1732 



ENCYCLOPEDIA OP PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 



influence, which must be taken into con- 

 sideration before all phases of the prob- 

 lem arc solved. 



The results indicate that the marketing 

 season of Bartlett pears can be length- 

 ened or extended six or seven weeks, pro- 

 vided some changes are made in the 

 method of handling the crop. 



The pickings as a rule should be made 

 fully two weeks later than is the ordinary 

 Iiraetice. At this time the fruit will be 

 of larger size, of better quality, and in 

 every way will hold up better in storage 

 and in transit. There will be some drop- 

 ping where the fruit is held on the trees 

 two weeks longer, but this will largely be 

 offset by the increase in size and the im- 

 provement in keeping quality. It is also 

 of the greatest importance that the fruit 

 be placed in storage or in an iced refrig- 

 erator car as soon as possible after pick- 

 ing, as a delay in cooling of even two 

 days caused much more deterioration 

 than occurred in fruit stored imme- 

 diately, whether packed before or after 

 cooling. 



The results also indicate that the prac- 

 tice of picking the trees clean at one pick- 

 ing, especially early in the season, is not 

 conducive to the best keeping quality and 

 uniformity. Where only one picking is 

 made, and that early, much of the fruit 

 is picked while it is still immature, and 

 this fruit will show a great deal of wilt- 

 ing, shriveling, brown stain or scald, and 

 physiological decay, thereby detracting 

 from the appearance of the pack and 

 lessening the returns from the fruit 

 which was of proper maturity when 

 picked. The pickings can be extended 

 over a longer time than is generally be- 

 lieved to be the case, and this is especially 

 true where two, or possibly three, pick- 

 ings are made during the season. 



The results further indicate that when 

 picked at the proper time and when care- 

 fully handled and promptly pre-cooled, 

 Bartlett pears stored for four weeks at 

 th<? shipping point and afterwards loaded 

 into pre-iced refrigerator cars and 

 shipped to Eastern markets will arrive in 

 sound, marketable condition and remain 

 sound for a sufficient time to allow reship- 



ment and consequent wide distribution to 

 ultimate consumers. The season can be 

 extended from six to seven weeks by leav- 

 ing the fruit on the trees two weeks 

 longer than is at present the practice, and 

 by storing for four or five weeks at a tem- 

 perature of 32 degrees or 34 degrees Fahr- 

 enheit after the fruit has been pre-cooled. 



Bureau I'laiit Industry Circular 114, 



Pre-eooliiig Investigations 



A. V. Studesraucu 



*It is wholly impossible to discuss the 

 question of the pre-cooling of fruit with- 

 out reference to the importance of the 

 handling given the fruit in preparing it 

 for shipment or storage, and it will be 

 necessary to devote a large part of the 

 discussion to handling problems. 



The term "pre-cooling" has been applied 

 to the method of promptly and rapidly 

 reducing the initial temperatures of pro- 

 duce intended for shipment. The work 

 requires special equipment aside from 

 that needed to maintain the low tempera- 

 ture after the initial heat has been re- 

 moved. 



Pre-cooling, or chilling, has been used 

 for a number of years in preparing meats 

 for shipment, or storage, but as far as is 

 known, the first application of this pro- 

 cess to the handling and shipment ot 

 fruits was made in 1904 by Mr. G. Harold 

 Powell, who was then in charge of the 

 fruit transportation and storage investi- 

 gations of the Bureau of Plant Industry. 

 The first work consisted of the pre-cooling 

 of peaches intended for shipment from 

 Georgia to northern markets. The equip- 

 ment used was necessarily rather crude; 

 yet some very definite results were ob- 

 tained. Later on, the process was ap- 

 plied to oranges and deciduous fruits in 

 California: and since Mr. Powell's early 

 work, special attention has been given by 

 the office of Field Investigations in 

 Pomology to the investigation of the 

 problems connected with the pre-cooling 

 of different fruits. In addition to oranges 

 and peaches, these investigations have 

 been extended to table grapes in Califor- 



• \Vastiin''tnn State Horticultural Assecla- 

 tlon 1912 Report. 



