The Hays free press. [volume] (Hays, Kan.) 1908-1924, 1919-08-28

prepared by the United States Depart
ment OF Agriculture)
It is just about as reasonable TO eX-
pose butter to the heat of the mid
summer sun and expect it to retain its
firm, solid consistency as it is to try
to keep apples in an attractive, mar
ketable condition in the storage houses
available on many farms. An efficient
storage is the growers insurance
against loss; it permits Of carrying the
fruit in good condition after it is re-
moved from the orchard and previous
to the time when it is consigned to
commercial storage. Common storage
consists of an inexpensive, ventilated
house for the storage of apples for the
season, utilizing natural ventilatOrS
with cold night air instead of refriger-
alton. Another use of common storage
is 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.
Time waS-and not so very remote at
that-when common storage for ap-
pies was a prerequisite on every farm
which hoasted much of an orchard,
and this applies equally to the eastern
as well as TO the northern and western
states.
A new interest is developed in COM
mon storage for apples, particularly
in the eastern states, as well as in
other sections of the country, such as
the Pacific northwest where about so
per cent of the apples placed in stor-
age are held through the season in
common storage houses.
Better Storage Facilities.
1t 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 insufficiency of cold storage
space during the war period in many
of the old apple-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 in some cases entirely with
out commercial storage warehouses.
The United 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
storages-
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
carelessneSs 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 insu1a-
ton and not so expensive as cardboard
ana other prepared insulation mate
rails. It is essential to keep all insu-
lation material dry, this being why
shavings are preferred to SawdiISt, as
! it is difficult to obtain dry Sawdust in
large quantities. On the other hand,
| planer-mill shavings made from sea-
| soned lumber require no artificial dry
| ing and should be tightly packed in
| the wall, which must be ar 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
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 approx
mately three feet above the earth or
concrete floor. Intake vents should