American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-10-09
Keeping Apples for Daily Use.

The question is often asked-What is
the best way to keep apples for common
family use? We have found central
shelves in an apartment set off or devoted
to this purpose the most convenient. The
apples are spread on these shelves only a
few inches deep so that they may be
readily examined or picked over as fast as
decay commences on any specimens.
1t is very important that the apples be
kept as cool as practicable after gathering
in autumn and before the freezing weather
of winter arrives. For this purpose they
are placed on the floor of an clubhouse
facing the north, and allowed to remain
there till about the time that freezing
weather commences, when they are re-
moved to the shelves of the fruit-room in
the basement of the house. This fruit
room (which is about ten feet wide and
thirty feet long) is separated from the rest
of the basement by an eight-inch brick
wall, and has a cement bottom to keep the
air dry enough. Windows for ventilation
are hung on hinges, so that they may be
opened or closed to any desired degree,
for the regulation of the temperature by
the thermometer. The nearer this tempera-
ture is to freezing the better the fruit will
keep. When the weather is warm outside
the windows are closed to exclude the
warm air; when colder, they are opened
sufficiently to admit cool air and keep
down the temperature.
The apples being thinly spread on the
shelves, any decaying specimens are read
lily detected and removed, care beng
taken not to disturb or tumble over the
sound apples which remain. An exami-
spring will keep the supply clear of rotten
apples. ~
Among the advantages of this mode are
the readiness with which the specimens
that will not keep are separated from the
others, and only long keepers allowed to
remain. When fruit is kept headed up
in barrels, which is common mode, this
selection and separation cannot be made |;
and while they keep better thus excluded
from the air, so long as all remain sound,
the commencement of decay in few
specimens soon spoils all the rest
A little practice will enable the attendant
to remove those specimens which will not
keep, even before decay begins; and by 60
ing over the shelves several times during
winter and spring none but sound, long
keepers are left.
AS warm weather approaches, and it
becomes more difficult to keep the apart
ment so cold as may be desirable for the
fruit, portion of the soundest and hard
est are selected and placed in shallow
boxes and showed under the lower shelf,
on the bottom of the cellar. The cold
cellar bottom keeps them at a low tem-
perature, and the shelf above serves as a
cover to prevent air currents. In this
way we have fresh specimens of such
fruits as the Baldwin and Rhode Island
Greening at the middle of June, and we
sometimes keep fine, hard, fresh Green
ings into the month of July.
The three leading requisites for success
are: 1. Placing the apples in cool out
house in autumn till freezing weather.
2. Removal of decaying specimens from
the shelves. 3. Keeping the temperature
as low as practicable without freezing, by
proper adjustment of the hanging win
dows.-OoGntry Gentleman.