186 EXPERIMENT STATION. [Jan. 



results in a coiu]»ar;iiivcly easy separation of the individual 

 cells from each other and in the mealy taste found in the over- 

 ripe a})ple.^ 



Comparatively little is known of the behavior of the flavoring 

 oils, ])nt it is evident that they do not develop very noticeably 

 THitil the period ^>i' ripeninu'. It would seem, however, that 

 they devehtp duriuii' the later stages of the ripening period and 

 through the jjeriod of after ripening, and tend to disai)pear as 

 the stage of decay progresses. 



Little, also, is known regarding the behavior of the tannin 

 of the fruit, but it is ])i-()bably highest during the late stages 

 of growth. It may be connected with the development of color 

 in red apples, and inasmuch as it seems to disappear during the 

 ripening stage, when the apple is taking on color, it may be 

 that it contributes in some way to the formation of pigment in 

 the epidermal cells of the fruit. 



IV. THE PERFECTLY DEVELOPED APPLE. 



In the course of investigation herein reported, the writer has 

 made a somewhat careful study of some twenty varieties of ap- 

 ples, chosen from among the more ]U'ominent and wid(dy dis- 

 tributed sorts. From five to fifty or more samples of each 

 variety have been received from many different localities scat- 

 tered over the entire apple-])roducing portions of North Amer- 

 ica. These apples have been carefully examined and their char- 

 acteristics noted, and from two to twenty samples of each variety 

 have been subjected to chemical examination. In the case of the 

 Ben Davis variety, during the past four years nearly two hun- 

 dred samples have been received, and fifty or more of these have 

 been gi\'en a more or less complete chemical (>xa mi nation. These 

 samples have varied widely in physical appearance and chemi- 

 cal composition. These variations are dealt with in a later 

 division of this paper. The study of these varieties, added to 

 other general observations, has enabled the writer to form a 

 faii'ly definite conception of them, when developed to their 

 highest perfection in a])]iearance, quality and chemical compo- 

 sition. The point of perfect development is taken as that where 



> Bureau of Chemistry, Bulletin 94, p. 92. 



