The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1914-03-13
WINTER STORAGE OF APPLES
How to Keep the Apple Crop in the
Late Spring.

With the revival of interest in com
merclal apple growing throughout the
missouri river valley, with increasing
care in the handling of orchards and
up-to-date management, we may rea-
sonably expect a much larger produc-
tlon OF apples in commercial orchards |
IN the district noted.
winter apples ought not to be |
thrown on the market as soon as gath
cred In October. To throw the entire
crop OF the country on the market at |
that season would depress the selling
value. IL the entire corn crop of the
country or hay crop were offered by
the growers for sale at one time, low
er values must inevitably result.
In the handling of the commercial |
varieties of winter apples, while it is
hlghly important that apples should |
be placed in some form of safe stor-
age as soon as possible after picking
from the trees, there are not a suffici-
ent number Of ammonia cold storage
plants already constructed to give ade-
quate storage to any large proportion
OF the apple crop at that season of the
year. 1t then becomes important that
the grower should have independent
methods OF storing his commercial APP
pie crop the same as the farmer cribs
his corn on his own premises, and not |
throw his crop on the market in Oc-
tober or November, thus depressing
the market. He can store on his own
premises or in his nearby town until
the market will justify offering for
sale.
In this connection some very valu-
abe work has been done by the agri-
cultural colleges at Manhattan, Kan.
They have demonstrated by carefully
handled and recorded experiments that
large storage cellars can be construct
ed and held at such a temperature as
will safely carry the late keeping
crops of the winter varieties until
February and March. These storage
cellars are equipped with upward ven
tilation, and air is admitted for the
purpose of changing the air through
underground inlets constructed with
large tile. BY receiving the outside
air at little distance from the cell
lar, the air is cooled somewhat in
passing through the underground tile,
OF in changing the air in winter, the
temperature of the incoming air will
be raised to safe degree. This me-
thod of storing has been outlined very
l
can be had by addressing Prof Chas
Dickens, professor of horticulture at
Manhattan, Kan This method of
storage should be peculiarly appro-
pirate to the rolling hill lands of the
Missouri river district, since these
rolling hill lands furnish ideal condi-
tons for deep cellar storage that shall
retain an equable temperature with
only moderate amount of attention.
Whereas in the case of large COM
mercial orchards, a greater storage
capacity is desired, perhaps the me-
thod employed at Woodspur and at
Fruitland, in Canyon county, Idaho,
would be worthy of notice. In this
district, it has been found by expert
ment that a storage house with a cap
acity for holding 40 carloads of APP
pies, can be constructed at a cost of
about $140 per carload. Since the cost
of ammonia storage for one season is
$126 per carload, the amount expended
in the construction of the building is
nearly saved in one season, leaving
the building ever after subject to only
a small running expense.
Perhaps the district building in use
at Woodspur would give interesting
suggestions. There building is 60 by
100 feet The basement is s feet in
height, constructed with cement walls.
The superstructure, building with
the walls ~ feet in height, is of lum-
Der with the usual dead air space
walls. In this case, as the climate is
mild, they have but one dead air space
of II inches. In climates of greater
severity, this 12-inch dead air space Is
may be cut into two spaces or even a
third added. Above this main storage
room is simply the space under the
roof, used for the storage of box ma
terial The basement and first and
second floors should be equipped with
a carrier instead of with an elevator.
In southern Idaho, sunny, warm days
are likely to occur in late autumn
during winter and in early spring. To
guard against the effect of the sun
heat, a lumber hood or shield is con-
structed outside of the building pro-
per. This hood or shield standing s
inches away from the main building
and allowing free ingress of air at the
bottom. and an outlet at the top al
lows the sun heated air to rise and
flow away, lessening the effect of sun
ny days on the temperature of the
main building. This particular build
ing was constructed by commercial Or
chardists located in the neighborhood.
The building cost, including the ex-
pense Of painting and electric wiring
and ventilation, $500, or about $40
per carload of capicity. If filled solid :
full, the building would hold much {
greater number Of cars. But alleys ,
must be left for handling the fruit +
and the piles of boxes, as TERED up,
must be separated by strips and spaces t
left between the tiers of boxes for r
With this precaution, it !
is found practicable to reduce the tenn :
perature of the apples when brought I
in from the orchard, to temperature !
Of perhaps 40 to As degrees. By the /
use of ventilators and electric fans !
the warm air is rapidly thrown out {
and cold night air taken in. AS far as 3
the effort is made to re- q