452 The Principles of Fruit -growing. 



as cold as 18 below zero at two different times, and 

 as low as 10 below zero several times. I have no 

 fire except an oil stove, and have not used that yet. 

 I think that winter apples will keep as well at a 

 temperature of 36 as 32; yet, I have no proof of it. 

 I do not like to have the apples get too cold, as we 

 have twelve miles to haul to the car; and if the 

 fruit is kept too cold, it is more likely to freeze 

 on its long trip to market." 



A "new plan for the construction of a storage cel- 

 lar" is given by Alwood:* 



"The winter storage of fruits and vegetables is a question 

 of much importance in this state [Virginia] because of the 

 wide range of temperature which prevails during that sea- 

 son. Also, temporary summer storage is a subject worthy of 

 careful attention, and may be to some extent solved by careful 

 application of the principle explained in this article. The com- 

 mon practice for winter storage largely in vogue over this 

 state, is to bury such vegetables and fruits as are required for 

 winter and spring use in outdoor pits. The particular method 

 followed varies with the different kinds of crop to be preserved, 

 but the essential facts are the same. This system of pitting 

 can hardly be considered a success so far as relates to the main 

 crops stored; viz., apples and potatoes. The essentials of win- 

 ter storage for apples and potatoes are a low, dry, even tem- 

 perature, and to secure this without artificial cold storage is a 

 problem that cannot be met by the outdoor pit methods of 

 burying these staple articles. These two crops are necessarily 

 held by growers in considerable quantity for winter and spring 

 use, and the problem of storing them in a convenient and suc- 

 cessful manner is the one had in view in the discussion which 

 follows. It may be well to state at the outset that we doubt 

 the even partial success of the plan herein explained for all of 



*W. B. Alwood, Bull. 11, vol. iv., Va. Exp. Sta. 



