Which of these
causes operate in a certain case depends, of course, upon whether the
soil was heavy and inclined to retain standing water too long, or
whether there were such frosts at about the time when the leaves should
start. Sometimes, of course, both of these conditions worked in the same
place; sometimes one and sometimes the other, but certainly both of them
are capable of causing the trouble. There seems to be no specific
disease; it is rather a matter of unfavorable conditions for growth.
Storage of Apples.
We desire to store two or three thousand boxes of apples for three or
four months and propose to do it in this way: Make an excavation in dry
earth, putting at the bottom of the excavation straw. Upon this straw
place the apples, then dry straw over the apples, and upon the top of
this two or three feet of dry earth. Will it be a good plan to pour on
water from time to time over the top of this to keep the apples and all
wet, or should the apples be kept dry?
Putting down loose apples in a straw-lined pit would be very expensive.
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.
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