174 
WISCONSIN HORTICULTURE 
are too dry for the best results. 
Tests of methods of adding mois- 
ture to the air are now under way, 
but as yet the easiest and most 
practical plan is to wet the dirt 
floor and walls of the house thor- 
oughly each fall before putting in 
the fruit. This may be repeated 
to some extent during the storage 
season. The general size, arrange- 
ment and construction of the walls 
will depend upon the grower's 
particular needs and the amount of 
Air intake on an above ground stor- 
age. Such an intake, opening directly 
into a basement, is improperly situated 
for most efficient cooling. 
capital to be invested. Rooms for 
the combined use of storage and 
packing are undesirable. The pack- 
ing room may be adjoining the 
storage room, or, in basement stor- 
ages, the packing room is general- 
ly on the upper floor. Basements 
are more difficult to ventilate and 
cool than above-ground storages, 
although after once thoroughly 
cooled they generally maintain a 
more uniform temperature. In a 
basement house it is necessary to 
pipe the cold air down beneath the 
outside level in order that it may 
be delivered under the open base 
floor. The outlet air shafts in 
this case must also extend down 
through the room above the base 
ment. 
The walls of the house may be 
constructed of frame, tile, brick or 
concrete. In some sections stor- 
age-house walls are nuilt of adob“ 
brick. In selecting material and 
in the construction of the wall it 
should be remembered that the 
wall is not only for the purpose of 
keeping out low temperatures in 
winter but it should keep out high 
temperatures in the early fall and 
late spring. To protect the stored 
fruit from injurious temperatures, 
extremely high and extremely low, 
the walls should he insulated. Cork, 
mineral wool and quilting are ma- 
terials offered for this purpose, al- 
though all of them are expensive. 
For frame constructed houses and 
buildings with wooden linings, dry 
mill shavings, where they can he 
secured, furnish a cheap and very 
efficient insulation. Doors and 
windows and the frames surround- 
ing them should so fit as to be prac- 
tically air tight else a well insu- 
lated wall will prove of little value. 
If storage-room windows are neces- 
sary, they should lie fitted with 
double sash and wooden shutters. 
The doors should be of the refrig- 
erator type. During the early 
part of the season when it is advis- 
able to have these doors open at 
night a light slat door to keep out 
intruders is desirable. 
In the above-ground type of 
house it is well to provide some 
means of insulating the ceiling. 
The roof is probably the warmest 
part of the building, and unless 
filled with shavings or rnsulated in 
some way is a weak part of a good 
storage. A light-colored roofing 
material such as white asbestos will 
be of considerable advantage in re- 
flecting the sun’s rays. 
With ample means provided for 
ventilation or cooling the house; 
with walls, ceiling and other parts 
constructed to hold a uniform tem- 
perature, the final success of the 
house depends upon its manage- 
August, 1919 
ment. A house built of the best 
materials and constructed along 
proper lines is of little value unless 
it is properly operated. Instances 
in no small number could be cited 
to prove that this is true. It is be- 
lieved that it can be stated with 
perfect safety that less than one 
house out of ten is properly oper- 
ated for the most efficient results. 
In numerous cases houses go i 
through the season with only a pre- 
tense of management : a window is 
Air intake to a basement storage 
where the air duct is built on the out- 
side. Such openings should be fitted 
with airtight doors and be located about 
fifteen feet apart on the sides and ends 
of the house. 
occasionally opened for a little 
fresh air or an oil stove is put in 
when the temperature reaches the 
danger point during the winter. 
Efficient management of a cold 
storage for the best keeping quality 
of apples requires an immediate 
and uniform temperature of from 
30 to 32 degrees. Efficient man- 
agement of an air-cooled storage 
requires a consistent and continu- 
ous effort to approximate these 
conditions. The sooner the tem- 
perature in the storage room can 
be brought to 32 degrees, the 
longer and better the fruit will 
keep. There is no desire to inti- 
mate that air-cooled storages are 
equal to cold storages for long 
keeping, for this is not the case. 
However, with proper management 
