Nearly 

 all varieties stand cold storage best if thoroughly ripe 

 and well colored, but not overripe. Such varieties as 



