152 FRUIT HARVESTING, STORING, MARKETING 



also provided with a lining constructed of studding, 

 building paper, and matched flooring. This makes a 

 dead-air space 2 to 4 inches wide, according to the 

 way the studding is placed between the wood and 

 stone walls. A cement floor, or compacted earth floor, 

 is provided in the l^asement room, and on top of this 

 wooden trestles or a tight board floor is placed. If 

 the floor be of compacted earth, wooden trestles are 

 usually preferred, while in one of the best houses a 

 tight board floor is used. The second story floor is 

 usually built of 2 x 4 stuff, placed on edge, with an 

 air space about an inch wide between each of the 

 2x4*8. This provides for a complete circulation of 

 air between the two stories. The fruit is usually 

 packed tightly in barrels, without sorting, as it is 

 taken from the trees. These are carried directly to 

 the storerooms and packed away with the barrels on 

 the side, as a rule, 1x6 pieces being used as a guide- 

 way between each tier of barrels. In this fashion the 

 whole chamber is stored full of barrels from floor to 

 ceiling. The fruit is not disturbed after being placed 

 in the wareroom until it is packed out for shipment. 

 Then it is graded and each barrel labeled according to 

 the grade to which it belongs. Where ice is used the 

 houses are iced before beginning to store the crop, so 

 as to have the storerooms cooled as the barrels are 

 placed in permanent quarters. The growers seem to 

 have an idea that this is a very essential part of the 

 management of the hou.se. After getting the tem- 

 perature once reduced it is maintained, as nearly 

 constant as possible, in the neighborhood of 34° 

 to 38°. 



