Harvesting 



223 



If lime is added, weight for weight with the green, 

 the chances of burning will be greatly reduced. For 

 orchard work, i lb. to 100 gals, water is the usual 

 strength. 



The accompanying table will enable the home 

 orchardist to find quickly the trouble with, and 

 remedy for, any of his fruit trees. 



The quality of fruit will depend very largely upon 

 the care exercised in picking and storing. Picking, 

 carelessly done, while it may not at the time show 

 any visible bad results, will result in poor keeping 

 and rot. If the tissue cells are broken, as many will 

 be by rough handling, they will be ready to cause 

 rotten spots under the first favorable conditions, and 

 then the rot will spread. Most of the fruits of the 

 home garden, which do not have to undergo ship- 

 ping, will be of better quality where they ripen fully 

 on the tree. Pears, however, are often ripened in 

 the dark and after picking, especially the winter 

 sorts. Apples and pears for winter use should be 

 kept, if possible, in a cold, dark place, where there 

 is no artificial heat, and w^here the air will be moist, 

 but never wet, and where the thermometer will not 

 fall below thirty-two degrees. Upon exceptionally 

 cold nights the temperature may be kept up by using 

 an oil stove or letting in heat from the furnace cel- 

 lar, if that is adjacent. In such a place, store the 

 fruit loosely, on ventilated shelves, not more than 



