EXPERIMENTS IN PEAR STORAGE. 21 



as cool as possible after withdrawal. It is probably true that all 

 fruits from storage that are handled in hot weather will deteriorate 

 quickly, but it appears to be equally true that similar fruits that have 

 not been in storage break down with nearly the same rapidity if the} r 

 are equally ripe. The late pears, which ripen more slowly, if with 

 drawn in cool weather will remain firm for weeks when held in a cool 

 room after withdrawal. If overripe they break down much sooner, 

 and a hot room hastens decay in either case. The same principles 

 hold equally true with apples. The winter varieties, if firm, may be 

 taken to a cool room and will remain in good condition for weeks or 

 months and retain their most delicate qualities, but in the spring, 

 when the fruit is more mature and the weather warmer, they naturally 

 break down more rapidly. 



In commercial practice fruits of all kinds are often left in the stor- 

 age house until they are overripe. The dealer holds the fruit for a 

 rise in price, and removes it, not because the price is more satisfac- 

 tory, but because a longer storage would result in serious deterioration. 

 If considerable of the fruit is decayed when withdrawn, the evidence 

 is conclusive that it has been stored too long. Fruit in this condition 

 normally decays in a short time, but the root of the trouble lies not in 

 the storage treatment, but rather in not having ottered it for sale 

 while it was still firm. In the purchase of cold-storage fruit, if the 

 consumer will exercise good judgment in the selection of sound stock 

 that is neither fully mature nor overripe, he will have little cause to 

 complain of its rapid deterioration. 



SUMMARY. 



A cold-storage warehouse is expected to furnish a uniform temper- 

 ature in all parts of the storage compartments throughout the season, 

 and to be managed in other respects so that an unusual loss in the 

 quality, color, or texture of the fruit may not reasonably be attributed 

 to improper handling or neglect. 



An unusual loss in storage fruit ma}^ be caused by improper matur- 

 ity, by delaying the storage after picking, b} T storing in an improper 

 temperature, or by the use of an unsuitable package. The keeping 

 quality is influenced by the various conditions in which the fruit is 

 grown. 



Pears should be picked before they are mature, either for storage 

 or for other purposes. The fruit should attain nearly full size, and 

 the stem should cleave easily from the tree when picked. 



The fruit should be stored at the earliest possible time after picking. 

 A delay in storage may cause the fruit to ripen or to decay in the 

 storage house. The effect of the delay is most serious in hot weather 

 and with varieties that ripen quickly. (See Pis. II, III, and IV, tig. 1.) 



