FRUIT STORAGE 267 



the home-grown supply gets larger, and it may be possible to keep up a regular 

 supply when a system of storage is generally adopted. It is in this direction 

 that English apples for the English public may be provided. One of the largest 

 fruit crops was that of 1900, and yet it is a fact that better prices were then 

 obtained for late apples than in previous years. 



The following valuable information on the storage of fruit is given in 

 The Garden by Mr. William Crump : " I am of opinion that the thorough 

 ripening and a proper means of storing hardy fruits do not generally receive 

 half the care and attention they deserve, especially by those who require a long 

 successional supply of firm, well-conditioned home-grown fruit. In our modern 

 fruit-rooms utility is frequently sacrificed for structural effect. We were 

 victims of this policy, and owing to the dry, arid atmosphere of our fruit- 

 room we found it impossible to keep apples firm after March. Nothing 

 that we could devise would prevent shrivelling. However, we commenced 

 experiments with a view to improving matters. First we tried placing the 

 fruit in barrels as gathered from the trees, on the American plan. This 

 preserved the firmness of the fruits, but through their being packed in bulk the 

 flavour was much impaired ; the fruits seemed to lose their juiciness and brisk- 

 ness of flavour. 



" Our next experiment was in an ordinary cellar, and here we found that 

 the fruit kept firm and sound several months after being gathered. In fact, 

 we were so convinced of the advantages of a cellar that we decided to adopt the 

 Irishman's method of ' raising the roof by lowering the floor.' We consulted a 

 builder, and he undertook to enlarge the interior of the room so as to form an 

 additional 7 feet for shelves, underpinning the walls to form the cellar. Iron 

 girders were placed across, and the original flooring was replaced thereon. An 

 opening shutter was put in the floor of the interior at the one end, and another 

 door through the outer wall at the other end, giving access both from the 

 exterior and interior, and affording ample ventilation that is so necessary when 

 the fruits ' sweat ' shortly after gathering. A current of air is thus allowed to 

 pass through the underground stores of fruit until the skins have lost their sur- 

 face moisture, then, taking advantage of a cold morning, we shut up the cellar 

 with the coldest air, only ventilating again when we can exchange for a fresh 

 supply of cold air. The more moisture on the floor the better. The important 

 point is to dry well the surface of the fruit before closing the room finally. 

 The fruits may be placed in two or three layers, or singly. The best tempera- 

 ture we consider to be 40 to 45 degs. Fahrenheit. Cool storage with co- 

 operative fruit-growing would revolutionise our home productions in a 

 commercial sense." 



