152 THE SMALL COUNTRY PLACE 



or a north room in the basement of the dwelling-house, 

 unless one has a cold-storage room cooled by ice or other 

 artificial means. They may be picked and put into clean 

 dry barrels or boxes and put at once into the shed or 

 cellar stacked one above another, or put in shallow bins. 



To keep the temperature low where there is no arti- 

 ficial means of cooling, doors and windows may be 

 opened on cold nights and closed during the daytime. 



The temperature may be reduced to the right point 

 at start by using a mixture of salt and ice (ice cream 

 freezing mixture) , in large tubs or boxes. A half ton of 

 ice and 50 to 100 pounds of salt will cool quite a large 

 space down to 35 to 40, at which apples will keep 

 until cold weather comes on, when the temperature may 

 be reduced to 32, which is about the best point for keep- 

 ing this fruit. 



The Best Package for Apples. 



For shipping apples to distant markets, the barrel 

 seems to be the most in favor, in most sections of the 

 country, but for local markets in Eastern United States 

 the bushel box is very largely used. This is practically 

 a return package. You deliver your fruit and get an 

 empty box in return or are paid its value. As ordinarily 

 marketed the fruit is not faced but the box is filled a 

 little above the level with the top of the box so that 

 they cannot be stacked one above another. By the use 

 of a cover facing may be done, the cover being nailed on 

 and the bottom taken off; the fruit is faced on this 

 cover, and when the box is full the bottom is nailed on. 

 By this method the apples are more or less bruised, but 

 by putting -a cushion of corrugated paper under the 

 cover this may be obviated. The box is much more 

 easily handled, occupies less space in shipping and stor- 

 ing, and supplies nearer the amount of fruit the con- 



