S6 THE COLD STORAGE OF APPLES 



ical change in the fruit, because of the variations in composi- 

 tion with different years and the irregularities which occurred 

 in the course of one season, even when the apples were all 

 from one tree. 



Cold storage evidently retards the rate of change in the after- 

 ripening ; but cannot prevent it. The inversion of the sugar 

 was slower in the cold-storage warehouse than in the cool 

 cellar, because by April the fruit in the latter had reached a 

 stage in the development of sugars which was not reached in 

 cold storage until August. 



This late stage of ripening is marked bv the familiar 

 " mealy" appearance of the pulp and a lack of flavor, and 

 although free from decay, the apple is practically worthless in 

 competition with fresh fruit. In a cellar without ice, the tem- 

 perature is bound to rise with the increase in warmth of the 

 air outside, and at this point the rate of change in the apple 

 increases rapidly. 



The necessity for putting apples as quickly as possible into 

 cold storage is shown by the following results obtained from 

 windfalls and hand-picked fruit in the fall of 1S98. Baldwin 

 apples were picked from the tree at different dates and their 

 composition compared with that of windfalls which had lain 

 upon the ground for varying lengths of time. The windfalls 

 show much higher percentages of both invert and total sugar 

 than the hand-picked fruit fresh from the tree. At this stage 

 there was considerable starch present in the fruit, which was 

 shown by its settling on the bottom of the flasks in which the 

 was pulp was placed for diffusing the sugar. The proportion 

 was not determined, however. 



The transformation of this starch into sugar would result in 

 the increase of total sugar in the fruit at later stages, which is 

 shown by comparing the total sugar at later dates in the first 

 table, with the proportion given in this table. 



