476 Journal of Agricultural Research voi. xix. No. lo 



that Balling and starch, tests were not satisfactory as a means of determin- 

 ing the proper picking conditions for pears. 



Considerable work has been done in connection with the storage of 

 Bartlett pears, and the effects of temperatures of storage and the methods 

 of handling are fairly well established. Powell and Fulton {lo) investi- 

 gated the effect of storing of Bartlett and Kieffer pears under different 

 temperatures and with different methods of handling. The Bartletts 

 were grown in western New York. The effect of wrapping was tested, 

 and temperatures of 32° and 36° F. were used for storage. Storing 

 immediately, as compared to leaving four days out of storage, was also 

 tried. Fruit stored within 48 hours at 32° kept in prime condition for 

 six weeks, while that delayed four days showed considerable loss in the 

 same length of time. Bartlett pears stored at 32° kept longer and in 

 much better condition than those stored at 36°. Small, well-ventilated 

 packages gave better results than barrels. Wrapped fruit kept in better 

 condition than unwrapped lots. It was found that if the fruit is not too 

 ripe when removed from low temperature storage it will remain sound 

 as long after being removed as will fruit in the same degree of maturity 

 that has not been stored at low temperatures. 



Stubenrauch and Ramsey {15), working with precooling and storage in 

 the Rogue River Valley of Oregon, picked fruit at three different stages 

 of maturity, packed it, and placed it in a precooling room at 20° F. The 

 room was held at this temperature until the outer fruit in the packages 

 reached 32°; then the room temperature was allowed to rise to 30° or 3§»°. 

 Their conclusions were that the later picks gave much less physiological 

 decay than the earlier ones, and that by allowing the fruit to remain on 

 the trees fully two weeks longer than was usually done it is possible to 

 hold fruit in storage four weeks at the temperature indicated, if stored 

 promptly, then to ship in iced refrigerator cars and still have the fruit 

 reach the market in good condition. At least 12 to 14 days are required 

 to market fruit from the Rogue River Valley section, if the destination 

 is Atlantic coast cities. 



Lewis, Magness, and Gate {8) carried on picking and storage investiga- 

 tions in the Rogue River Valley during the summer of 191 6. Bartlett 

 pears from three orchards were picked at frequent intervals and the lots 

 divided for the following types of storage : At 70° F. in both humid and 

 dry, or ventilated, storage; at about refrigerator-car temperature, or from 

 50° to 60°; and in cold storage at 32° and 36°. The results obtained 

 show that in the Rogue River Valley there is a marked increase in size of 

 fruit from week to week even during the picking season, and delaying 

 picking increased the size very markedly. The later pickings were of the 

 highest quality when ripened up. There was a direct correlation between 

 low temperature and length of storage season. A temperature of 32° 

 gave a much longer period during which the fruit remained in good condi- 

 tion than did 36°, while 50° to 60° and 70° gave correspondingly shorter 



