24 circular 2 7 8, u. s. department of agriculture 



Plums (Including Prunes) 



(Temperature, 31° to 32° F. ; relative humidity, 80 to 85 percent) 



Plums and prunes (fresh) are not stored extensively and are not 

 adapted to long cold storage. Such varieties as Wild Goose and those 

 of the damson type store better than the softer fleshed plums, such 

 as Santa Rosa, Beauty, Wickson, and Duarte. The storage period, at 

 32° F., ranges from 3 to 8 weeks depending on the variety. After 

 that time the soft-fleshed varieties are likely to become too soft for 

 commercial handling, may suffer some darkening of the flesh, and 

 lose somewhat in flavor. 



One of the most important commercial shipping and storage varie- 

 ties is the Italian Prune. At a temperature of 32° F., 2 weeks is about 

 the maximum cold-storage period for this fruit, if a shipping period 

 is necessary before it goes on the market. After arrival at market 

 prunes shipped immediately after harvest can ordinarily be held in 

 cold storage for about 3 weeks. If held longer there is danger that 

 shriveling and internal browning, as well as abnormal flavor, will 

 develop. Too much confidence should not be placed in the appearance 

 and condition of the fruit while it is in storage, as more deteriora- 

 tion — decay, shriveling, and internal browning — may take place in 3 

 days after removal from storage than during the whole storage 

 period. Prunes shipped out of storage at shipping point cannot 

 safely be stored again after arrival at eastern markets. 



(See 7, &£•) 



Quinces 



(Temperature, 31° to 32° F. ; relative humidity, 80 to 85 percent) 



The behavior of quinces in storage is about the same as that of early 

 varieties of apples such as Jonathan and Grimes Golden. 



Raspberries 



(Temperature, 31° to 32° F. ; relative humidity, 80 to 85 percent) 



Fresh raspberries, blackberries, Logan blackberries, and dewberries 

 are not adapted to storage and are usually not stored commercially. 

 For short periods, 7 to 10 days, most of them can be kept in fair condi- 

 tion by storage at 31° to 32° F. in a relative humidity of about 80 to 

 85 percent. Young and Boysen dewberries cannot be stored satis- 

 factorily for more than 3 to 4 days. 



Strawberries 



(Temperature, 31° to 32° F. ; relative humidity, 80 to 85 percent) 



Fresh strawberries are not stored commercially except for very 

 short periods; 10 days is probably the maximum. Even for so short 

 a time as this the temperature must be kept below 40° F. to prevent 

 loss from decay caused by certain low-temperature fungi such as 

 gray mold and Phytophthora, the fungus which causes leather rot; 

 31° to 32° is still better. After about 10 days, sometimes sooner, the 

 fruit loses its fresh bright color, shrivels more or less, and deterio- 

 rates in flavor (100). 



