Putting Down Loose Apples In A Straw-lined Pit Would Be Very Expensive

Categories: Fruit Growing

It would invite decay by bruising the fruit, and the result would

probably be a worthless mixture of rotten fruit and straw. The fruit

should be stored in boxes or shallow trays to reduce pressure and

promote ventilation, and not in bins or large piles. Apples will keep

for a long time in good condition if the boxes are put in piles in the

shade, covered with straw, which should be slightly moistened from time

to time; but in that case there would not be such an accumulation of

moisture and there would be ventilation at all times. Apples should be

kept dry, but they will shrivel and become unmarketable unless the air

in which they are stored is kept reasonably moist. This is generally

accomplished by making apple houses with double walls and roof to

exclude heat and with an earth or concrete floor which can be sprinkled

from time to time with a hose.