STOKING FBUITS. 



383 



cross-pieces, c, placed at 1 inch apart to form 

 the body of the tray. 



The trays are arranged in tiers, one above 

 the other, and from 5 to 6 inches apart is 

 ample where single layers of fruit only are to 

 be stored (fig. 1145). The uprights back and 

 front are formed of 2-inch by 2-inch posts, and 



J 



J 



I 



Q 



Fig. 1145.— Front View of tiers of Fruit-trays. 



attached to these at the stated intervals are the 

 slides upon which the trays are to run. In an 

 ordinary way it is not advisable to take these 

 to a greater height than 5 or 6 feet, because 

 above that it is difficult to remove or replace 

 the trays when the workman is standing on 

 the ground-level. This difficulty can, however, 

 be to some extent overcome by the aid of 

 a small pair of steps, and there is then no 

 reason that the tiers should not be taken up to 

 the height of even 8 or 10 feet if desired. 



It will be entirely a matter of convenience 

 what size should be adopted for such trays. 

 Those of undue width are difficult for a work- 

 man to handle, and those that are exceptionally 

 deep from back to front take up a great deal 

 of space when pulled out to their full extent, 

 thus demanding a larger gangway than can 

 usually be accorded in fruit stores. Trays 

 3 feet square can be managed with ease, 

 but sometimes it is better to have them with 

 the length, i.e. from back to front, rather more 

 than the width, and in this way 2J feet wide 

 by a length of from 3 to 3J feet will meet the 

 case. When using the last-named size, namely 

 21 feet by 3 J feet, the number of Apples that 

 can be stored in single layers in each tray are 

 approximately as follows : (i) large size = 

 70-80; (ii) medium size = 120-140; (iii) small 

 size = 250-300. Trays 3 feet square will hold 

 respectively about 50 large, 70 medium, and 



150 to 200 small Apples. This means about 

 half a bushel to each tray, and allowing 6 inches 

 between the tiers, would provide for a bushel 

 for each foot of vertical height. 



It is not essential that the wood be planed 

 unless it is very rough; where cost is not an 

 urgent consideration, however, there is an ad- 

 vantage in so preparing it, as the trays can be 

 more readily cleaned, and the surface is not 

 likely to cause damage to the fruits when these 

 are being moved. The sharp edge of the lath 

 where the fruits rest may also be taken off for 

 the same reason. 



Drawers or trays with lids are chiefly used 

 for Pears when it is desired to hasten the 

 ripening process, but they are also well adapted 

 for many of the late varieties of Pears which 

 require a long period of maturing. 



Where an effort is made to keep soft or stone 

 fruits for a short time beyond their season in 

 the summer, assistance can be derived from the 

 construction of a tier of slate, zinc, or gal- 

 vanized -iron shelves. These provide a cool 

 base upon which to rest the punnets or baskets 

 containing the fruit. Usually the slate slabs 

 prove the most suitable. 



Eats and mice are occasionally very destructive 

 in fruit store-houses, and some provision must 

 be made against them. If the building rests 

 upon brick foundations and low walls, there will 

 be little danger of the pests gaining an entry. 

 But with wooden erections it is a good plan to 

 place zinc or finely-meshed hexagon wire-netting 

 round the outside, partly above the ground-level 

 and partly below, with the lower part turned 

 outwards thus L. The vertical portion can be 

 from 6 inches to a foot in depth (half below the 

 ground surface), and the horizontal out-turned 

 part may be 4 to 6 inches wide. If, however, 

 the creatures should still find a means of entry, 

 trapping must be resorted to immediately. 

 Poison is the most efficacious mode, but unless 

 all the dead rats or mice can be found and re- 

 moved the results are very troublesome and 

 offensive. 



Preservative or Non-conducting Materials. — Dry 

 straw, hay, wood-wool, and other substances 

 are often placed as layers on the shelves of 

 storehouses to protect and preserve the fruit, 

 but a comparison of different materials and 

 methods has not shown any special advantage 

 from their use, and occasionally the result has 

 been quite against them. In any case they 

 need frequent renewal; then, too, they are 

 liable to affect the flavour of the fruit, and this 

 renders hay especially objectionable; straw also 



