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Show COLD STORAGE FOR APPLES Prohlem of Congestion of Transportation Transporta-tion May Be Solved by Erection of Largs Warehouses. (By R. B- RUSHING.) During three or four months In the fall there has. of lute years, been an unusual congestion of farm products due largely to the shipments of recently re-cently harvested crops. In addition to the regular traffic. In the winter the problem becomes easier and such things as can be kepi without loss had better be kept, especially es-pecially if the price seems to be a little lit-tle low. The winter apple Is about the only fruit that lends itself readily to stor age for any considerable length of time and, In fact, it Is about the only fruit kept In commercial storage. I believe that where fruit Is grown on a commercial scale the problem of congested transportation must be met in the very near future by the construction con-struction of large cold storage warehouses ware-houses at all the principal shipping points. When apples are being sorted for storage, the following points should always be borne in mind. Only the best grade should be placed In storage stor-age and they should be stored as soon as possible after being picked or gathered. gath-ered. A uniform temperature of 31 to 32 degrees F. is best and they should be placed on the market as soon as they reach their highest maturity, or a little lit-tle before, provided the price is sufficient suf-ficient to warrant selling. The quality of the fruit is maintained main-tained much better in storage when the fruit is wrapped with thin paper and will usually always sell for enough to pay expenses and a little left It Is also true that the development develop-ment of the fungi producing appta rots Is checked to a great extent by storage. Freedom from such troubles, however, is so dependent upon the carefulness In handling the fruit during dur-ing the picking and packing, that the better orchardlsts will always be but little troubled with losses through these causes. Also, indirectly, cold storage tends to promote a higher order of orcharding orchard-ing by teaching the grower better selection; se-lection; better methods of culture; more skill In the art of handling and marketing his crop, all of which tend to make for the grower more money and higher knowledge of the business. |