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with the degree of coloring up of the fruit. Colored varieties 

 of apples should, if possible, be picked only after they are well 

 colored but while they are still firm and solid. 



(e) Storage promptly after picking. — ^,A large proportion of 

 the difficulties in the storage of apples are the results of de- 

 laying the storage after the fruit is picked. The apple ripens 

 more rapidly after being picked than when hanging on the 

 tree and maturing in the same temperature. The ripening 

 that occurs between picking and storage shortens to that 

 extent the life of the fruit in the storage house. This makes 

 it extremely important to get the fruit from tree to storage as 

 soon as is possible after picking. 



(/) Influence of the Type of Package. — There is a wide dif- 

 ference of opinion concerning the comparative value of ven- 

 tilated and closed packages for apple storage. One of the 

 largest growers of apples in Massachusetts, with a total at the 

 present time of nearly 7,000 trees in all stages of growth from 

 two years up to fifty years, is using discarded orange boxes most 

 successfully as the means of storing his fruit. The fruit is placed 

 in these orange boxes immediately on picking and then carried to 

 the storage house. Bushel boxes as storage containers are used 

 by many farmers who are successful in holding their fruit. These 

 boxes are filled in the orchard and either hauled directly to the 

 storage and placed therein or are stacked up outside over night 

 for cooling and then placed in the storage in the early morning. 

 Apples should never be piled in the orchard. 



In handling apples for storage, the ideal is reached when 

 the fruit can be taken directly from the trees to the warehouse. 

 This should, however, be done only when the weather is cool; 

 if the weather is hot they should be precooled as noted above. 

 If shipped distances, of course the same effect on the fruit is 

 obtained when the fruit is placed in refrigerator cars for trans- 

 portation. So far as the keeping quality of the fruit is con- 

 cerned it is undoubtedly true that the warehouse near the 

 orchard is the most satisfactory. 



Storage has also undoubtedly had a good effect in raising 

 the standard of production by the growers. They must have 

 good fruit for storage; and since storage gives better prices, it 

 is an argument for raising better fruit. 



