The Sully County watchman. (Clifton, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1894, 1892-01-09
wIntering Apples.


The abundance of fruit this season
caused prices to be extremely low,
much so that in many sections farine
actually declare that apples are not wort
gathering In many parts of the country
6 cents per bushel are only offered at the
cider mills or distilleries. OF course. this
price refers to the wind-falls and fruit that
insects have caused to drop. but it is much
better to haul away and dispose of them
even at such lov prices, for the number of
bushels that could be picked up in day
in an orchard would be sufficient to make
the occupation pay quite well. Aside
from this removing the fruit gets rid of
of the insects they would produce another
season. The low prices should stimulate
farmers to store choice fruit away in as
careful a manner Us possible, as better
prices may be realized In the winter or the
spring The follow ing hints and sugges-
tions from Stuart's Agriculturits OH keep
ing fruit all the year round are of especial
interest just now:
The comfort of supply of apples the
year round depends us much upon the
keeping as the growing of them. The
average house cellar is not the hest place
in which to store them, but attention to
cleanliness, ventilation and temperature,
guided by a thermometer, will make it a
fair success. Temperature is the
strong point and the nearer and more
uniformly the air of any room in which
ing point, but always above it, the longer
and better they will keep. Carefully
picked and assorted apples, packed in
boxes or barrels in almost any fine, dry
material that will aid in keeping them
dry and the temperature above them uni
form, may be kept in any convenient out
house, or even the barn, covered with
three or -four feet of hay, straw, leaves,
chaff or other material to keep the frost
from reaching them All the better If
they can stand upon the ground, which
will aid In maintaining an unchanging
temperature. To those who nave hereto
fore kept the apples in bins or on shelves
in the house Celler without satisfactory
success we suggest the following eyperi-
ments which have before appeared in
print: Select City good sound apples from
the shelf or exposed mass, wrap each in
paper and replace them. Count out fifty
more, the same in condition. and place
them aside exposed. Place successive lots
of fifty equal specimens lii boxes OF suit
able sizt and pack in each the following
VIZ: Fine shavings, fine chopped oat
$ raw, coarse and fine chaff, bran, sifted
coal ashes and plaster; put
them into cold, not freeze
ing apartment. Fill boxes large enough
to hold half bushei or bushel with ap-
pies in the more compact packing, as plas-
ter or fine chatf. and place them in the
barn. with i few feet OF hay or a foot or
two of chaff upon them. Leave them all
until after those kept in the
Il
for apples; then examine them all at the
same time carefully, bearing in mind the
conditions under which each lot
has been kept, and you will get deal of
The editor of the Orange Judd Farmer
gives his way of keeping apples over win.
ter as follows: I'VE have sold thousands
of bushels of Spitzenburg Greetings and
other good apples in midwinter and
spring ut tiptop prices, which w.rs
kept as follows: A considerable part of
tue large stone cellar, with cement bot
tom, was partitioned off by myself, with
good ventlating windows on hinges, with
coarse wire screens to keep out mice and
rats or other outside intruders. All
along the outside and division walls and
in the interior spaces Slated shelves
were placed above each other, leaving
fifteen to eighteen inches head room be-
tween, with movable six inch wide side
board in front and rear. The shelves
were supported by pieces nailed upon sup
porting studding set upon the floor and
spiked to the floor sills above. The apples
we're spread upon thesa shelves four to six
inches or more in depth. The windows
we're kept open or closed on different
ldes, so as always to maintain tempera-
ure in the whole fruit cellar of not far
rom 81 . to $50 o-as low as possible
without freezing. Only moderate light
vas admitted. Every shelf lot was exam
ned occasionally and any apple starting
o decay was removed, the fruit being
gently turned over or moved enough for this
examination. The fruit was picked when
gathered and handled carefully. Such
work and care paid the best of any on the
arm; 300 thrifty apple trees 30 feet apart
we're more profitable than FIVE times the
anne ground occupied by other crops.