September, 
210 
SEASOHABLE HUTTS. 
Keeping Apples.—A. most important factor 
in the keeping qualities of Apples—and one 
that is frequently lost sight of—is the con¬ 
dition of the fruit at the time of picking. 
The more carefully fruit is handled the bet¬ 
ter it will keep; the slightest bruise or in¬ 
jury of any kind engenders decay. 
The best time for picking Apples is just 
before they are fully ripe; full maturity les¬ 
sens their keeping quality fifty per cent. An 
Apple that drops oft’ the tree by a light touch 
is too ripe for long keeping. 
It is one of Nature’s immutable laws that 
fruit, so soon as it has become fully ma¬ 
tured, shall decay. This process, although 
it may commence and progress very slowly, 
is sure to take place if the fruit is left to 
natural conditions, and every preserving 
method aims to furnish means which shall 
counteract or protract this natural tendency. 
To accomplish this, expensive fruit houses 
and other devices have been invented, tlie 
experience with all of which goes to show 
that, other conditions being equal, a low 
temperature, ranging from 30° to 36° and 
never above 40°, is the primary and princi¬ 
pal condition of success. Everything else 
is of comparatively little importance. In 
whichever way such a temperature can be 
provided most cheaplj' will geuerallj' be 
found most suitable. 
Extreme dryness of storage was formerly 
considered of great importance, but later 
experience has proved the fallacy of this 
supposition. In fact, it has been found that, 
if the temperature is kept low enough, Ap¬ 
ples will keep better in a damp than in a 
dry atmosphere. We know of several in¬ 
stances in which Apples placed completely 
under water have kept in good condition 
all winter, and but a few weeks ago we have 
eaten Apples that have .stood under tlie drip 
of an ice house for nearly a year, and that 
were as fresh and sound as when picked oft 
the tree last September. 
Only when existing conditions do not ad¬ 
mit the lowering of the temperature to the 
most desirable degree, becomes dry storage 
more advantageous. 
SPECIAL PEETILIZEES POE SMALL FEUITS, 
In every normally matured plant are found 
certain mineral elements which, thougli corn 
prising only a very small percentage of its 
entire mass, are still regai'ded as absolutely 
e.ssential to perfect vegetiible development. 
Tlie relative proportion of these so-called 
ash constituents varies considei’ubly in dif¬ 
ferent classes of plants and even in individn- 
als of the same class growing under differ¬ 
ent conditions. .Just what the particular 
function of each element is, is not well un¬ 
derstood, but there is little doubt Ih.at they 
have their special work to perform, 'fheir 
Invariable presence and varying proportions 
form the basis on which the seientiflc idea 
of special fertilization rests. 
It w'as observed that changes in tlie pi-o- 
portions of the ash constituents were, accom¬ 
panied by corresponding changes in tlie 
organic compounds of tlie plant and conse¬ 
quently in its quality. 'I’liis natur.ally sug- 
TTHK __ 
gcBlofl p",‘inrol th« 
the quality of the plan o . possible 
Inotherwords, To what '^^J^l^speoial 
and profitable to fertilize , .jooi. 
turists have been slow to Ie ,i,. „nnlied 
a..y MVO 
in general farming. with the 
of Tobacco are known - 
increase of potaSli in its f ' 
the best Sugar Beets are grown by specia 
manuring with potash compounds. 
To ascertain if similar conditions obtained 
in fruit culture, a series of 
begun about ten years ago at the 
■setts Agricultural College by Prof. Goess- 
niauu. Tlie plan included a study of the 
characteristic chemical features of our com¬ 
mon fruits and the eil’cct upon them of treat¬ 
ment of the plants witli special fertilizers. 
The experiment began with the Grape. A 
wild specimen of VUis Labrusca (our com¬ 
mon wild Grape) was torn apart at its root: 
one-half was left in its natural condition, 
the other transplanted to cultivated ground 
and treated with nitrate of potash and bone 
superphosphate. At the end of three years 
fruit from the cultivated vine contained 
twelve per cent more potash and twenty per 
cent more sugar than that from the wild 
one. A cultivated variety, the Concord, al¬ 
though already in a highly developed condi¬ 
tion, was placed under the same treatment 
and responded in a similar manner with in¬ 
creased quantities of potash, phosphoric acid 
and sugar. 
Like experiments with Apples, Pears, 
Peaches, Plums, Cherries, Currants (see Bul- 
lefm No. 7, of Mass. Experiment Station), 
Raspberries and Blackberries have been com¬ 
pleted or are now going on. 
The study of the Strawberry, whicli may 
serve to point the moral of this article, was 
begun by an analysis of the fruit of a culti¬ 
vated variety, the Wilder, grown without 
special attention or fertilization. It is given 
in comparison with an analysis of the fruit 
of the wild native species, Fragaria vcsca, by 
Richardson. The' cultivated fruit gave 0.41 
to 0.63 of one jier cent of ash: the wild, 0.41 
of one per cent. 'I’liis a.sh had the followin 
composition: 
Will! fniit. 
