FRUIT GROWING 69 



well understood and are gradually being put 

 into practice. The fact that a perfect fruit 

 keeps better than a bruised or injured one has 

 been so clearly demonstrated in the transporta- 

 tion and storage work conducted by the United 

 States Department of Agriculture that the lead- 

 ers in fruit growing are beginning to give this 

 care to the handling of apples. So long as the 

 skin of the fruit remains unbroken and the tem- 

 perature of the storage chamber is below the 

 temperature congenial to the growth of rots and 

 moulds the fruit will keep. Bruised and punc- 

 tured fruits present openings for the entrance 

 of organisms of decay, and as soon as tem- 

 perature conditions are favorable rots and 

 moulds appear. 



The fact that some fruits hold up well on the 

 market after being removed from cold storage, 

 while other fruit stored under like conditions 

 go down quickly is to be accounted for in the 

 harvesting and handling. It is to be expected 

 that the most carefully handled and the most 

 perfect fruit will hold up longest on the 

 market. The motto of the grower should be 

 care, care in choice of location; care in the 

 choice of varieties; care in planting; care in 

 cultivating; care in harvesting; and care in 

 marketing. 



