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serve substances, the fruit is well prepared for storage and keeps sound a 

 long time. If the reserve substances are scanty, the fruit rapidly spoils. In 

 seasons after a long period of drought, which has practically stopped the 

 development of the fruit, if a time of continued cool, dry weather comes, 

 the fruit may start its growth again and renew its life processes. If the 

 fruit must be harvested in the autumn, it is put into storage in a compara- 

 tively immature condition and thus needs more time to become ripe. These 

 are the cases (on the whole less frequent) in which the fruit must lie dis- 

 proportionately long in storage and does not become mellow, but remains 

 tough. 



Rusty Plums. 



Fox red discoloration of plums setting in some weeks before the normal 

 time of ripening is a phenomenon of premature ripening. The fruit is still 

 absolutely hard and, on an average, about half as large as that normally 

 ripened. As a rule, the rusty plums fall prematurely. The phenomenon 

 occurs only in continued hot, dry periods and is found especially on sandy 

 soils. This discoloration occurs at different times for different varie- 

 ties and is similar to the premature coloration, which takes place in wormy 

 or otherwise injured fruit. It should be emphasized that the dry locality it- 

 self is not the cause of the rustiness of the fruit, but it is due to a scarcity 

 of soil water succeeding a period of normal precipitation. Trees whose 

 water supply is scant, adjust themselves to conditions by dropping the fruit, 

 which they cannot develop, shortly after blossoming. The disease only ap- 

 pears on those trees which have held their fruit until summer under normal 

 moisture conditions, which are then followed by a long, dry period. An 

 abundant supply of water must be provided to overcome this, and should 

 not be too long delayed, else not only the rusty fruit but often all the fruit, 

 will fall. 



Further Phenomena of Premature Ripening. 



As a matter of course, the results of continued soil dryness after a nor- 

 mal spring moisture are observable in all kinds of fruit. The dropping of 

 leaves and fruit is of frecjuent occurrence. The scanty maturing of the 

 organs remaining on the plant is a less common phenomenon. This produces 

 also poor keeping qualities in stored fruits and potatoes and small grains in 

 the cereals. We will return later to the discussion of other cases, when we 

 consider the results of unusual dr}mess of air. 



Mealiness of Fruit. 



Especially in hot summers on sandy soils it has been observed that 

 fruit, especially early varieties, does not become juicy and crisp, but is 

 tought, poor in sap, insipid rather than aromatic in taste, and when put 

 under pressure, makes a mealy paste. In cooler years and in other localities 

 even the same varieties do not become mealy, but change at once a firm con- 

 dition to a liquid, winey, doughy or a decomposed condition. 



