October, 1917 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURF. 
19 
Storage Onions Must Be Mature. 
Onions for storage should be al- 
lowed to mature fully, which will 
be indicated when the stems na- 
turally begin to break over. They 
may then be pulled and allowed 
to lie in the open for three or 
four days to mature, or they may 
be carried inside in a well venti- 
lated room where they are pro- 
tected from the sun. They should 
not he taken into a moist atmo- 
sphere. After they have cured 
the tops should be cut off and the 
bulbs stored in a dry and, prefer- 
ably, dark place. Low tempera- 
tures are preferable to high tem- 
peratures, but well matured bulbs 
will keep at a temperature around 
fifty degrees. Changes in tem- 
perature or a moist atmosphere 
should be avoided as this is likely 
to cause premature growth of the 
onion. 
1 Store Green Varieties of Celery. 
The best varieties of celery for 
storage are the green ones, such 
as Giant Pascal or Winter Queen. 
Blanching ordinarily takes place 
after the plants are put in storage. 
Self-blanching varieties started 
somewhat late may also be stored, 
but will not give as satisfactory 
results. For late fall use, the cel- 
ery may be trenched, covering 
with earth to within two or three 
inches of the top, and, on cold 
nights, covering the tops with 
blankets, rugs, or other protective 
material. Do not cover the entire 
tops with soil, as this will cause 
decay. Celery may be kept in 
this way until about December 1. 
It may also he kept in boxes 
buried in the ground or in hotbed 
pits. 
The tops should be kept dry 
, and the box well ventilated. In 
, cellar storage, the common meth- 
od is to set the roots of the plants 
in a quantity of sand or soil, sand 
being preferred. The plants are 
set in as closely as possible, and in 
Ibis condition, if the temperature 
is sufficiently high, will make 
some growth during the winter. 
The celery and the stalks will he 
well blanched, giving the highest 
quality of celery to he had. The 
temperature should be kept as 
near 40 as possible. 
Medium Dry Storage for Squash. 
The Hubbard and Delicious var- 
ieties of winter squash are both 
excellent keepers. Mammoth, 
Large Cheese, and Big Tom are 
the best storage pumpkins. Ford 
Hook, Long Marrow, Delicata and 
Crook Neck are very good keep- 
ers, of the summer squash type. 
They should be kept in a fairly 
dry atmosphere and at a temper- 
ature ranging from 45 to 50. 
Only matured specimens should 
be stored. These should be har- 
vested before exposed to frost 
sufficient to injure them. 
The Apple Grading Law. 
Geo. F. Potter 
In enacting an apple grading 
law Wisconsin is not trying an ex- 
periment, but is simply adopting a 
plan which has been demonstrated 
to he beneficial to the fruit indus- 
try in other sections. Our law is 
almost a copy of the New York 
statute, which is now being en- 
forced for the fourth season. Sev- 
eral other eastern states have simi- 
lar enactments, and in the western 
states where fancy box apples are 
packed, much more drastic laws 
are in effect. 
The Canadian Fruit Marks Act 
preceded by several years the leg- 
islation- in the United States, and 
it is probable that the operation of 
this law forced similar legislation 
in Ibis country. The standard of 
pack of the Canadian growers was 
so materially raised that they ab- 
tained higher prices for their 
product. On the English market 
the trade showed a decided pref- 
erence for Canadian fruit because 
of its uniformity, which was en- 
tirely lacking in the American 
product. Growers, dealers, and 
officials were pleased with the re- 
sults, and it is not strange that 
American producers felt that they 
needed similar laws. 
In 1912 Congress passed the Sul- 
zer bill providing for standard 
grades of barreled apples in the 
United States. However, owing to 
the vastly different conditions un- 
der which apples are grown and 
packed in different sections, the 
government officials did not feel 
that any one law could be formu- 
lated which would fit all condi- 
tions. Accordingly, the Sulzer bill 
was not mandatory but left the 
grower free to decide whether or 
not he would pack under its pro- 
visions. In consequence the law 
has not been used, at least to any 
appreciable extent, and since a 
good quantity of any product must 
lie put on the market before it can 
establish a reputation this law has 
been of little value It sirrmlv dem- 
onstrates that " law ^-e thi« sort 
must be eomnulsorv if it is to be 
of value. 
In contrast to this results from 
the New York law were immediate. 
During the winter following its 
enactment, I received the sugges- 
tion from a Duluth commission 
firm that if Wisconsin growers 
wished to get full value from their 
fruit it would best be packed ac- 
cording to a known standard such 
as the New York law. 
During the fall of 1916 I had 
the opportunity to spend two weeks 
in the apple belt of Western New 
York, working in the apple bar- 
