STORAGE OF FRUITS 103 



dry day, trimmed clean of defective berries, placed in shallow trays, 

 boxes or baskets, and stored in a cold but frost-proof room where there 

 was little movement of the air. Some people pack in clean dry sand, 

 others in wheat, oats or other cereal, still others in buckwheat hulls, 

 cork, hardwood sawdust, soft hay, dried lawn clippings, etc. Still 

 others place the clusters on shelves in an airy room for a few days 

 then wrap in soft paper, pack one or two, not more than three, layers 

 deep in cardboard boxes and store in a cool, dry room. 



Another Canadian method is as follows: Naturally long keeping 

 varieties are chosen for storing. The berries must adhere well to the 

 stems and not be subject to shrivelling. The longer they remain on 

 the vines without being frosted the better. They are gathered in 

 clear, dry weather, placed one layer deep in shallow trays or spread on 

 tables in a room kept open in dry, clear weather but closed at night 

 and in damp weather. In two weeks or perhaps less when the stems 

 have shriveled enough to resist mold, the fruit is carefully cleaned 

 of defective berries and laid on storage trays piled to any convenient 

 height, the top one being covered. A crack of one-eighth inch between 

 trays is necessary for ventilation. A dry, cold, but frost-proof room, 

 will hold the best keepers until Midwinter or later. Among varieties 

 that have been kept in good condition by this method until Thanks- 

 giving Day are Lady Washington, Worden, Delaware and Concord; 

 until New Year's Day, Duchess, Barry, Agawam, Massasoit; till Mid- 

 January or later, Salem, Catawba, Vergennes, Wilder and Gaertner. 



Pears should always be gathered when they will separate easily 

 by gentle lifting, not pulling, from the tree, without breaking either 

 the stem or the fruit spur. This may be a week to two weeks before 

 they would become ripe on the tree. A dry, well-ventilated but not 

 drafty, room or a clothes closet is excellent and will supply best con- 

 ditions for final ripening. Where too many are secured for such 

 quarters they may be placed on trays or wrapped in paper and packed 

 in boxes and stored in a cool, dry room. Winter Pears may be stored 

 like Winter Apples, except that a week or more before they are to be 

 eaten as many as will be needed should be moved to warmer quarters 

 for the final ripening mentioned above. 



Quinces may be stored like Winter Apples successfully until 

 Christmas; usually, however, they are used soon after gathering. 



