PRESERVING WINTER FRUIT. The result or long and diversified experience in keep-• ing fruit may be summed up in a single sentence: keep them dry, cool, and as nearly as possible from contact with external air. How to do this under ordinary circumstances, and with the facil ities at command, is the question. For winter keeping they should be allowed to hang on the tree as long as possible, or, until there is really danger of their freezing, leaving those least affected by early frosts, and most tenacious in their habit of hanging late, to the last. When the fruit is perfectly dry and free from dew, and, on a cool day if possible, pick them by hand, placing them, a basketful at a time, into clean, sweet, dry, tight barrels, using the greatest care that they be not bruised; or, better, use a pouch or sack for picking in. Invert this in the barrel and turn them carefully out. Thus there is no possible chance of bruising the fruit. In this condition if they are entirely dry, cool, and sound, they may be immediately headed up, pressing in the head so there is no possibility of the fruit being shaken about—and wheeled to a cool, airy place in the barn, a shed or outhouse, where they may remain until hard weather; Above all things, avoid placing them where the sun will shine on the barrels, or where they may be subjected to considerable changes of temper ature. When cold weather comes, they may be removed to a dry cellar, or, better, a fruit room, if such be had. Here the temperature should be kept as low and uniform as possible. Leave the cellar windows or ventilators open in winter, unless the temperature is such as to freeze the fruit; then, if warm spells intervene, close the ventilator at such times to keep out the heat.
In spring close the windows during the day, and leave them open at night. In other words, when the weather is warmer out side than in the fruit room, keep the whole close, and vice versa. Fruit when confined in tight barrels, retains the carbonic acid given off by the fruit in the spaces between themselves. If the barrels are open, and especially if there be an excessive draft of air, the carbonic acid is forced out and the spaces supplied with air. This is what causes the apples to rot. The principal thing therefore to be avoided is, contact with air, undue heat and consequent sweating in the bar rel. This last is not likely to occur if care has been taken in picking the fruit when cool and dry, and in packing and keeping the packages cool thereafter. We have seen it stated that if apples are packed in entirely dry barrels in which salt has been packed, they will be found sounder in the spring than in ordinary barrels. However this may be, salt barrels are not avail able except in isolated cases. Salt in a state of perfect dryness will take up a large amount of water, and hence such barrels may be of advan tage when excessive sweating ensues. So, abso lutely dry barrels will be indicated. The advan tage of tight barrels, as previously stated, is that they retain the carbonic acid and exclude the air.