SPOILAGE OF CEANBERRIES AFTER HARVEST^ 9 



and unreliable results because of severe frost injury. Further ex- 

 periments along this line are necessary and are in prospect. 



The use of Bordeaux mixture with resin-fishoil soap, which has 

 been found to be the most effective fungicide for cranberries, is 

 recommended. One application should be made just after the blos- 

 soms begin to open and should be repeated every two weeks until 

 August 15. 



In Massachusetts small plats of berries on the State bog which 

 were sprayed with Bordeaux mixture for several years in succession 

 have shown some injury to the vines. More experiments are neces- 

 sary in order to determine the cause of this injury. As no injury 

 of this kind has been observed in New Jersey or on Long Island, 

 the writers feel that where losses from rot either before or after pick- 

 ing are heavy the benefit from spraying will more than offset any 

 probable injury. 



Dry Picking. 



Experiments conducted on a number of bogs in New England 

 have indicated that cranberries should be picked dry. The results 

 shown in Table III are summarized from tests made in 1917. In 

 each case from 4 to 10 bushels of berries were picked early in the 

 morning while still wet with dew and an equal quantity taken from 

 an adjacent portion of the bog as soon as the berries were thor- 

 oughly dry. 



Table III. — Comparative results of storing cranberries that were picked wet 



and dry in 1917. 



Variety. 



Locality. 



Days in 

 storage. 



Percentage o! rotten 

 cranberries. 





Picked dry. 



Picked wet. 



Early Black 



East Wareham, Mass 



66 

 44 

 24 

 60 



32 

 2.4 



51 



Howe 



do 



40 



Early Black 



South Wareham, Mass 



a 20 



Cherry 



Madrid, Me 



(j 









o Contained about 10 per cent of rotten berries when pioked. 



That the inferior keeping quality is due to the fact that the berries 

 were wet and not to any injury received in picking is indicated by 

 the fact that similar deterioration in keeping quality followed where 

 boxes of berries which had been picked dry were wet with clean 

 water. 



During the latter part of the shipping season cranberries are some- 

 times removed from a cool storage house to a warm room for sort- 

 ing and packing. If the humidity of the air is high, moisture fre- 

 quently condenses on the berries to such an extent that they become 

 wet and sticky. This is injurious to their keeping quality and should 

 be carefully avoided. Cranberries should never be barreled or 

 shipped in this condition. The desirability of packing and, if pos- 

 61728°— 18— Bull. 714 2 



