Winter Meeting. 287 



are in no way injured by the lower temperature in comparison with the 

 higher one. The low temperature also retards the development of scald, 

 and the fruit on leaving the storage house stands up for a longer time on 

 account of its being in a less mature condition. 



INFLUENCE OF DEGREE OF MATURFiY OF THE FRUIT. 



In recent years there has been a tendency to pick the apple crop rela- 

 tively earlier in the season than formerly. It is quite generally supposed 

 that the longest keeping apples are not fully developed in size or ma- 

 turity, and that the most highly colored fruit is less liable to endure the 

 abuses that arise in picking, packing and shipping. There are many eco- 

 nomic factors which have influenced the harvesting time of the apple 

 crop. A large proportion of the crop is purchased in the orchard by 

 comparatively few apple dealers, and with the growing scarcity of farm 

 hands and other labor, it is often necessary to begin picking relatively 

 earlier in the autumn to secure the crop before the fall storms or winter 

 months set in. The great increase in freight traffic has overtaxed the 

 carrying capacity of the railroads and has influenced the apple dealers 

 to extend the shipping season over the longest possible time in order to 

 avoid congestion and the delays in shipping the fruit. In locaHties where 

 the entire crop is sometimes ruined by the bitter rot after the fruit is 

 half grown, the picking is often begun early in the season in order to 

 secure the largest amount of perfect fruit. 



The investigations indicate, however, that the immature and partly 

 colored fruit has not always the best keeping quality. On the other 

 hand an apple that is not over green and which has attained full size and 

 high color, but is still hard and firm when picked, equals the less mature 

 fruit and often surpasses it. The more mature fruit is superior in flavor 

 and texture, and is often more attractive to the purchaser and therefore 

 of greater money value. It retains its plumpness longer and is less sub- 

 ject to apple scald. If, however, the fruit is not picked until over ripe it 

 is already near the end of its life history and will deteriorate rapidly 

 unless stored soon after picking. 



The experiments indicate that so far as maturity is concerned, the 

 ideal keeping apple is one that is fully grown, highly colored, but still 

 hard and firm when picked. Apples that are to be stored in a local cold 

 storage house to be distributed to the markets in cooler weather may be 

 picked much later than fruit requiring lO days or more in transit, but 

 the use of the refrigerator car makes later picking possible when the 

 • fruit must be in transit for considerable time in warm weather in reach- 

 ing a distant storage house. 



