186 FRUIT RAISING SUITED TO AMATEURS 



ville, Memphis, Mobile, New Orleans and Norfolk. In 

 fact, it is not appreciated in southern markets ; it appears 

 to be in highest esteem in Boston, Buffalo, Chicago, Cin- 

 cinnati, Detroit and New York. 



Apples are not a tender fruit and may freeze slightly, 

 though they should not be allowed to freeze hard. Gather 

 apples in the first cool days of fall, though it is some- 

 times necessary to gather a little earlier if they are falling 

 badly. 



It will be much better to gather a little early and let 

 them lie in the pens than to remain on the trees when 

 they have started to fall. When they are gathered, put 

 in rail pens and cover with boards, and if there are warm 

 days they should be in the shade. 



When the weather becomes so cold that they are likely 

 to freeze even when protected with straw, it is time to 

 store them for the winter, although a great many apples 

 are lost by storing them too soon. 



There is no doubt about pits being superior to a cellar 

 for apple storage. Select a well drained spot, and scoop 

 out a depression not over a foot deep, put straw in the 

 bottom of this pile, then the apples in a conical heap, 

 cover with more straw or hay, then with dirt. They will 

 keep plump and tender this way when they would shrivel 

 in a cellar, though a few for immediate use should be 

 stored in the cellar, on the floor. 



