THE EFFECTS OF STORAGE ON FRUITS 121 



sized fruit is selected in preference to the unusually 

 large. 



Various cultural methods in orchard management have 

 their influence on the keeping qualities of fruit. A 

 number of experiments relative to the influence of sod 

 culture over clean culture for keeping qualities in stor- 

 age have been conducted and the consensus of opinions 

 indicate that there is no influence in favor of either 

 method. It was originally supposed that apples from 

 sod culture would keep better in storage. This opinion 

 resulted from the fact that apples grown on sod land 

 usually mature a little ahead of those where clean cul- 

 ture is given. Both being picked and stored at the 

 same time, the fruit from the sod would go into storage 

 in more matured condition than where the clean culture 

 was given. 



Later experiments showed that equally matured fruit 

 from either cultures keep equally good. On the other 

 hand, the types of soil where fruit is grown has a marked 

 influence on the keeping qualities. Fruits that keep 

 best are grown on the lighter sandy soils. They develop 

 a higher color, and also mature in better shape, thus 

 keeping much better in storage. Fruits from heavy 

 soils, which are of a clayey type, are not so highly col- 

 ored ordinarily and deteriorate in storage much more 

 quickly than those from the other kinds of soil. 



The fertilizing constituents used also have a marked 

 influence upon the keeping of fruit in storage. Soils 

 that are too rich in nitrogen produce fruit with poor 

 keeping qualities. Soils that are deficient in potash or 

 phosphorus, especially the latter, do not produce good 

 keeping fruit. The reasons for this is undoubtedly due 



