FRUIT STORAGE 87 
in the storage room. Only fruit that is in a prime con- 
dition is worthy of being stored. It ought to be No. 1 
or fancy in every respect, containing no bruises, worm 
holes or blemishes of any kind. 
In making use of public storage, the fruit must be 
properly packed and sealed, so that when it is removed 
from storage, the packages will not need to be opened 
until they reach the consumer. It is necessary also to 
know the temperature, because no fruit will keep well 
unless the temperature remains even and does not fluc- 
tuate. In most cases a lower temperature than the sur- 
rounding outside conditions, is necessary. As the tem- 
perature runs down towards the freezing point, the 
ripening processes of the fruit is gradually slowed up, 
the decay organisms do not work as rapidly, and alto- 
gether, the length of life or keeping qualities of the 
fruit is greatly increased. The humidity refers to the 
amount of moisture in the air. This is measured in 
grains per cubic foot of space. When the air is sat- 
urated or contains all the moisture it will hold, it is 
designated as 100% humidity. Beyond this point, pre- 
cipitations as rain or fog result. 
Most fruits run high in water content, varying from 80 
to 83 or 84%. If the humidity of the atmosphere in 
which the fruit is stored is more than 85%, the tendency 
is for the fruit to decay. Moisture will collect on the 
surface of the fruit in drops, and forms ideal conditions 
for the germinating of decay organisms. On the other 
hand, if there is less moisture in the atmosphere than 
in the fruit, there will be a general tendency for the 
f-uit to dry out, and hence become shrivelled or lose 
weight. Fruit that drys out in transit, loses in size as 
