FBI 



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FBI 



exhalation of carbonic acid and water, | 

 goes on as well in the fruit-room as in j 

 the open air at the season when the 

 functions of the leaves have ceased, 

 and the fruit no longer enlarges. In 

 gathering fruit, every care should he j 

 adopted to avoid bruising ; and, to this 

 end, in the case of apples, pears, 

 quinces, and medlars, let the gathering 

 basket be lined throughout with sack- 

 ing, and let the contents of each basket ! 

 be carried at once to a floor covered : 

 with sand, and taken out one by one, 

 not poured out, as is too usual, into a J 

 basket, and then again from this into 

 a heap, for this systematic mode of in- 

 flicting small bruises is sure to usher 

 in decay, inasmuch as that it bursts the 

 divisional membranes of the cells con- 

 taining the juice, and this being extra- 

 vasated, speedily passes from the stage 

 of spirituous fermentation to that of 

 putrefaction. To avoid this is the prin- 

 cipal object of fruit storing, whilst at 

 the same time it is necessary that the 

 fruit shall be kept firm and juicy. Now 

 it so happens, that the means required 

 to secure the one also effects the other. 



The following, we think, will be found 

 safe principles to guide the inexpe- 

 rienced : 



Site. A somewhat low level, with a 

 subsoil perfectly dry, or rendered so. 

 We have said low, because we feel 

 assured that by keeping the floor, if 

 possible, even a little below the ground 

 level, less fluctuation of temperature 

 will be experienced. Sooner, however, 

 than be liable to much damp, we Avould 

 go as much above the level as is neces- 

 sary in order to avoid it. Concrete 

 should be used for the flooring, and a 

 portion of the foundation walls done in 

 cement, to prevent the transmission of 

 damp upwards by capillary attraction. 

 The rats and mice are great annoy- 

 ances ; the cement and concrete would 

 keep them at arm's length. A pre- 

 ventive drainage may be applied also i 

 round the exterior, if the locality be 

 damp. 



Aspect. An easterly ornortherly one; 

 any point but south or south-west. 



Frost. -The house to be rendered per- 

 fectly secure against this. We would 

 never have the general store-room sink 



below forty or rise above fifty degrees. To 

 create an artificial warmth, and merely 

 to keep out the cold, or rather to pro- 

 cure, as much as possible, the amount 

 of warmth which the interior posesses, 

 are two very different affairs. The 

 preservation of the natural interior 

 warmth in winter is best effected by 

 double walls, possessing a cavity of 

 some three inches in width. The power 

 of what are termed holloAV walls, as 

 non-conductors of heat, is well known. 

 Neither can exterior damps be readily 

 transmitted; and, moreover, such are 

 cooler in summer; for the sluggish 

 agency of such walls in transmitting 

 heat is as much in keeping out sum- 

 mer heats as the colds of winter. If 

 the roof is an exterior one, it should 

 either be double, or other means taken 

 to keep out the summer heat. 



Air. The power of thorough venti- 

 lation when necessary, and equally the 

 power of rendering it almost hermetri- 

 cally sealed is necessary. Of course a 

 very liberal ventilation is needed when 

 much fruit is housed in the autumn. 

 There should, therefore, be a special pro- 

 vision for both the egress of moisture, 

 and for the ingress of fresh and dry air. 

 The higher the level at which the latter 

 enters, the brisker will, in general, be 

 the circulation. 



Liyht. Windows to admit light, of 

 course, for the sake of operations in 

 the room ; generally speaking, however, 

 a fruit-room cannot be kept too dark. 

 Most good practitioners agree in the 

 nec&ssity of excluding light as much as 

 possible. Scientific men say, that the 

 surface skin of fruits perspires exactly 

 as the surface of leaves ; and that light 

 is a prime agent in inducing such per- 

 spiration : hence, heat and light are 

 conjoint causes of shrivelling. The 

 windows or other apertures, therefore, 

 must be provided with close fitting 

 shutters, and these should be double, 

 even as the walls. During severe 

 weather, mats enclosing hay may be 

 fastened' over the exterior. 



As to .artificial heat, we think every 

 good general fruit store-room should 

 open into : a small closet, which should 

 be so fitted up as to produce an artificial 

 warmth when necessary. If adjoining 



