BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 159 



parison of the data secured fioiii the storage of different varieties 

 of apples in cold storage and of comparable lots in common storage, 

 it was shown that under ordinary conditions common storage is 

 markedly inferior to tlie best cold-stoi-age facilities provided in the 

 modern refrigerated storage warehouses. 



The importance of common storage in the handling of the north- 

 western apple crop further emphasizes the need of greater efficiency 

 in the operation as well as in the design and construction features 

 of these houses, in order to stabilize this important feature of the 

 apple mdustry in the Northwest. In addition to the studies relating 

 to temperature conditions, the common storage methods of supplying 

 and regulating humidity and the influence of the proper degree of 

 humidity upon the keeping quality of apples have been given full 

 consideration. The means suggested for maintaining the desired 

 humidity conditions in the air of the storage rooms as a result of the 

 investigations should displace the more or less ineffective methods 

 formerly used. 



The problems relating to the handling of the fruit crop in the 

 Northwest are becoming increasingly difficult, owing to the necessit}'' 

 of handling the increased production of fruit with an inadequate 

 labor force. The standards of careful handling have been harder 

 to maintain, and, in general, the results of investigations demon- 

 strated that in the aggregate the losses in storage due to faulty 

 handling alone constitute one of the most serious problems confront- 

 ing the apple growers and shippers in the Northwest. The two 

 factors of careful handling and prompt storage, together with in- 

 creased storage facilities of a more efficient type, constitute the 

 principal lines along which the handling and storage investigations 

 in the Northwest have been directed during the past season. 



CALIFORNIA APPLE STORAGE. 



The apple-storage investigations in the Watsonville district of 

 California were continued along the lines indicated in the work 

 during the past two or three seasons. Further data were secured in 

 the storage of fruit subject to the typical internal browning affecting 

 these apples in cold storage, and the results full}'" substantiate the 

 conclusions that storage browning in the Watsonville district is 

 closely related to the condition and vigor of the trees. While the 

 data show that browning develops to the greatest extent at low 

 temperatures in storage and that 36° F. is a more desirable tem- 

 perature for the storage of these apples than 32°, the differences 

 in the fruit from very vigorous and from weak or sickly trees 

 show that the factors relating to the care of the trees and sanitary 

 orchard practices have an important bearing upon the life of the 

 fruit in cold storage. In general, the data indicate that by correcting 

 unfavorable orchard conditions it may be possible to overcome the 

 tendency of the fruit to develop storage browning, and the storage 

 records from individual trees may have a further value in indicat- 

 ing that the fruit from the healthy, vigorous trees may be desirable 

 for long storage Avhile fruit from the less thrifty or diseased trees 

 in the orchard should not be placed in storage, but should be dis- 

 posed of during the harvesting season for immediate consumption. 



