HANDLING APPLES FROM TREE TO TABLE 



13 



Figure 4. — Method of stacking bushel baskets of apples and staggering them by 

 placing each basket on the edges of those beneath to keep pressure away from 

 centers of lids. Stacking baskets as shown, instead of putting alternate baskets 

 upside down as is sometimes done, permits better air circulation. Permitting 

 the workmen to stand or walk on the baskets is not desirable. 



It is difficult to raise the humidity in a cold-storage room kept within 

 the most desirable temperature range for apples, 30° to 32° F., because 

 the moisture is so quickly condensed and frozen. However, if it be- 

 comes necessary to raise the humidity, it can be done best by using a 

 humidifying apparatus that introduces steam into the air of the 

 storage room. A simple humidifier of this type can be made by plac- 

 ing a shallow pan on some strip heaters, operation of which is con- 

 trolled through a humidistat. An electric fan should be arranged to 

 blow over the surface of the water. The efficiency of the apparatus can 

 be increased somewhat if absorbent toweling is looped into the water 

 from a series of parallel supports placed 8 to 10 inches above the sur- 

 face of the water. In this arrangement the air current from the fan 

 should pass through the loops of the wicking. Adding moisture to 

 raise the humidity by any method must be regarded as only an expedi- 

 ent rather than as the most satisfactory method of controlling wilting 

 and shrinkage. All that can be accomplished by evaporating moisture 

 into the storage air is to supply some of the moisture requirement of 

 the air rather than to permit it all to be taken from the apples. The 



