Page 8 



BETTER FRUIT 



October, 1921 



fattening value for hogs than will a 25- 

 bushcl yield of wheat. A few chestnut trees 

 planted on waste land would in a few years 

 serve to fatten the hogs for the winter's sup- 

 ply of pork for a farmer, thus releasing 

 more valuable land now used for raising 

 hog feed. 



AS to the future of the chestnut in 

 America: The native forests of the 

 East are doomed. Any chestnut industry 

 that may be maintained in the present 

 American chestnut regions will have to be 

 based on resistant hybrids that are now be- 

 ing tried out. Parts of the Middle West 

 are planting a few chestnut orchards and 

 these sections many develop plantings to 

 supply the market of the East in case they 

 can keep the blight out. The Pacific Coast 

 is the only remaining section that may step 

 into the breach. This section has the cli- 

 matic conditions necessary to success and is 

 fortunate in not having any native chest- 

 nut forests, hence will have less trouble with 

 diseases and insects than will an old grow- 

 ing region. We know we can grow the nuts 

 commercially. Our question is simply this: 

 Is the eastern market attractive enough to 

 warrant our growers, who can do so well 

 with filberts and walnuts and with so many 

 fruits and berries, to plant chestnuts instead 

 of other nuts and fruits.'' 



Pomologists to Meet 



THE thirty-eighth convention of the 

 American Pomological Society will be 

 held this year in Toledo, Ohio, December 

 7, 8, 9. The meeting will be in conjunc- 

 tion with the National Farmers' Exposition 

 annually held in that city. A considerable 

 exhibit of fruits and by-products will be 

 staged in connection. 



The American Pomological Society, 

 founded in 1848, is one of the oldest agri- 

 cultural institutions in the country. It has 

 had a long and successful history and has 

 been of large service to the fruit industry 

 throughout its life. Its membership is found 

 in the United States, Canada and a number 

 of other foreign countries. 



R. B. Cruickshank, 

 Secretary-Treasurer 



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I Another Friend | 



i Kenneunck, Wash,, Aug. 24, 1921. | 



I Better Fruit, | 



I Portland, Oregon. I 



I Enclosed find money order for | 



I $1.00 for a year's renewal to Better | 



I Fruit. Wish to say that there isn't | 



I any reading matter that enters my | 



I house that I take as Tnuch interest in | 



I as I do Better Fruit. Keef the good \ 



I work uf, for we are with you as long | 



I as we are in the fruit game. \ 



I Yours truly, \ 



I y. W. TYSON. I 



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Picking for Flavor and Keeping Quality 



By F. W. Allen, Assistant Professor of Pomology, University of California, 



Berkeley, California 



Continued from the September Ntanber than spot shows a very close relation be- 



IN the stomge work which the U. S. De- tween maturity and the percentage of fruit 



partmcnt of Agriculture has been con- affected. With some twenty lots where 



ducting in the Northwest for a number of the fruit was picked at diiferent stages of 



years, the effect of maturity at the time of maturity those of late pickings developed 



picking in relation to these troubles has from three to six times as much spot as 



been studied. For comparison two pickings those of the earlier pickings. These re- 



of fruit were made from the same trees ten suits are in accordance with the general 



to twenty days apart. The first, or "im- opinion and observation of growers, 

 mature," picking was made at the beginning 



of the commercial picking season for the .____,.^,__ . , . . ,,. . , 



. ^ ~, K ,1 . ,< • 1 W/^HILE It may be stated that additional 



variety. Ihe second, or mature, pick- VV , , ,• • . i 



J . ..J r» .L c . '' flavor or dessert quality might be 



ing was made twenty days after the first, .,,, ... r •• 



11 r J i' .1 .. 1 ^ earned by later pickings ot some varieties, 



usually a few days later than the last com- 6""";;" u; ^ , j. 5 , 



• 1 • 1 T-L 1 .. i_i • 11 vet m so doing some of the earner sorts 



mercial pick. These lots, comparable in all ' "ynig _ 



.1 . .i-j-»i. would pass their best eating conditions very 



other respects, were stored immediately at """'" V ' , , , ,. . , 



fL. 3i^5oj quickly and their season would be limited 



a temperature ot between 31 to 32 degrees ^""-'^v • "" "' . , , . , 



-c n c \ • .• J r »■ to a much shorter period than it should be. 



