IDEAL PLUM OR PRUNE 111 



Closely associated with the flavor of the plum 

 is the matter of a chemical content that will resist 

 fermentation. A fruit that is too juicy and does 

 not contain enough sugar will ferment very 

 easily, as we have seen in connection with our 

 studies of the prune. Some plums are peculiarly 

 subject to fermentation, particularly if bruised 

 in any way. 



Plums that contain plenty of sugar are, as we 

 have seen, more resistant to fermentation. 



This is one reason why prunes have gained in 

 popularity for shipment in the fresh state to the 

 eastern plum market. There is a good field for 

 investigation as to the particular qualities, in 

 addition to sugar content, that tend to make a 

 fruit resist fermentation. In general it is ob- 

 served that insipid fruits decay first. 



Highly flavored acid fruits as well as very 

 sweet ones tend to resist fermentation. 



But the precise chemical conditions that have 

 to do with this very important property of re- 

 sistance to decay have been but little investi- 

 gated. All that the prospective orchardist can 

 do at present is to select varieties of fruit 

 that have been shown to have good marketable 

 qualities. 



Finally, there is the matter of the stone. In the 

 case of the very soft plum, the stone may serve 



