188 Lessons in Fruit Growing. 



be able to use artificial refrigeration. Those so located 

 may often store their fruit for a time with profit, since the 

 storage rates are generally reasonable. Forty cents per 

 barrel is commonly charged for storiug apples from autumn 

 until May 1st, and it seldom happens that fruit does not 

 advance in price more than that by March 1st, while a rise 

 of Si or even $1.50 per barrel is not infrequent. Some- 

 times an arrangement can be made by which the grower 

 can take out and sell portions of his fruit from time to 

 time, thus dispensing with the services of the middleman. 



293. Only sound fruit will repay cold stora§:e. Only 

 fruit that is free from blemishes and somewhat hard when 

 packed can be depended upon to keep in cold storage. 

 The folly of investing storage charges in bruised, soft, and 

 insect-eaten fruit has been demonstrated by many trials. 



294. Co-operative storage houses in fruit-growing dis- 

 tricts have been suggested, but they are likely to prove 

 satisfactory only when the amount of fruit available is 

 sufiiciently large to warrant a modern refrigerating equip- 

 ment and the services of a competent manager (19). The 

 large, city storage-house has advantages due to its loca- 

 tion. Fruit can be delivered therefrom to purchasers in 

 all kinds of weather, and if on the seaboard, it may be 

 withdrawn for shipment at any time. On the other hand, 

 fruit necessarily taken from the tree in warm weather can 

 be placed in the co-operative storage-house much sooner 

 than in the city storage-house. A co-operative storage- 

 house in the country may sometimes be combined with a 

 creamery storage-house, to the advantage of all concerned. 



Section 2 — The Preservation of Fruits 



295. The preservation of fruit, as here used, means the 

 submitting of fresh fruit to some process' by which decay 



