20 



STUDIES ON PEACHES. 



Since, as was noted in Tables II and III, the per cent of solids and 

 of water in the flesh of the peach remains practically constant, the 

 increase in the weight of solids must be proportional to the increase 

 in the weight of the flesh of the peach. This is shown to be true in 

 Table VI, the solids increasing from 0.903 gram per peach at the 

 June drop to 9.719 grams at the time of market ripeness. Although 

 the weight of the stone increased only slightly, the weight of the 

 solids in the stone increased about tenfold between the June drop 

 and the time of market ripeness. This is in keeping with the obser- 

 vation made on Table II that the percentage of solids in the stone 

 increased, while, as shown in Table VI, the weight of the stone increases 

 but slightly throughout the life history of the peach. The weight 

 of solids in the kernel increases in somewhat the same proportion as 

 the weight of solids in the stone. From Table VI it is also evident 

 that the decrease in marc between the second and third periods at 

 which the fruit was examined, apparent in Table II, is relative and 

 not absolute, since the weight of marc in grams per peach is almost 

 doubled between the time of the hardening of the stone and the period 

 of market ripeness. 



The weight of reducing sugar increases about eight times from the 

 June drop to the time of market ripeness, and the increase in sucrose 

 and acids is far greater than that of reducing sugar. 



The various forms of nitrogenous substances all increase in absolute 

 weight from the beginning to the end of the periods of observation. 

 There is no apparent tendency for proteids to be decomposed into the 

 simpler nitrogenous bodies, or to be built up in the growth of the 

 peach. On the other hand, the relation between the amount of amido 

 bodies and of proteids is fairly constant throughout the life history of 

 the peach. 



In Table VII, in which the composition of three varieties is given in 

 terms of grams per peach from the market ripe to the fully ripe stages, 

 it is apparent that the increase in weight is due, as stated before, not 

 to the increase in water content alone, but also to an increase in solids, 

 chiefly sugars. Both reducing sugar and sucrose increase during this 

 period. On the other hand, the absolute weight of marc present is 

 considerably decreased and the amount of acids also is slightly less. 



TABLE VII. Composition of peaches at market ripeness and at full ripeness. 



[Grams per peach.] 

 COMPOSITION OF WHOLE FRUIT. 



MARKET RIPE. 



