STORAGE OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND FLORISTS' STOCKS 11 



than if they were dry after being unloaded and remained dry until 

 consumed In this connection dryness means merely the absence of 

 liquid water on the surface. 



Sweating can be prevented to some extent, as in the British prac- 

 tice with eggs and certain other commodities, by allowing the fruits 

 or vegetables to warm up gradually. Under commercial conditions in 

 the United States this is rarely practicable, however, and the best thing 

 to do in very damp weather is to realize the risk, handle the product 

 carefuily, and get it into consumption without undue delay. 



WAXING 



The application of waxing preparations to certain perishable prod- 

 ucts has been practiced commercially for several years. It probably 

 started with the waxing of citrus fruits and was followed by the wax- 

 ing of rutabagas. Its value for both of these products lies in the fact 

 that it not only improves their appearance but also prevents shrinkage 

 by restricting the loss of water. 



Kecently waxing has been tried on a number of other products. In 

 the case of cucumbers and carrots it gives considerable promise and 

 may come into general use. It has been tried on cantaloups but did 

 not prove to be beneficial. 



(See £5.) 



CHOICE OF STORAGE CONDITIONS 



The storage conditions recommended herein for certain commodi- 

 ties represent either a compromise between two undesirable extremes 

 of temperature or humidity or a choice of the least harmful of two 

 such extremes. Grapefruit, for example, suffer less from decay at 

 low humidities than at high; on the other hand, at low humidities 

 they are subject to a pitting which, in fruit from regions where stem 

 end rot is not prevalent, is usually more damaging to the market value 

 of the fruit, because it is more common than decay. Therefore, it 

 is recommended that grapefruit from all producing regions be held 

 at 85 to 90 percent relative humidity in storage in order to reduce 

 pitting. 



The Jonathan variety of apples suffers less from soft scald if stored 

 at 34° to 36° F. than if stored at 32°. It is susceptible, however, to the 

 more common and more serious condition known as internal break- 

 down and also to Jonathan spot and decay if held continuously at 

 temperatures above 32° ; hence this latter temperature should usually 

 be chosen as safer than any higher one. 



FRUITS AND NUTS 



By Dean H. Rose, senior physiologist 



The recommended temperature, relative humidity, and approximate 

 length of storage period for the commercial storage of fresh, dried, and 

 frozen fruits, and nuts are given in table 3. Detailed descriptions of 

 these requirements are given in the text. 



