46 



STATE POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



not practicable under the present commercial methods of storage 

 to store fruit in packages in which there is much exposure of 

 the fruit to the air. 



The smaller the package the quicker the fruit cools off, and 

 therefore the sooner the ripening processes are checked. It has 

 been observed that apples kept longer in bushel boxes than in 

 barrels on this account, and that the fruit can be held much later 

 in the spring in the smaller package as the weight of the fruit 

 itself may cause it to bruise after it begins to mellow. 



INEEUENCE OE WRAPPER ON KEEPING QUALITY. 



It has been found that a fruit wrapper may influence the keep- 

 ing quality in several ways. It appears to retard the normal 

 ripening of the fruit and thereby extends its life history. The 

 wrappers are usuall)^ useful in extending the season of early 

 winter sorts, or in making the long keeping varieties available 

 beyond the usual period of storage. 



The greatest value in the wrapper appears to follow the pro- 

 tection that it gives the apple against bruising and the discolora- 

 tion that may result from improper packing or rough handling, 

 but especially in preventing the transfer of rot of one apple to 

 another. If the fungus is capable of growing in the storage 

 temperature, it is not likely that the wrapper retards its growth, 

 but it confines the spores when they develop within their wrap- 

 per, and their dissemination is diflicult or impossible. 



The importance of a wrapper in protecting the fruit from 

 decay is brought out by the following table : 



AMOUNT OF DECAYED FRUIT APRIL 29, 1903, IN BUSHEL PACKAGES. 



Variety. 



Variety. 



a 



a 



Baker 



Dickenson 



Mcintosh 



Mcintosh (second lot). 



Per 

 cent. 

 3.7 



6.4 



7.7 



19.7 



Per 

 cent. 

 27.2 



43.0 



15.0 



32.0 



Northern Spy 

 VVagener . ... 

 Wealthy 



Per 



cent. 



5.6 



38.0 

 42.0 



Per 

 cent. 

 52.0 



63.0 



60.0 



