262 HORTICULTURE FOR SCHOOLS 



soluble substances which are transported through the tissues 

 to the fruit. As the fruit ripens, the starch is gradually 

 changed into new material, mostly sugar and fiber; but in 

 addition to these dozens of other substances, such as oils and 

 acids, give to each variety its peculiar flavor. In most ripe 

 fruits the starch which formerly was present in the green 

 fruit has practically all disappeared, and other substances 

 have been formed from it. 1 



Change does not stop there. Very soon decay begins, and 

 the fruit becomes worthless for human use. In fact, the tear- 

 ing down process starts before the building up is completed, 

 and the two go on for a considerable time side by side. At 

 last the process of decay predominates, and the product 

 becomes useless as human food. 



373. The time for harvesting. Time of picking and sub- 

 sequent treatment will vary, depending on the use to which 

 the fruit is to be put. If intended for a nearby market, it 

 will ordinarily remain on the trees longer than if the market 

 is at a distance. If intended for drying or canning, it will 

 be handled differently than if sold as fresh fruit. If it is to 

 be placed in cold storage, again certain factors of successful 

 practice must be kept in mind. Harvesting, therefore, calls 

 for a constant exercise of judgment on the part of the horti- 

 culturist. 



It is customary to judge the ripeness of most fruits by their 

 color and general appearance. The quality of the fruit put 

 on the market is subject, however, to increasingly rigid 

 standards. This has led to the adoption of scientific tests for 

 ripeness in the case of certain fruits of whose condition it is 

 difficult to judge. 



With grapes, bunches are secured from sections of the vine- 

 yard and from different places on the vines so that the sample 

 may be representative of all the fruit. The juice is then 



1 One of the few exceptions to this rule is the banana, the ripe fruit of 

 which contains a considerable proportion of starch. 



