Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1896-09-04
KEEPING CRANBERRlEs.
Opinions Expressed by Growers and Deal
ers-C0lor and Keeping Qualify.

OplnlOnb Expressed Growers ana Deal
ers-Color and Keeping Quality.
Replying to the inquiry, "What is the
best way to keep cranberries?" are the
following opinions expressed through
the columns Of the New England Home
stead:
A dealer advises that the fruit be
carefully hand picked, placed in open
boxes of about bushel capacity and
kept as nearly as possible at 30 degrees,
the packages to be made with pine laths
for sides and bottoms open at top, pill
ing these crates in tiers in dark room
or cellar where the temperature may he
changed on cold days. Another dealer
in New England says the berries should
be kept in their own chaff in an open
crate, as cold as possible down to 32 de-
grees, while a leading Chicago dealer
who handles both western and eastern
berries, prefers cool and dry tempera-
tuIe of about 38 degrees, with the fruit
in either barrels or crates.
A prominent grower of Jersey cram
berries piles them in a we'll ventilated
building until entirely dry, then removes
air space between each box. Does not OBJ
iect to a temperature above 40 degrees
He places the fruit in layers not exceed
ing 8 inches deep. A Massachusetts
member of the Cranberry Growers as
ISOLATION stores the fruit as soon as har-
vested in basement of a cranberry house
having cemented floors and walls, with
ventilated windows on all Sides The
cranberries arc kept in the regular open
wood picking boxes, bushel size, just as
they come from the bog, at "a tempera-
ture as nearly 40 degrees as possible
Berries thus cared for i'll the autumn
and subsequently put in proper winter
storage will keep until the following
summer.
Percentage of loss varies greatly ac-
cOrding to condition and is seldom less
than 10 per cent and from that all the
way up to 20 and 40 per cent The loss
depends to some extent upon the con-
dition at harvesting. Some seasons it
will be much greater than others with
the same varieties owing to unavoidable
causes Testimony of those in the bust
ness shows that the later varieties keep
best, some dealers claiming that the
Howe berry is the best keeper There is
not much use in trying to keep Early
Blacks which mature early and are
picked during warm weather. Cold
storage will not hasten coloring, but
rather will retard it, Warmth and light
will hasten the coloring, but is not adj
vised, darkness and "a cool temperature
serving to make the coloring more
even.
"Pile the berries in a building open
on all Sides" writes G. L. Holman of
Lakewood, N. j., $50 that dew can
come in, the dry wind taking it off. "
o. NJ. Holmes of Mashpee, Mass,
spreads the fruit on the floor of his bog
house, which admits plenty of air. 9th
ers advise spreading on the floor to the
depth of 6 to inches and then turning
occasionally with rakes. Early picked
berries will keep better than those we'll
ripened, providing they are not too green
when taken from the vines. Berries
picked after fully grown and colored
fairly well and packed in boxes will
keep much longer than those which
hang on vines until ripe. Thacker
Bros, Chicago dealers, who handle
both Wisconsin and eastern fruit, prefer
berries picked just before maturity,
neither too early nor to late.