r. Carlul inspections were made four times •■" » "i"^"_ ".^ f , , , • 1 j 



J • »u • . i_ • • u . .L r . Later varieties cannot be left unpicked 



during the winter, beginning about the first J-""-'-' »aw^i.^o >. ^ 



of January and continued at intervals ap- """^"^ ^^^f' ,"^'-'" '^ "^"'•'"y ^f^^'^^^J °" ap- 

 proximately six weeks apart. One-fourth =°""t "^ '^^'^ '^^"f" °^ freezing. _ Even 

 of each lot was taken out of storage at each ^J^^" ^""^1 f"","^'"? temperature is not 

 withdrawal, inspected, and held in an or- ^ f^^'°''' ^""^^y"^ picking— in some cases de- 

 dinary warehouse room ten days. The fruit ^^y^^ f°'- s'ze— often resultsin a high per- 

 was then inspected again and discarded. «"'^g« °f water-core. This condition is 

 The temperature of the holding room was '""s' °f'«n ^««" '" *^ Winesap. 

 usually between 50 to 60 degrees F. Some It would seem, therefore, very difficult 

 of the data obtained on apple scald with to lay down any hard and fast rules rela- 

 Rome Beauty and Winesap, published in tive to the time of picking which would 

 Department Bulletin 587, are as follows: hold good in all cases. From data thus far 

 The work carried on as related to Jona- obtained Jonathans have shown less Jona- 



ROME BEAUTY (Four-year Average) 



1st Withdrawal 2nd Withdrawal 3rd Withdrawal 4th Withdrawal 



Condition Jan. 8 to 12 Feb. 16 to 19 Mar. 31 to Apr. 2 May 4 to 11 



Mature Immature Mature Immature Mature Immature Mature Immature 

 Bad Scald: 



At withdrawal U 20.5 1.0 48.9 3.5 58.9 



10 days later 1.7 49.9 5.4 70.5 10.4 81.5 17.8 81.6 



Decay : 



At withdrawal .10 .2 .1 .4 



10 days later 2 .6 .2 1.6 9.8 2.7 18.0 



WINESAP (Three-year Average) 

 Bad Scald: 



At withdrawal 0.1 7.6 15.5 0.6 15.5 



10 days later 9.0 .2 13.9 3.3 25.7 11.3 33.5 



Decay : 



At withdrawal .3 .3 .5 .3 .5 .6 



10 days later 1 .1 .3 .3 .8 .5 .7 .7 



I 



TT'ROM this data it is seen that these 

 -*- varieties are attacked much more quick- 

 ly and seriously when picked prematurely 

 than when picked at full maturity. The 

 most practical remedy for this trouble then 

 is picking at proper maturity, as no other 

 factor has such an important bearing on 

 the amount of scald which develops in 

 storage. 



Data obtained during the seasons of 1918 

 and 1919, while the writer was in charge of 

 these investigations, show that with Stay- 

 man Winesap the percentages of scald on 

 the first and second pickings of fruit were 

 similar to those given above, while in the 

 case of a third picking made ten days after 

 the second and twenty days after the first, 

 the percentage of scald was negligible. It 

 is thought probable that the cells which 

 make up the skin of the immature fruit are 

 weak and undeveloped and therefore break 

 down quickly in storage. This may also ex- 

 plain the physiological decay which often 

 follows severe scald. 



than spot when picked comparatively early. 

 Stayman Winesaps and Grimes Golden gave 

 a much smaller percentage of scald when 

 allowed to become more; mature. Each 

 grower must, therefore, consider his varie- 

 ties and the probable time they are to be 

 held before reaching the market. Most 

 varieties should be of normal size, and in 

 red-skinned sorts they should be of good 

 color. The flesh, however, should be quite 

 firm, or "hard ripe." Green varieties should 

 have the green color changing somewhat to 

 a whitish or cream tinge. There is no doubt 

 but that the proper time for picking a va- 

 riety is comparatively short, and after har- 

 vest is once started it should not be delayed. 



' I ^O avoid lice and other vermin keep your hen 

 house light and dry. The greatest preventive 

 of both vermin and disease is sunlight. You will 

 do well therefore to provide plenty of sunlight 

 and dust baths. A good insect powder added to 

 the dirt in the dust bath will prove an added 

 protection against lice and mitct. 



