EXPERIMENTS AT MACCLENNY, FLA. 9 



The various lots of persimmons were quite evenly ripened and of 

 the degree of maturity at which they are usually picked for ship- 

 ment to northern markets, with the exception of Okame (see p. 10). 



EXPERIMENTS AT MACCLENNY, FLA. 



At Macclenny the following varieties were processed: Triumph, 

 Imperial, Hachiya, Okame, Tane-nashi, Zengi, Hyakume, and Yemon. 



Triumph. Two experiments were made with this variety. Two 

 and one-half days and one and two-thirds days in carbon dioxid, 

 respectively, were required before the persimmons were nonastrin- 

 gent. In the first experiment 513 fruits were used, of which 395 

 were processed, while 118 constituted the control. On the comple- 

 tion of the processing all of the persimmons in the tanks, with the 

 exception of one specimen which softened, were as hard as when 

 placed in process. Of the control 90 were firm, and 28, or 24 per cent, 

 were softening. Three days later the processed fruits were noticed 

 to be rapidly deepening in color, many possessing the beautiful deep 

 red shade characteristic of this variety when ripe. This color change 

 distinguished them sharply from the check lots, which were still 

 yellow. Several of the processed reddened fruits were tasted at 

 this time in contrast with normally ripened specimens. The flavor 

 of the former was slightly but distinctly less agreeable than that of 

 the latter, the fruits lacking freshness. On the following day the 

 firm persimmons of the experiment, both processed and controls, 

 were packed in carriers and sent to Washington, D. C., by express. 

 They arrived at the department promptly and were kept at about 

 60 F. until they were examined on October 2. The processed fruits 

 were found to have softened greatly and were utterly ruined for com- 

 mercial purposes, but the controls, as a whole, were firm and in good 

 condition. 



On September 22 a second lot of Triumph persimmons was placed 

 in process at 6 o'clock p. m. These fruits were found to be non- 

 astringent two days later at 10 a. m., an interval of 40 hours. The 

 processed fruits showed the reddening conspicuously on September 

 26 but had not softened. The firm fruits of the experiment were 

 then sent to Washington in the same shipment with those of the 

 first experiment. Upon inspection on October 2 the processed per- 

 simmons were found to be in very poor condition, resembling closely 

 the first lot of processed Triumph, though they were not so badly 

 softened, whereas the controls were in excellent condition. 



From these two experiments it is evident that the variety processes 



readily in from 40 to 60 hours at Florida temperatures and that 



after removal from the carbon dioxid it may be kept for four days 



at these temperatures before deterioration, except a slight loss in 



37998 Bull. 15512 2 



