138 FRUIT FARMING 



to put an extra thickness wherever there is the least 

 sign of a draught that might admit frost later on. 

 Everything depends on the next step. Sufficient pains 

 are seldom taken to lay down the fruit properly. The 

 prevailing practice is to bring the basket straight into 

 the store and tip the Apples as gently as may be into 

 a heap on the bed. This treatment is wrong. The 

 proper way is to have women ready at the heap ; the 

 baskets should be brought to them and the fruit be 

 handed out, every Apple being examined. The sound 

 ones should be put in the main heap, and all faulty 

 ones be laid in a separate place. This may seem 

 costly, but it can be done for considerably under 

 a penny a bushel, which choice fruit will repay in 

 shillings. Treated in this way the minimum of waste 

 is incurred, and the heap of sound fruit will keep 

 much longer than if mixed as gathered, as one rotten 

 fruit will spoil all those that touch it. 



A dark place is best for storing Apples, the ground 

 floor being preferable to one raised, although much 

 excellent fruit has been laid upon the upper oast- 

 house floors in Kent. For keeping till after Christmas 

 the fruit must not be laid thickly, two to two-and-a- 

 half feet being ample. The thicker the heap the 

 sooner the sweating' stage is reached ; Apples cannot 

 survive this process. On no account should the fruit 

 be covered till one is compelled to protect it from 

 frost. Wellington Apples are the most liable to take 

 harm from careless handling, and at the same time 

 they are one of the most valuable for February sale. 

 But Bramley's and Newton Wonder, being more hardy 

 trees, are fast superseding Wellingtons, as they cook 

 as well. 



