STORAGE OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND FLORISTS' STOCKS 19 



The best storage varieties when properly handled can be held 3 to 6 

 months in storage at 30° to 31°. Emperor, Ohanez, and Alphonse 

 Lavallee (Ribier) seem to keep better than any of the other storage 

 varieties. Treating grapes with sulfur dioxide has helped to reduce 

 spoilage in storage. In recent years the display type of lug has 

 grown in favor for storage, because grapes packed in it can be re- 

 fumigated. The common practice is to fumigate with concentrations 

 of about 1 percent of sulfur dioxide before storage and to refumigate 

 with about 0.2 percent of the gas at intervals of 10 days. Under these 

 conditions fruit has been held fully as long in this type of package as 

 in the more expensive sawdust chests or kegs. When fruit packed in 

 display lugs cannot be refumigated in storage, 5 grams of sodium 

 bisulfite is often added to the pads before packing, and this is fol- 

 lowed by the usual prestorage fumigation. Mixing 5 grams of 

 sodium bisulfite (per lug, chest, or keg) with the sawdust used in 

 packing grapes has also been effective in checking decay (56) . 



Storage quality varies considerably from season to season and 

 seems to be adversely affected by rain just before and during harvest. 

 Grapes picked before rains usually keep better than those picked after 

 rains. 



(See 14, 55.) 



AMERICAN 



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



The eastern or American varieties of grapes, the most important of 

 which is Concord, are not adapted to long storage ; and most of them 

 do not hold up well under storage conditions for more than 3 or 4 

 weeks, depending on the variety. After that time they begin to 

 deteriorate in flavor and may suffer heavily from decay if the temper- 

 ature is not kept close to 32° F. The Catawba keeps better than most 

 other eastern varieties and, if in good condition when stoied, can be 

 held for 3 to 8 weeks even in common storage in the districts where 

 this variety is grown on a commercial scale. 



Too low humidity is undesirable for grapes, since it causes shrivel- 

 ing, especially of the stems. Stock intended for storage should be 

 handled carefully to avoid cracking of the berries or loosening at the 

 cap stem, because such injuries allow juice to exude and thus furnish 

 favorable conditions for the beginning of decay. 



Muscadine grapes are shipped only short distances if at all and are 

 not known to be held in cold storage anywhere in commercial quan- 

 tities. 



(See % 4,1.) 



Lemons 



(Temperature, 55° to 58° F. ; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



From the standpoint of preventing decay (blue mold rot, green 

 mold rot, and alternaria rot) in stored lemons, the lowest temperature 

 that can be used without freezing the fruit would seem to be the most 

 desirable. The difficulty is that at low temperatures certain non- 

 parasitic troubles develop which are fully as serious as decay ; among 

 these are red blotch, pitting, and membranous stain. With proper 