F. voscii. 
I’otaHsluiii oxlrto 22.01! 
Sodimn o.xidc 29.70 
Calcium oxide 1-1 .S8 
MagiiOHlum oxide trace 
Ferric (Iron) oxide 0.07 
l'lio.spliorlc acid M ..17 
.Silicic acid \‘i,ra 
Cultivated frull. 
Wilder. 
49.21 iier cent. 
i:!.17 
.9.12 
1.7-1 
IS-.W 
.7.50 
'Die Striking dill’erence in the eoiniiosition 
of tlie two may be aseribed to tlie cultiva¬ 
tion and selection undergone by the Wilder. 
The soda, lime and iron liave decreased and 
the phosjihoric. aeid Increased, hut most re- 
markable is the enormous iiiereasoof potasli 
whieli is more than doubled in (|uantity. ’ 
But the cliange was not eonllned to tlie 
mineral elements alone, for tin, same unalv' 
SIS sliowed tliat tlie pro,.ortlon of sugar „ 
aeltl in tlie wild «pe,,ies is as two to one 
Willie in tile liiiltivated varle.tles it is luereuseil 
to six to one or more. " 'eased 
'.I'lie next step was 
the ed’cct of 
irnm-ovedupon by special treatment. Five 
lats of "•round planted with the Charles 
Downingrreceived the following special fer- 
No. 1. Bone superphosphate and nitrate Of 
^°No.* 2. Nitrate ’ of potash and .kieserite 
(sulphate of magnesia). 
No. 3. Bone superphosphate, nitrate of 
potash and kieserite. 
No. 4. Not fertilized. 
No. 6. Bone superphosphate, nitrate of 
potash and muriate of potash. 
The ash of fruit grown upon these plats 
Ijad tlie following composition: 
Potassium o.xlde 
Calcium oxide 
Magnesium oxide 
Ferric oxide 
Fliospliorlc acid 
1 
02.18 
12.50 
6,00 
2.32 
17.02 
60.73 
14.12 
8.29 
5.77 
20.09 
3 
01.81 
12.21 
0.00 
3.04 
10.34 
5 
02.29 
12.40 
0.33 
2.50 
10.42 
to aseertiilii Imw 1 , 1 ,. 
'"■'"''Hry eiiltlvatlon could he 
(In these results the soda and silica are 
omitted as of little importance and difficult 
to accurately determine. This makes the 
relative percentages of the remaining con¬ 
stituents somewhat higher, but their relation 
to each other remains unchanged.) The ef¬ 
fect of the special fertilizers is easily traced; 
'Die potash shows a decided decrease in No. 
4 ,—unfertilized, and is highest in No. 5, 
which received the largest application. The 
well known effect of magnesia in diffusing 
potash through the soil, and beyond the 
reach of surface feeders like the Strawberry 
is apparent in plot 2, by the decrease of pot- 
asli in the fruit. Wlierever the potash in¬ 
creases the lime decreases and vice versa. 
'I'he facts obtained with the Strawberry 
ivere brought out with equal or greater force 
in the other fruits mentioned. 'The results 
all point in the same direction. Preliminary 
analyses show that the chief mineral con¬ 
stituent of our fruits is potash — usually 
from forty to fifty per cent of the ash. 
Application of potash compounds to the 
soil has in every case increased the percent¬ 
age of potash in’the fruits, attended by a 
corresponding decrease of the lime: the use of 
fertilizers rich in other ash constituents either 
singly or together, fails to produce a like in¬ 
crease in their percentage in the fruit. The 
inference is that the mineral element in which 
ordinary soils are chiofl)" deficient to the de¬ 
mands of so-called small fruits is available pot¬ 
asli, especially since the natural proportion of 
tills clement in fruits is so unusually large. 
One step farther brings us to a practical af)- 
pliciition of tills knowledge. 
Potash fertilizers liave decidedly improved 
tile desirable qualities of fruits. Wlierever 
the iicrceutagc of this element has been 
raised tlie cliange is accompanied by an in¬ 
crease of sugar and decrease of acid. 'I’his 
it is hardly necessary to say is an Important 
and desirable' change—a matter Of dollars 
and cents. Other things being equal, the 
Irnit with the largest per cent of sugar will 
bring the lilghest price. Moi'covor, less dc- 
sirable varieties may be brought up to a 
liiglier standard, thus giving value to sonic 
good quality, as hardiness or prolific bearing* 
Die fact that tlie quality and chanictor of 
garden and orchard products can be modi¬ 
fied by tile otveet of special fertilizers is of 
i"mion,se Importance In Its practical as well 
as seleiitlllc bearing. 
WiNTiiuor E. S'roNK, 
MUSS. Agrioultunil Experiment Station. 
