1911.] PUBLIC DOCOIRNT — No. 31. 187 



tilt' at(('i'-ri})('iiiiiii st;ii;o is (•(»iiij)lcic and het'ore any signs of dete- 

 vioi'alioii ap[)ear. A variety in this condition is at (lie point of 

 hiiilu'si dessert qnality. Especial consideration will be given in 

 this discnssion to the cpiestion of high (piality in each variety. 



Before entering into this discnssion, it may be well to con- 

 sider the relation between chemical composition and qnality. 

 In the first phice, it may be said that qnality is nscd with sev- 

 eral ditferent meanings. It may refer to the dessert cpiality of 

 the fiMiit or to its valne for kitchen purposes. The a})))le of 

 high dessert qnality is ditferent from the apple of high kitdien 

 qnality. We also speak of the shi])ping quality of frnit, and 

 high shipping qnality is in a measnrc opposed to high kitchen, 

 and even more to high dessert qnality. The apple which ships 

 v.ell will usually be a fair keeper, but these two qualities are by 

 no means coincident. The chemical determinations which 

 throw the most light on qnality are those of the sugars and acid 

 and of the insoluble solids, the latter being of greater impor- 

 tance than is usually considered to be the case. 



The apple of high dessert quality is low in its content of in- 

 soluble solids, this signifying a tender flesh and proljably thin- 

 walled cells. It is high in sugars, more particularly sucrose.' 

 The amount of acid is proportional to the quantity of sugars ; 

 the higher the content of sugars the higher must be the content 

 of acid, in order to 1)ring an agreeal)le blending of these two 

 constituents. If a large proportion of the sugars is sucrose, 

 the pro]iortion of acid needs to be larger than if the proportion 

 of sucrose is low, in order to give the same quality. The ratio 

 of acid to total sugars most favorable to high dessert quality will 

 vary greatly with individual tastes. Some prefer a sAveet ap])le, 

 and, on the other hand, many like a fairly acid fruit. If the 

 sugars are in the proportion a])proximately of two-thirds reduc- 

 ing sugars to one-third sucrose, the following may 1)0 taken as a 

 fair estimate of the varying ratio of total sugars to acid for 

 different flavored fruits. These ratios will not hold for fruits 

 that have entered into the stage of physiological decay. 



