FACTORS AFFECTING THE KEEPING QUALITY. 11 



Most of the fruit used in these experiments, except the cranberries 

 and one series of Gand}' strawberries, which were grown upon chiy 

 soil, was grown upon reddish, gravelly loam soil with cla\' subsoil, at 

 an altitude of a little more than 100 feet above sea level. 



The fruit, with the exception of the cranberries (which were in 

 barrels and boxes), was packed in the open-slat crates connuonly used 

 in the middle and southern berr3^-growino- districts, and also for con- 

 trast in the closer, more compact Ilallock crate used in the berr}' 

 sections of Michigan and other western States. For the purpose of 

 testing the elfect of a close package, some of the fruit was also packed 

 in pai'aflined paper cartons wrapped with a calendered paper jacket. 

 Two of these packages are shown in Plate II, figure 1. During the 

 season of 11MJ5 some of these cartons w^ere wrapped in heavy paralliii 

 paper, the whole being then inclosed in the paper jacket. The eticct 

 of wrapi)ing Avas also tested })oth by wrapping each box or ])asket sepa- 

 rately in thin, impervious japanin paper and by wrapping the entire 

 crate in heavy manila paper. 



Upon arrival at the storage house, part of the fruit of a numlxM- of 

 the pickings was delayed a few hours in the corridors before it was 

 placed in the storage room, while the remainder was stored at once. 

 The fruit was stored in two temperatures, namely, 36^ and '32' V. 

 Samples of each lot were held out of storage to compare with the 

 cold-stored fruit. 



THE INFLUENCE OF SOIL AND CLIMATIC CONDITIONS ON THE 

 KEEPING QUALITY OF SMALL FRUITS. 



These experiments indicate that the character of the soil may influ- 

 ence the keeping qualit}^ of small fruits to some extent, though the 

 data along this line are only suggestive. Berries grown to a large 

 size upon low, moist, clay loam, for example, usually began to break 

 down more quickly than the same variet}- grown to a somewhat smaller 

 size upon the moderately dry gravelly loam. No comprehensive 

 test of the influence of soil types on the keeping of the fruit has been 

 undertaken. 



The keeping quality of small fruits is quickly affected by changes in 

 climatic conditions. Berries ripening during a period when the sup- 

 ply of moisture is favorable for the development of sound, healthy 

 fruit, keep better than the same variety stunted by drought or over- 

 grown by excessive rainfall. Strawberries of the Tennessee variety 

 in 1903 kept poorly when picked during a drought at the opening of 

 the season, but following two days of rainy weather, which supplied 

 a sufficient amount of moisture, the fruit kept well for seven to ten 

 days. After eight days of rainy weather, however, the fruit was 

 overgrown and soft when stored, and after five days in storage was 

 worthless. 



108 



