52 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Second, better storage will, of course, keep the fruit in 

 better condition, and it will therefore sell for more when it 

 is disposed of. 



Third, the consumer will be better pleased with what he 

 gets and will be more likely to want another barrel. Every 

 business man realizes that there is no advertisement like a 

 pleased customer, and the difference between a crisp, juicy, 

 well-kept apple and one which is simply sound must be ap- 

 preciated. In the one case you want to cat another apple 

 at once ; in the other, you don't care how long you go without 

 another ! 



And fourth, good storage delays the marketing of the 

 apples and so improves the price. Baldwins, for example, 

 are almost certain to be higher in December than they are 

 in October, and higher in February than they are in Decem- 

 ber. Kothing is more demoralizing to prices than to have 

 good stock forced into competition with the windfalls and 

 other poor stuff which is pushed onto the market in the 

 autumn. 



In considering this question of the proper storage for 

 apples we ought to keep in mind the fact that the ordinary 

 function of a storage plant is to hold in check the ordinary 

 life processes in the apple. These processes are always ac- 

 celerated when the fruit is picked from the tree, and they 

 end (so far as we are interested in them) when the apple 

 becomes unpalatable. The very low temperature of the re- 

 frigerated room allows these life processes to proceed, but 

 at the very lowest rate, and as the temperature rises the 

 rate increases. 



The ideal storage ought to have the following points em- 

 phasized: — 



First, relatively low temperature. So far as I am aware 

 the exact temperature at which apples will freeze has not 

 been determined, but it is probably somewhere below 28 

 degrees Fahrenheit. The ideal temperature for the storage 

 of apples is probably from 30 to 32 degrees, but with good 

 fruit very satisfactory results can be secured at 35 or 36 

 degrees. 



Second, a constant temperature. Where the insulation of 



