The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1892-08-20
Keeping Fruit in Winter.
7. H. HosEins, in Garden and Forest.

AAA $500
A writer is quoted as obiecting to the
practice of gathering apples for keeping 'as
soon as the pips begin to turn brown"
He says apples gathered at this stage ''do
not keep as well, or average of so good
quality" Certainly they do not. An
apple makes noticeable portion of its
erowth-often as much as one fourth
while its seeds are coloring. But, on the
other hand, the keeping of late-ripening
apples is greatly heightened by gathering
them as soon as the seeds are fully colored.
Up to that time the fruit improves on the
tree. After that it deteriorates, so far as
keeping is concerned, and, with some vari-
eties, it deteriorates rapidly, so that winter
fruit soon becomes fall fruit.
The art of handling fruit for keeping
is very imperfectly understood, both as
regards principles and practice. The sea
son of many of our fruits is capable of be-
ing much heightened in the hands of grow
ers and dealers who are willing to learn
and make use of the principles involved.
In the first place, so far as Natures pur-
pose is concerned, the external covering of
the true fruit-that is, the seed-exists
primarily for the sake of the seed itself,
and only secondarily for its envelopes,
which are the parts that give it its chief
value for human use. As soon as the
fruit and its seeds are ripe the Aeshy ex-
terror part begins to decay, and what we
call ripening or maturing are only primary
stages of that process, which is to release
the seed so that it may grow into new
plant,
After the fruit is carefully gathered,
the whole question of keeping resolves
itself into a question of temperature, but
with due attention also to moisture.
Pears, apples, and grapes require low
and uniform temperature, and proper pro-
lection from fungous attacks, Aside from
the latter danger, which may be favored
by dampness, a saturated atmosphere is
not Objectionable; but care must be taken
not to allow cold fruit to be taken into a
warm atmosphere, producing that deposit
Of visible moisture upon its surface which
is enormously called sweating. In such
cases it is not so much the moisture itself
that harms the fruit as it is the mouldiness
which is apt to ensue. Apples can be well
preserved in very damp cellars if these
points are kept in view. In fact, cellar
with spring in it is thought by many
fruit growers to be specially favorable to
the perfect keeping of apples. In Russia
it is a custom to preserve apples fresh in
cold water; and the late Charles Glib, Of
Abbotsford, Quebec, once told me of some
very fine Fameuse apples which he found
on sale in April, and which, he was told,
had been part of the cargo of canal boat
that had sunk and been frozen in aud had
just been rasied. The Fameuse can rarely
be kept in air much beyond the first of
February.
The temperature of fruit cellar is best
when kept as near to the congealing tenn
perature of the fruit as possible. 1t is not
safe to freeze so watery fruit as the
grape; but apples aud pears can be frosen
without injury, # slowly thawed again in
the dark. am not quite sure of the latter
condition being essential, as have had
apples that had been slowly frozen, and as
slowly thawed, in light cellar, come out
of the trial apparently uninjured.
But, unquestionably, an even tempera-
ture, near to freezing, is the best. Even
this, however, is of small avail toward
good keeping if the fruit does not go into
its cold storage In perfect order and at the
right stage of its existence That stage is
reached, in apples and pears, as soon as
the seeds are fully colored. Fruit design
ed for long keeping should be gathered
early in the day or in cloudy Wather, A
barrel of sun-heated apples, even if put at
once into cool cellar, has lost greatly in
keeping quality. If fruit must be gather
ed in the heat Of a sunny day, let it be in
baskets, which are to be kept under airy
cover until they are well cooled before they
are placed in the cellar.
For the best results, gathering and as.
sorting ought to be simultaneous, but in
large orchard, when careful hands are
scarce, this is not impossible, aud the best
alternative is large and airy sorting shed,
where the work can be deliberately done
by skilled hands prefer round bottomed
half-baskets, with drop handles, for use in
gathering and asserting.
1t takes good many Of them in busy
time, b4t in the end they are economical.
They are easily handled, and will not be
slung around, as hushel baskets with side
handles are sure to be, to the great injury
of their contents. The small baskets can
be put down into the barrel and emptied
without bruising their contents in the least.
Hand barrows for two men are much
better than wheelbarrows. A stone boat
answers well on smooth, level ground.
As an evidence af the value of careful
attention to all the points above referred
to, may be allowed to say that our chief
winter apple in Northern New England is
the Wealthy. Observing all these rules, |
find that have not the least difficulty in