Williams news., 1919-08-29

Mois (PFepared by the United States Depart
 ment of Agriculture.)
 It fs just about as reasonable to ex- pose butter to the heat of the mid summer sun and expect it to retain it's firm, solid consistency as 1t Is to try to keep apples in an attractive, mar ketabse condition in the storage houses available on many farms. An efficient s3orage Is the growers Insurance against loss; it permits of carrying the fruit i'm good condition after it Is re- moved from the orchard and previous to the time when 1t is consigned to commercial storage. Common storage consists of an inexpensive, ventilated house for the storage of apples for the season. utilizing natural ventflators with cold night air instead of refriger- atfon. Another use of common storage as to furnish temporary housing for the crop so that the apples may be kept under favorable conditions after picking and previous to shipment to market or permanent cold storage. Tfme was-and not so very remote at fhat-when common storage for ap- pies was a prerequisite on every farm swssich boasted much of an orchard, and this appliei equally to the eastern as well as to til northern and western states.
 4 new interest is developed in com mon storage for apples, particularly fin the eastern states, as well as in other sections of the country, such as the Pacific northwest where about 50 per cent of tLe apples placed in stor- age are held through the season in common storage houses.
 Better Storage Facilities.
 It Is not to be supposed that com mon storage for apples can displace the commercial cold storage ware house which offers greatly improved conditions for proper storage. How ever, the insuficiency of cold storage space during tfaa war period in many of the old appie-growing sections as well as difficulties in handling or nov ing the crop promptly, emphasized the Importance of better facilities for the handling of storage apples, and the new districts planted during recent years are fin some cases entirely with out commercial storage warehouses. Ehe BHfted States department of agri- culture is receiving many inquiries from fruit growers and shippers in all sections of the country relative to the proper construction of suitable apple Storage2-
 Federal Investigations of the ham, ding and storage of apples, which have been conducted with special ref erence to the Pacific northwest, have shown that properly insulated stor- ages, provided with the necessary means of ventilation, can be success fully operated, and allow the grower to hold his fruit in prime condition for the market.
 Care in the operation of these stor- age houses is just as important as in their construction. The best of stor- age houses sometimes fail through the careIessness of the owners in neglect ing to provide proper ventilation for. the building, particularly as regards the provision of ventilators which may be kept open when the temperature conditions outside make it desirable, while the ventilators should be closed tightly whenever the outside temper atures are higher than those inside the house. Carefully worked out plans and drawings are being prepared by the United States department of agriculture and will be sent free on request to any farmer.
 Insulation of Houses.
 The early commercial storage houses were insulated with mill shavings and sawdust, investigations by the federal department demonstrating that these materials are ideally suited for insula- ton and not so expensive as cardboard and other prepared insulation mate riaIs. 1t is essential to keep all insu- 1ation material dry, this being why shavings are preferred to sawdust, as 1t is difficult to obtain dry sawdust in large quantities. On the other hand, pianer-mill shavings made from sea- soned lumber require no artificial dry ing and should be tightly packed in the wall, which must be at least six inches thick. The outside wall of the storage house should be composed of two layers of boards between which waterproof paper should be used. It is not essential to duplicate this in the inside wall, as here only one thickness s of boards may be used in the interest of cheaper construction, although such an arrangement is not as satisfactory for long use as is a double thickness of boards on both inside and outside surfaces of the walls and ceiling.
 The common storage house should be built with a false floor approxi- mafely three feet above the earth or copGrete doer. Intake vents should =7