13 4 NEBRASKA STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



mean the sale of good fruit at a sacrifice. Whereas tht; fruit may be 

 held until late in the winter and sold when there is but little competi- 

 tion. Cold storage in other words lengthens the selling season both 

 during the summer months and for the entire year. Cold storage of 

 fruit as well as on other articles of food not only lengthens the season 

 at which these commodities may be sold but it also lengthens the season 

 in which they may be consumed thus giving 'the consumer a regular 

 supply over a long period of time instead of glutted markets for a 

 short time and unsupplied markets for the rest of the year. 



Owing to the fact that contracting fruit prior to picking season 

 usually results in the grower being dissatisfied, either because of 

 too close grading if prices drop or only too apparent loss if they 

 advance, this means of securing just what the market will justify should 

 be investigated by the commercial apple man. 



Maturity. 



In selecting fruit for cold storage or in determining the proper 

 time for picking for coM storage purposes certain well established 

 facts are of importance. Only well ripened, well colored fruits should 

 be used if best results are to be obtained. What are known as "hard- 

 ripe" well colored fruits will keep much better and will scald less 

 than those that are less mature. Over-ripe specimens will decay 

 much qiiicker in storage than in the proper condition of ripeness. 



In the cold storage investigations carried on in Iowa during the 

 past several years it has been demonstrated repeatedly that the above 

 facts are beyond question. Duplicate and even triplicate pickings of 

 the same varieties from the same orchards have been made. Maturity 

 apparently has a large influence upon scald and this question will 

 be discussed under that head. 



Inline (Hate Storage. 



After an app^e is picked from the tree it ripens much more 

 rapidly than it did before being picked. If the fruit is to be kept 

 for any length of time its ripening process must be checked. Cooling 

 checks these ripening processes, therefore, the cooling should begin 

 as soon after picking as possible. Immediate storage of well ripened 

 fruit will always give best results. Providing it becomes desirable to 

 pick fruit before it is well colored, as may be the case with varieties 

 like Grimes Golden which drop before properly coloring. 



During some seasons, or in cases like the past year when it 

 becomes necessary to pick before a freeze and also before the fruit is 

 v/ell colored, a delay in storage may prove beneficial in that it allows 

 the fruit to reach the optimum degree of maturity before being stored. 

 In this connection it is well to remember that the early varieties ripen 

 much more rapidly when picked from the trees than do the later var- 

 ieties due to the warmer weather. They should therefore be rushed 



