A Vermont Apple House.

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at the bottom, and two feet at the top; two-inch plank for sills on this, bedded in mortar, doubled so as to break joints; two by four studding above this; outside of studding matched pine, then paper, and then clap-boards, painted; in middle of studding, lath

and plaster; inside of studding, matched pine, then paper, and then one-half-inch sheathing, painted. This gives two hollow walls, or dead-air spaces. For ventilating, there is one ventilator from cellar to the observatory on top of building, which has four large window frames, with blinds, but no tight windows. The ventilator opens into both storage rooms. We

DD

have three eighteen-inch windows on east and west sides of building in the cellar, and three large windows in west side, next to store room. Both floors are double, with paper between, and the second room is ceiled overhead with matched spruce, and painted. The two windows on east side show in cut, with the outside doors.

"About picking time, we begin to cool off the building by keeping open during westerly winds or cold waves, and closed as much as possible when it is warm. We try not to put in any fruit when the fruit is warm, but have it cool, if possible. In this way the air in the building is cool all the time. have kept a partial daily record of the temperature in the cellar this winter (1896-7) since December 28, the results of which are as follows:

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A Vermont Apple House.

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"It will be seen by this that the temperature ranges from 35 to 37° in the cellar, and from 32 to 38° in the room above. This difference is occasioned by the cellar being nearly full of barrels of apples,

and the next room about half full; and we are passing in and out to the second room every day, and some days many times. The doors are large and high up, and only common doors. We had no snow until the 21st of January this winter, and it has been

as cold as 18° below zero at two different times, and as low as 10° below zero several times. I have no fire except an oil stove, and have not used that yet. I think that winter apples will keep as well at a temperature of 36 as 32°; yet, I have no proof of it. I do not like to have the apples get too cold, as we have twelve miles to haul to the car; fruit is kept too cold, it is more likely to freeze on its long trip to market."

and if the

A "new plan for the construction of a storage cellar" is given by Alwood:*

"The winter storage of fruits and vegetables is a question of much importance in this state [Virginia] because of the wide range of temperature which prevails during that season. Also, temporary summer storage is a subject worthy of careful attention, and may be to some extent solved by careful application of the principle explained in this article. The com

mon practice for winter storage largely in vogue over this state, is to bury such vegetables and fruits as are required for winter and spring use in outdoor pits. The particular method followed varies with the different kinds of crop to be preserved, but the essential facts are the same. This system of pitting

can hardly be considered a success so far as relates to the main crops stored; viz., apples and potatoes. The essentials of winter storage for apples and potatoes are a low, dry, even temperature, and to secure this without artificial cold storage is a problem that cannot be met by the outdoor pit methods of burying these staple articles. These two crops are necessarily held by growers in considerable quantity for winter and spring use, and the problem of storing them in a convenient and successful manner is the one had in view in the discussion which follows. It may be well to state at the outset that we doubt the even partial success of the plan herein explained for all of

*W. B. Alwood, Bull. 11, vol. iv., Va. Exp. Sta.

Virginia Storage House.

that portion of the state lying east of Piedmont.

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Several years

since, we concluded to construct a simple storage cellar upon a plan which we once heard discussed, but had not seen carried into practice. In fact, our building is the first one constructed on this plan of which we have any knowledge.

"The essential features involved in the storage building which we designed foa this purpose are: First, a cellar excavated into a gently sloping hillside, carried into the bank far enough to place the cellar room entirely below the surface of the earth, and yet give opportunity to enter the cellar easily by an inclined way from the lower side of the slope; secondly, a flue leading out from near the center of the floor of the cellar room, along the bank of the hillside for a considerable distance, with sufficient fall to make it act both as a drain pipe and a fresh air flue; thirdly, ventilating flues placed at each end of the cellar room or elsewhere, as desired, and rising to the height necessary to give a sufficient draft to carry off rapidly the air from the cellar room whenever ventilation is desired.

"The cellar room will better serve the purpose of cold storage if the excavation is carried back into the bank so as to make the floor twelve or fifteen feet below the lowest point of the adjacent hillside. In the case of the cellar built here, the excavation is only ten feet deep at the deepest point, but we are now satisfied that a greater depth would give better results. The principle of a subterranean air flue is the essential feature of this cellar. In its use we aim to secure a dry, even temperature in the cellar by admitting air as desired through this flue. It should be at least six inches in diameter and, we now think, should be laid, at a depth of eight or nine feet, along the bank of the hillside, for a distance of about five hundred feet. It is not necessary that this flue should lie in a straight line, but any departure from a straight line should be a gradual curve, so as to permit an unobstructed flow of air into the cellar. Situated at this depth, and having a length approximately as stated above, the air flowing into the cellar through this flue will be in summer reduced, and in winter raised, to the temperature of the soil at the depth stated, which will