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Air-cooled storages are usually built partly or entirely under 

 ground because the earth acts as an insulator. The depth of 

 the earth depends on the location of the cellar. It should be 

 covered deep enough so that frost cannot enter the storage 

 room in the coldest weather. A deep covering gives better 

 satisfaction the year round because it keeps out the extreme 

 cold in the winter and keeps out the heat of the summer. 



The ventilation system of an air-cooled storage must be 

 correctly designed and very carefully operated. Intakes and 

 outlets must be carefully constructed and placed to give a 

 good circulation. No ventilating system, however carefully 

 installed, will give satisfaction unless properly operated. On 

 cold nights during the fall the system must be working at its 

 maximum. The ventilators should be kept open during the 

 nighttime as long as the cold fall weather lasts. 



Since storage cellars are usually built under ground, they 

 should be constructed of some material which will easily 

 withstand the action of moisture. Concrete is a first-class 

 material for storage cellar construction. Concrete construc- 

 tion is not overexpensive, is easy to build, is waterproof, rat- 

 proof and permanent. 



The construction of a storage especially for apples is often 

 advisable for the grower who has a large production of winter 

 varieties. Its size is of course dependent on the quantity of 

 fruit it is desired to store, but if one keeps in mind the fact 

 that a bushel of fruit plus air space and alleys will occupy 

 about 2| cubic feet of space, it will be comparatively easy to 

 figure the size necessary. 



The type of building and its size are dependent on local 

 conditions. An average 10-acre orchard will produce 2,500 to 

 3,000 bushels in a good crop. The grower with a crop of this 

 size will need a cellar of approximately 7,500 cubic feet capacity 

 since an allowance per bushel of 2| cubic feet is needed to pro- 

 vide storage space with necessary air spaces and alleys. 



The location should be carefully selected. It should, if pos- 

 sible, be located on a side hill of slight slope but with suf- 

 ficient rise to assure good drainage and to make the excava- 

 tion work as easy as possible. It is best if one side and one 

 end may be below the ground level. The shape of the cellar 



