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Apples, Preserved, for Winter Use

When it is desired to preserve apples for use in winter, the fruit should not be allowed to remain too long on the trees, as there is a danger of its being blown down when it becomes quite ripe, and then it is not good for keeping. Apples, and indeed all fruit intended for keeping, should be hand-picked. The best way to remove them from the tree is to cut them off with a pair of strong pruning scissors, and to handle the fruit as lightly as possible. If practicable, the apples should be gathered in fine, dry weather. They should then be wiped thoroughly dry, and every one which appears in the slightest degree unsound rejected. In storing apples, they should be placed in a dark, dry place in single rows upon clean straw, with straw placed between each row, so that they are not allowed to touch each other; each layer must be treated in a similar way. They should be looked over frequently, and any that may have become unsound removed. Apples may be also stored in boxes or jars, care being taken in packing the fruit that it is not bruised or injured, and that every apple is quite sound. The air must be excluded from the cases as much as possible.