464 



Journal of Agricultural Research 



Vol. XXII, No. 9 



entirely free from rot at the end of 6 days, while similarly inoculated 

 peaches .delayed for i day at 25° before storing at 10° have been almost 

 entirely rotten at the end or 6 days, and those held at 15° before storing 

 at 10° have been considerably damaged by the end of 6 days. 



The results show the great value of low temperatures in controlling 

 peach rots and the extreme importance of securing these temperatures 

 promptly. It is evident that in unfavorable weather success with 

 long-distance shipments requires not only a low car temperature upon 

 arrival at destination but a low temperature from the time the peaches 

 are packed and as much coolness as possible from the time they are 

 picked. It is not an unusual thing for peaches to remain at the pre- 

 vailing seasonal temperature for a day or more before being loaded into 



Fig. 34.— Effects on Rhizopus rot ot one day's delay at as° or 15° C. before storing at 10°. The base line 

 gives the number of days after inoculation and the perpendicular the diameter of the rots. The curves 

 show the development of the rots under the particular storage treatment. 



the car, and with most makes of refrigerator cars and the usual methods 

 of icing it is likely to be one or two more days before a really protecting 

 temperature is secured. The fruit in the top layers is often still above 

 10° C. after several days in transit. Prompt loading, better refrigerator 

 cars and heavier icing, particularly during the first part of a trip, would 

 contribute greatly to lengthening the life of stone fruits; but the experi- 

 ments that have been reported show that there would still be a gap that 

 would sometimes result in heavy losses of fruit and that could only be 

 filled by some method of precooling. 



One of the unfortunate things in regard to delayed cooling is that 

 its harmful effects may not be immediately evident. Peaches may ap- 

 pear practically sound after a delay before loading and cooling and yet 

 that delay may have allowed the rots to make a start that will require 



