The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1901-10-12
AppIo. for Cold storare.

Apples for Cold Storage.
A valuable bulletin on cold storage
for fruit. prepared by Professors Fa-
vile and Hall has recently been pub
lished by the Kansas Experiment Sta
ton. The following instructions are
given for the picking and packing of
apples for cold storage:
Attempt to store nothing but first
class fruit. Have barrels at hand and
arrangements made for shipment be-
fore beginning to pick. Pick the crop
as soon as it is grown and has its
color. This is while 1t is still hard,
two weeks before ripeness. Use no
fruit that is not picked by hand. Sort
carefully, throwing out all fruit that
falls below the grade and all that is
not absolutely sound. Choose good,
w~ell-colored specimens for the first
layer of the barrel and place them all
by hand, stems down. Do not crowd
them. Place the second layer by hand
either exactly, apple for apple, on the
first Or else turn them on their sides,
blush down, breaking the joints OF the
first layer. After this pour in the fruit
gently from the basket, first lowering
the basket into the barrel. Shake the
barrel frequently and fill it up, using
the same grade and variety of apples
every inch Of the way. Pack the last
layer of the barrel by hand as evenly
as possible, with the stems up. When
this is in place apply the press. with a
padded head, small enough to fit into
the barrel, to settle the fruit. Release
the pressure, place on the barrel head,
force it into. position, drive down the
hoops and nail them solid. Turn the
other end Of the barrel up. Label on
it plainly tie variety and grade of the
fruit and the name of the grower.
There must be absolutely no move
ment of fruit in the barrel. Ship with
out delay to the storage house. Ship
in the evening If possible. If the dis
lance is great, or the connection poor,
use refrigerator cars and see that they
are iced several hours before putting
in the fruit. Go with the fruit If pos
sible; II not. have your commission
man appraised Of the shipment and send
him the bill of lading. Trust the COM
mission man, but never lose track OF
the apples.
The man who attempts to carry ap-
pies through cold storage in a less
painstaking way than this will never
succeed. Unless the grower and ship
per can clear his conscience by this
standard he cannot wholly blame the
warehouse men for his losses in stor-
age. In the storage houses of the Ar
mour Packing Company, Kansas City.
during the season Of 1897 and 1898
were thousands Of barrels packed by
apple spectators, the shrinkage on
which averaged less than 2 per cent.
In the same room were apples packed
by farmers. some of which shrunk as
high al 80 per cent. Now, they re-
ceived. exactly the same degree Of. tenn
perature, dryness, ETC., SO that the
fault was not with the storage room,
but with the quality Of apples and the
way In which they were packed.
Cold storage cannot improve the
condition Of fruit. At best, it can only
hold It at something lear the condi-
ton it has when it is put in. It can
not save from decay fruit that is inn
perfect or unsound. A few decaying
specimens soon ruin the whole barrel.
Sound fruit is the only kind that will
keep in cold storage.