PROCESS OF RIPENING IN THE TOMATO. 



29 



spore tube, tables are presented showing these data in connection with 

 tomatoes. Table IX (sec. A) shows the pressure necessary to penetrate 

 the epidermis of fruit of different ages. The epidermis of colored fruit 

 is softer than that of green tomatoes 38 days old, yet the difference is 

 too small to justify the conclusion that green fruits are preferable on 

 this account. Table IX (sec. B) also shows the effect of temperature 

 on the resistance of the epidermis to wounding. These results indi- 

 cate that tomatoes are less liable to injury when cooled than when 

 they are warm and consequently are less liable to fungous infection. 

 It is generally known also that respiration decreases considerably 

 with the lowering of temperature. The products causing the inferior 

 taste and flavor in tomatoes probably result from intramolecular 

 respiration as a result of withholding free oxygen from the tissues. 

 Under the present methods of shipping tomatoes from the South it 

 would be impossible to allow cars to remain open throughout the 

 entire journey. The initial icing of cars at the warm end of the trip 

 w-ould have the effect of preventing the harmful result of lack of 

 ventilation by reducing respiration to a minimum. 



Table IX. — Effect of age and temperature upon the resistance to wounding of the epi- 

 dermis of Livingston Globe tomatoes, showing also color conditions. 1 





Sec.A 



— Age of tomatoes. Withneedlehav- 

 ing a diameter of 68 microns. 



Sec. B. — Temperature ef- 

 fects. AVith needle hav- 

 ing a diameter of— 



Descriptive data. 



7 



days; 

 green. 



13 

 days; 

 green. 



21 

 days; 

 green. 



30 

 days; 

 green. 



38 

 days; 

 green. 



49 

 days; 

 turn- 

 ing. 



68 microns; 

 turning. 



78 microns; 

 red ripe. 



Temperature of penetration 

 (°C.) 



30 



41.3 



40.9 



38.4 



40.6 



41.2 



41.0 



39.6 



41.3 



41.7 • 



41.9 



29 



38.3 

 36.3 

 37.1 

 37.3 

 40.3 

 40.3 

 36.6 

 37.6 

 36.6 

 37.5 

 39.8 

 39.3 

 37.4 

 37.1 

 38.8 

 36.8 

 38.4 

 39.3 

 39.5 

 36.4 



29 



23.6 



27.8 

 32.6 

 33.9 

 32.1 

 31.5 

 29.3 

 34.7 

 31.5 

 34.2 

 32.1 

 30.5 

 26.3 

 31.3 

 22.6 

 29.8 

 29.5 

 32.3 

 24.9 

 28.9 



30 



14.4 

 23.2 

 21.3 

 20.4 

 23.7 

 24.8 

 24.9 

 25.6 

 25.1 

 25.5 

 27.7 

 25.0 

 21.6 

 28.1 

 25.4 

 25.6 



33 



32.4 

 33.3 

 28.2 

 24.8 

 30.5 

 32.6 

 25.8 

 18.6 

 32.2 

 30.5 

 27.5 

 28.8 

 30.0 

 31.5 

 33.9 

 30.4 

 27.8 



30.5 



33.8 

 31.6 

 29.5 

 30.7 

 32.0 

 32.6 

 32.3 

 26.1 

 37.0 

 30.2 

 32.6 

 30.5 

 29.1 

 30.1 

 28.7 



24 



23.91 

 32.81 

 21.40 

 22.97 

 25.35 

 27.38 

 25.38 

 18.47 

 24.35 

 27.80 

 29.19 



9 



15.75 

 28.54 

 16.70 

 18.66 

 20.60 

 23.54 

 23.36 

 16.27 

 20.38 

 25.08 

 25.72 



25 



32.48 

 30.87 

 32.16 

 26.36 

 28.91 

 27.95 

 31.32 

 31.86 

 23.66 

 26.61 



14 



Average of 10 scale readings at 

 which penetration occurred 

 for individual tomatoes: 

 No.l 



30.92 



No. 2 



31.21 



No. 3 



28.64 



No. 4 



24.65 



No. 5 



22.63 



No. 6 



27.84 



No. 7 



29.32 



No. 8 



29.42 



No. 9 



23.79 



No. 10 



28. 46 



No. 11 .... 





No. 12 









No. 13 













No.14 













No. 15 













No. 16 













No. 17., 















No. 18 















No. 19 

















No. 20 





































Average scale reading for entire 



40.8 



11.75 



14.63 



2.88 



38.0 

 10.86 

 14.63 



3.77 



30.5 

 8.49 

 14.63 



6.14 



23.8 

 6.38 

 14.63 



8.25 



29.3 

 8.11 

 18.91 



10.80 



31.1 



8.67 

 18.91 



10.24 



25.35 

 13.20 

 23.48 



10.28 



21.33 

 11.80 

 23.48 



11.68 



29.32 

 6.96 

 12.04 



5.08 



27.6 



Due to tension of spring .grams 

 Weight of needle and rod. . .do. . 

 Pressure necessary to punc- 



6.46 

 12.04 



5.58 



1 For detailed information as to the apparatus and methods used to obtain the data presented in this 

 table, see the following references: Hawkins and Harvey (22); Hawkins and Sando (23); Rosenbaum and 

 Sando (44). 



