July 2, 1908.] Agricultural Gazette of N.S.W". 547 



Fruits, especially tender fruits, should We ])laced in cold storage just when 

 they are ripe. They will keep better than if put in when they are not fully 

 ripe. 



Pears will stand as low a temperature as .'^2' F. Sour fruit will not l)ear 

 as much cold as sweet fruit. Catawba grapes will suffer no harm at 26' F., 

 while 36' F. will be as cold as is safe for a lemon, and 38° F. is considered 

 the best temperature. 



The spoiling of fruits at temperatures below 40' F. is due to moisture. 



Oranges at a temperature of about 34' F. with good circidatii)n, will keep 

 from one to three months. 



Melons may be stored successfully at 33' F. for a few days, a temperature 

 of 40" F. being about right. 



Plums, Cherries, and Strawberries are extremely perishable, and are only 

 placed in storage for a comparatively short time at a temperature of about 

 40' F. to prevent rapid ripening or deterioration, tiding over an overstocked 

 market, kc. Green plums have been kept, however, at 32' F. for ten weeks. 



Peaches. — After tln-ee weeks" storage, deterioration sets in. At higher 

 temperatui'es, 36' to 40^ F., the commercial limit for storage is re-ached in 

 from ten to fourteen days. To ensure success in storing peaches, every 

 condition surrounding the growing, picking, the transportation, and the 

 treatment in and withdrawal from the storage house, must be most favour- 

 able. 



Pears, like all other tender fruit, should be placed in cold storage when 

 still firm, and before the chemical changes which cause the ripening have set 

 in, and they must be handled very carefully. The temperature at which to 

 store them is from 32^ to 40' F. Pears which have been kept in cold storage 

 will spoil very rapidly after coming out, and should be consumed in as short 

 a time thereafter as circumstances will permit. Pears should be picked as 

 soon as the stem will reaflily part from the twig, and before any indication 

 of ripeness appears ; and, as in the case of apples, should immediately be 

 placed in storage, but the temj^erature should not be as low as that required 

 for apples. 



Lemons. The best storage temperature for lemons is 38' F. for short 

 storage, Init below 36' F. they are liable to be injured, if kept at that tem- 

 perature for any length of time. Lemons should not be expected to remain 

 good in cold storage over four months. 



(-•'rapes for cold storage must be we^ll selected and very carefully packed. 

 No crushed or bruised or partly-decayed berries are allowable ; a whole lot 

 may be tainted by a single berry. Grapes lose much flavour and taste in 

 cold storage. The correct temperature is from 32' to 40 F. 



Apples may be kept either in l)arrels or boxes or in bulk, it is .^aid, with 

 equally good results. Barrels, if kept in storage for any length of time, must 

 be refilled, to make up for shrinkage, befoi-e being put on the market. 



