598 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



FRUIT TRANSPORTATION AND STORAGE. 



Under this head a comprehensive investigation of the entire ques- 

 tion of the handling of fruits for transportation and storage has 

 been in progress for the past four years. Experiments conducted 

 with (lie more important commercial varieties of apples, pears and 

 peaches, in some of the leading districts for those fruits have demon- 

 strated the necessity of picking at proper stage of ripeness, careful- 

 ness in handling, promptness of forwarding and withdrawal for con- 

 sumption before the product has past its stage of full maturity. 

 Perhaps no fact developed in this investigation is of greater funda- 

 mental importance than this, namely, that the durability and value 

 of fruit destined for cold storage are as vitally affected and as surely 

 damaged by careless handling in any stage of handling or shipping 

 as in the case of fruit destined for immediate consumption. The loss 

 in the former case is, in fact, frequently greater than in the latter, 

 because of the additional expenditure for freight, storage charges, 

 etc., and the inevitable risk of deterioration before an opportune 

 time for sale occurs. 



To quote from the report on this work for the last season: 



"The experiments during the four years have shown conclusively 

 that a large proportion of the difficulties in apple storage may 

 be overcome by more rational handling of the fruit before it is stored, 

 and by giving it better care in some respects after it reaches the 

 storage house. Apple scald, one of the most serious storage trou- 

 bles, is not yet well understood, but the experiments have again 

 demonstrated that it can be controlled commercially by picking the 

 apples when hard-ripe instead of prematurely as many winter apples 

 are picked; by storing them quickly after picking, in a temperature 

 of about 31 degrees F., and by selling the more susceptible varieties 

 comparatively early in the season. The premature ripening of ap- 

 ples in storage is often the result of delaying the storage too long 

 after the fruit is picked. These investigations continue to empha- 

 size the supreme importance of quick storage after the fruit leaves 

 the tree. The "slumping" of apples in the barrels due to the devel- 

 opment of the common blue-mold fungi in the spring, is generally 

 the direct result of rough handling of the fruit while it is being 

 picked and packed. The skin of the fruit is bruised, and the rots 

 enter and grow vigorously if the fruit is not stored quickly in a 

 cold temperature after picking. The investigations continue to em- 

 phasize the need of uniform temperature as low as 31 to 32 degrees 

 F., for long term storage, and of pure wholesome air in the ware- 

 house if the flavor of the fruit is to be retained without contamina- 

 tion. Cold stored fruits are frequently injured in quality through 

 the lack of proper ventilation of the storage warehouse. This side 

 of the storage question needs further investigation, which cannot 

 be satisfactorily made until the Department has an experimental 

 storage plant." 



The effect of the environment under which fruit is produced, upon 

 its keeping quality in storage is being studied experimentally with 

 fruit from trees of different ages, in different soils and from different 

 climates. In co-operation with the N. Y. State Exp. Station, a com- 

 prehensive investigation of the influence of various methods of cul 

 ture, such as clean cultivation vs. sod culture, etc., is under way. 



