The Storage and Preservation of Fruit. 185 

 CHAPTER V 



THE STORAGE AND PRESERVATION OF FRUIT 

 Section 1 — The Storage of Fruit 



286. Definition and aim of storagfe. More or less time 

 generally intervenes between the gathering of fruit and its 

 departure to the market or transportation company. This 

 interval may vary in length from a few minutes to several 

 months. The fruit, meanwhile, must be well cared for or 

 it will deteriorate more or less rapidly. Storage, to the 

 commercial fruit grower, means the care of the fruit during 

 this interval. The storage of fresh fruit is a more com- 

 plicated problem than the storage of ordinary merchandise, 

 because fresh fruit tends constantly to undergo changes in 

 the direction of decay. The aim of storage is generally to 

 hold these changes in check, so far as possible. A knowl- 

 edge of the conditions affecting these changes is, therefore, 

 necessary to the proper management of fruit in storage. 



287. The maturity of fruits, i. e., the changes in their 

 texture and flavor that render them pleasing and whole- 

 some as food, is a step in the direction of decomposition. 

 These changes increase in activity, within certain limits, 

 as the temperature rises. During these changes most fruits 

 give off water rapidly, hence, when confined in packages, 

 the air between the fruits tends to become saturated with 

 water. Normal fruit does not usually decay until the last 

 stage of maturity is reached. 



288. Conditions affecting: decay in fruits. The juices of 

 fruits furnish most favorable conditions for the rapid de- 

 velopment and multiplication of bacteria. The unbroken 



