Keeping Fruit on Trays. 441 
shrivel. Those rooms in which there is a natural 
sand or gravel bottom ordinarily keep fruit in the 
best condition. Cement bottoms are very apt to be 
too dry. Running water is very often desirable in a 
fruit cellar, not only because it furnishes moisture to 
the air, but also because it is an equalizer of the 
temperature. One must be cautioned, however, that 
a cellar which is not properly ventilated will cause 
the fruit to mold and decay, if it is wet. In gen- 
eral, it is best to have means for supplying fresh 
air, and then keep the cellar simply moist, not wet. 
One should avoid drafts in the storage cellar, for 
currents of air are very likely to cause the fruit to 
lose moisture and to shrivel. 
Much is said about the keeping of fruit upon 
trays in cellars rather than in barrels or crates, but 
this must be determined by the character of the 
cellar as to temperature and moisture. In cellars 
which are too dry, the fruit should be left in the 
closed packages; but if the air is moist and the tem- 
perature very low, the fruit may be placed upon 
racks or trays to the very best advantage. But in 
any case, it should always be remembered that fruit 
which has been placed in storage for a month or 
more, should be re-sorted and re-packed before it is 
put upon the market. It has been said (page 436) 
that the best results in the storing of fruit are had 
when the product is pretty thoroughly sorted before 
it is put into the cellar, for even if the cellar is 
very nearly perfect for the keeping of the fruit, any 
over-ripe or decayed specimens will very likely break 
