

284 BOTANICAL GAZETTE [april 



to the absorption of the odor from the cedar wood closets in which 

 the fruit was held. At any rate, the ripe fruit was much poorer 

 in quality than the Bartlett at its best when ripened at normal 

 temperatures. No. 4 was still as wilted as before. Fruit was 

 full ripe, but dry and tough. This fruit remained about as 

 wilted as when first placed. The fruit was not soft, but as 

 much so as it ever would be without being well past ripe. It was 

 very inferior in flavor and quality, much the same as no. 3. 

 Lot 8, which was held in cold storage throughout the progress 

 of the experiment, showed almost no appreciable ripening, being 

 practically as hard and unripe at the end of the month as at the 

 beginning. 







Discussion of results 



The pears in lot i, placed at a temperature averaging about 

 8 5 F. and in a saturated humidity, were full ripe 8 days after being 

 subjected to the conditions. A study of table IV shows that the 

 pears in lot 2, placed at a temperature averaging 87.7°F. and in 

 a saturated atmosphere, were full ripe about 13 days after being 

 subjected to the conditions. Since the fruit was all in the same 

 stage of maturity before the experiment started, this would show 

 a delay of 5 days in ripening, which can only be accounted for by 

 the fact that the temperature was about 3 higher. 



The pears in lots 6 and 7 were also full ripe 8 days after the 

 experiment started. The temperature surrounding lots 6 and 7 

 was practically the same in both cases, and averaged about 70 F. 



in 



the humidity. The humidity in the compartment containing lot 6 

 was fairly constant, about 60 per cent ; the humidity surrounding 

 lot 7 averaged about 92 per cent. The temperatures alike, the 

 difference in humidity showed no effect upon the ripening. Fur- 

 thermore, when compared with lot 1, the fruit ripened with ap- 

 proximately the same rapidity at temperatures of 70 and 85 F. 

 The pears in lot 3 remained firm unripe for 3 weeks after being 

 subjected to a temperature averaging about 94 F. and a humidity 

 of 91 per cent. This shows a delay of 13 days when compared 

 with lots 1, 6, and 7. This apparently was due to the somewhat 



