138 BIGGIE ORCHARD BOOK 



of April. The two rooms will hold, I think, my entire 

 crop. Three double doors are made in each room for 

 the ingress of air on cold nights, my purpose being to 

 use cold night air instead of ice for keeping down the 

 temperature. Whenever the temperature outside is 

 colder than it is inside, the doors will be opened and 

 the air let in ; the doors will be all closed when it is 

 warmer outside. We expect, before October is out, to 

 get the temperature down below fifty degrees and keep 

 it there through November ; and by December we can 

 easily get it down to thirty-five. Were I going to 

 build a cold storage house for winter apples I should 

 do it upon this principle and not bother with ice at 

 all. But the walls must be tight, double, paper lined, 

 and with an air space between. Heat must be kept 

 out, cold must be kept in. Open the doors and let in 

 cool night air ; close them during warm days. During 

 the winter if the thermometer sinks to zero or lower, 

 and stays down for three or four days, as it sometimes 

 does, it may be necessary to leave a lighted lantern or 

 small oil stove in the storage room during the cold 

 snap, so that the fruit will not be frozen. Apples 

 thus stored keep all their good flavor, which is more 

 than I can say for fruit stored in ice or ammonia- 

 cooled buildings." 



I happen to know that Mr. Atkinson has subse- 

 quently proved the truth and success of his plan, and 

 I can heartily recommend the idea to other fruit- 

 growers. This method will keep good winter apples 

 as late as April 1st. What more is necessary ? I can 

 see no advantage in later keeping of apples. After 

 April, apples come into competition with strawberries, 

 etc., and are not usually very much wanted; besides, 



