12 THE COLD STORAGE OF SMALL FRUITS. 



Some varieties are much more easily affected by excessive rains than 

 others. The Tennessee strawberry, for example, will be softened and 

 rendered almost unmarketable by a rainfall which would not seriously 

 affect the Gandy variet}^ 



THE INFLUENCE OF THE TIME OF PICKING ON THE KEEPING 



aUALITY OF SMALL FRUITS. 



Small fruits designed for cold storage should be picked when well 

 matured and fully colored, but while still in firm condition. If 

 harvested in an immature condition the flavor-is poor and insipid, as 

 immature fruit does not develop properly after picking. This being 

 the case, small fruits for cold storage should be practically as well 

 matured when picked as fruit that goes directly to market for imme- 

 diate consumption. 



In the case of nearly all varieties of berries used in the experiments, 

 three pickings were made for storage, the first early in the season of 

 the variety, the second at the height of the season, and the third as 

 late in the season as a good picking could be secured. No difference 

 in the keeping of the fruit from the several pickings could be detected, 

 providing the weather and other conditions were uniform throughout 

 the season of the variet}' . 



STORAGE HOUSE TEMPERATURES FOR SMALL FRUITS. 



In these investigations considerable quantities of small fruits have 

 been stored in duplicate lots in temperatures of both 32-^ and 36" F. 

 At the lower temperature the fruit has kept in firm condition longer, 

 was somewhat less affected by mold, and held up equally as well or 

 better after withdrawal from the warehouse than that stored in a tem- 

 perature of 36° F. Unless the fruit w^as stored for a period of four 

 or five days or longer these differences did not become noticeable. 



The impression held by many warehousemen and fruit handlers that 

 low temperatures (32° to 33° F.) are injurious to berries and other quick- 

 ripening fruits has not been borne out by these investigations. Gandy 

 strawberries of the crop of 1903 kept twenty-one days in a tempera- 

 ture of 32° F. and retained their bright, attractive appearance to a 

 remarkable degree. The condition of the fruit after twenty-one days 

 in cold storage is shown in Plate I, A. Other varieties have kept 

 equally.well for a somewhat shorter period. Ko discoloration of the 

 flesh of any of the varieties has occurred as a result of the lower 

 storage temperature. 



Small fruits are stored in most warehouses at temperatures ranging 

 from 35° to 40° F. These temperatures give satisfactory results if the 

 fruit is to be stored not longer than two to three days. If, however, 

 the fruit is stored for a longer period of time a temperature of about 

 32° F. will preserve it in better condition. 



108 



