THE COMPOSITION OF FRUITS 17 



intervals from early summer until after the commercial 

 picking season, were analyzed within a few days after pick- 

 ing and after being in storage one and one-half to three and 

 one-half months at temperatures of 70, 40, and 30 degrees F. 

 Both sugars and acids were determined as well as the alco- 

 hol-insoluble, acid-hydrolyzable reducing materials. 



Like the apple which has already been studied, the Bartlett 

 pear increased in total sugar from early suimner until after 

 the close of the commercial picking season. The increase 

 in the latter part of the season is mainly due to an accumu- 

 lation of sucrose, while the earlier increase is due mainly to 

 reducing sugar. It will be remembered that the winter apples 

 showed their greatest increase in sucrose also during the latter 

 part of their development, although the invert sugars in- 

 creased in the apple throughout the ripening process of the 

 fruit. 



Further, "A distinct relationship was found between the 

 total amount of sugar present in the ripe fruit and the tem- 

 perature of the storage at which it had been held from the 

 time of removing from the tree until ripe. Pears ripened at 

 70° F. contained the highc^st percentage of sugar; those 

 ripened at 40° possessed the lowest total sugar content, and 

 those held at 30° for from 6 to 14 weeks and then ripened at 

 room temperature were intermediate in amount of total 

 sugar. There was no marked relation between temperature 

 of storage and relative amount of sucrose and reducing 

 sugar." 



It is further observed that, " It seems well established, 

 therefore, that the highest amount of sugar will be secured by 

 holding the fruit at optimum temperature for ripening. 



"Percentage of titratable acid in the fruit tended to de- 

 crease in fruit from the California sections as the season 

 advanced, while it tended to increase in that from Oregon 

 and Washington. There was an increase in acid between the 



