FRUIT NOTES November 1953 



THE PRESSURE TESTER - A TOOL FOR STORAGE OPERATORS 



In the September issue of FRUIT NOTES a few comments vrere made about the use 

 of a pressure tester at harvest time. As indicated at that time, a pressure tester 

 (■vdth a 7/16 inch head or plunger) is not an ideal instrument to determine proper 

 picking maturity but it does tell one when apples are becoming too soft for long 

 storage. 



Now that all varieties have been picked and vihat's left are in storage, the 

 pressure tester is a pretty valuable instrument in determining the condition of your 

 fruit. It can tell you which lots in your storage are the softest or the firmest. 

 Such information can be of considerable assistance in determining which apples to 

 sell first or last. 



The following tables compiled by Dr. R. M. Smock at Cornell and published in 

 the Cornell University Extension Bulle tiii i;i;0 are in agreement vath our observations 

 in Massachusetts and may serve as an aid in determining v\?hen to market your fruit. 



Table I 



Determination of fruit condition with a pressure tester. 



Variety 



When 



harvested 



1/4 - 16 



16 - 18 



17 - 18 



18 - 20 

 22 - 2I4 



When 

 firm ripe 



Fi rmness (lbs,) 



Should be soH' 



before reaching Unmarketable 



Mcintosh 

 Cortland 

 Delicious 

 Golden Deli- 

 cious 

 Baldvdn 

 Northern Spy 19 - 21 



11 - 12 



12 - 13 



12 - 15 



13 - 16 

 13 - lU 

 13 - 16 



Remember Mcintosh apples at 10 pounds pressure will be unmarketable after 

 about one week at room temperature. 



Apple Scald . Keep your eyes open for storage scald on Cortland and other 

 susceptible varieties. We expect that this may be a bad scald year following a 

 sunny, hot, dry season. Bring out small samples of susceptible varieties (particu- 

 larly from the earliest picted lots) at 2 week intervals starting after Thanksgiving, 



