Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1882-03-10
Harvesting and Storing Apples.

The rule with winter apples ought al
ways to be picking by hand no shaking
down. With low-headed, properly
trained trees manipulating becomes
quite as easy matter as shaking Off the
fruit and then gathering it from the
ground.
Before the harvest begins it is well to
have a suitable place prepared in the
orchard or near at hand for the tempo.
rary storing of the apples. unless these
are to be assorted and packed as fast as
gathered. Many of our leading pomol.
Ogists employ two sets of hands at time
of harvest. one for picking the apples
and the other for asserting and packing
Immediately in barrels. Others who
have fruit-houses DELAY the packing un-
til the approach of cold weather.
Apples should be assorted according
to variety. size and quality, and packed
so closely in clean barrels that they
will not move during transportation.
Fruit destined for long distance will
arrive in better order by being packed
full, even to slight jamming, than if
packed loose. With the rough hand
ling that all packages get, more or less,
the contents are liable to become badly
bruised unless packed solidly.
A usual mode of packing apples is to
take out one head from the barrel and
begin packing by placing tier of ap-
piles with the ends to the closed head
of the barrel, then fill up without bruis-
ing the fruit and shake down thorough
ly and fill the barrel so full that the
head must be pressed in with lever,
actually ilattening the last tier OF ap-
Piles. Tie head and hoops are now
nailed, the barrel turned over, and on
the head not opened the name of the
variety in the barrel is plainly marked.
Apples packed in this way show fine
and handsome face. Care. by the way,
should be observed not to face the
fruit more than it will bear; it must run
uniform to give satisfaction to the buy
er and to create a demand another sea-
son for the same mark of fruit. 1t
ought also to be borne in mind while
asserting the fruit that good quality
arriving in good order rarely fails to
obtain a fair price. although the mar
ket may be glutted with ordinary and
inferior grades.
In the first shipments of apples to
Europe, the fruit was carefully packed
by wrapping in tissue paper and filling
in between the layers with buckwheat
chat. This plan did not prove satis-
factory. for it was found that the fruit
was liable to absorb the flavor of the
chaff. The plan of envelOping each
apple before it is packed in tissue pa
per that has been previously soaked in
an alcoholic solution of salicylic acid
and dried. appears to have met with
success. Apples for export should be
permitted to shrink before the final
packing, and the shipments ought not
to be made until crisp, cold weather.
Some growers practice lining the bar
rels with paper as they pack the apples
in, using, if the weather is cold. two
thicknesses, and taking care that the
apples do not come in contact with the
barrels. With this protection it is
claimed that packages undergoing long
shipment in extremely cold weather es-
cape having their contents injured.
Once packed, the barrels should be
stored in some dark but well-ventilated
place and kept at n low uniform tenn
perature as near the freezing point of
water as is practicable. The tempera-
ture must be kept so low that the fungi
that cause decay cannot be developed.
The Old-time practice, which added to
the conditions mentioned the necessity
of dry atmosphere. is gradually giving
way to the popular opinion that the air
must be moist enough to prevent the
fruit from shriveling. Experiments by
scientists and farmers appear to have
proven pretty conclusively that while a
moist, warm cellar is decidedly dctri-
mental to the keeping qualities of the
fruit, a wet. cold one prevents loss Of
weight and size by evaporation and
consequently is conducive to the pres
ervation of the fresh appearance and
natural flavor of the fruit.
Farmers of experience need hardly be
informed that winter apples designed
for long keeping should not be har-
vested until they have developed color
and flavor natural TO the ripe fruit. 1t
is a worse blunder. however. to allow
fruit to remain on the trees until over
ripe than the other extreme of picking
while immature. Varieties that ripen
irregularly ought to be gathered &C.
cordingly. Apples must be harvested
in dry weather only. for fruit free from
atmospheric moisture when taken from
the tree, other things being equal, keeps
longest. Once gathered. the apples
should be securely protected from sun
and storms until they are assorted and
finally packed.-M Y. World.
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