CIRCULAR No. 278 



Issued September 1933 

 Revised April 1938 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 

 WASHINGTON, D. C. 



THE COMMERCIAL STORAGE OF FRUITS, VEGE- 

 TABLES, AND FLORISTS' STOCKS 



By Dean H. Rose, senior physiologist, R. C. Wright, physiologist, and T. M. 

 Whiteman, assistant horticulturist, Division of Fruit and Vegetable Crops and 

 Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Introduction.. 1 



Factors involved in cold storage 2 



Effect of cold storage on subsequent be- 

 havior of fruits and vegetables 8 



Fruits and nuts. -- 10 



Apples 10 



Apricots 12 



Avocados 12 



Bananas -. 13 



Blackberries-.. 13 



Cherries .. 13 



Coconuts 14 



Cranberries 14 



Dates 14 



Dewberries 15 



Grapefruit.. 15 



Grapes 16 



Lemons 17 



Limes 17 



Logan blackberries 18 



Olives (fresh) 18 



Oranges 18 



Peaches 18 



Pears 19 



Pineapples 20 



Plums (including prunes) ._ . 20 



Quinces 21 



Raspberries 21 



Strawberries 21 



Dried fruits. 21 



Frozen fruits and vegetables 22 



Nuts 22 



Vegetables 23 



Asparagus 24 



Beans.. 24 



Beets 24 



Broccoli (Italian or sprouting)... 25 



Cabbage. 25 



Page 



Vegetables— Continued . 



Carrots 2fi 



Cauliflower 26 



Celery 26 



Corn (green) 27 



Cucumbers.. 27 



Eggplants 28 



Endive or escarole 28 



Garlic (dry) 28 



Horseradish 28 



Jerusalem-artichoke.. 28 



Leeks (green). 29 



Lettuce 29 



Melons 29 



Mushrooms 30 



Onions and onion sets 30 



Parsnips 31 



Peas (green) 31 



Peppers 31 



Potatoes 32 



Pumpkins 33 



Radishes (winter) 33 



Rhubarb 33 



Rutabagas 33 



Salsify.. 33 



Spinach 33 



Squashes 34 



Sweetpotatoes 34 



Tomatoes 34 



Turnips 35 



Frozen vegetables 35 



Cut flowers, florists' greens, rhizomes, tubers, 



conns, and bulbs 35 



Cut flowers 36 



Florists' greens 38 



Rhizomes, tubers, and corms... 39 



Bulbs 39 



Literature cited 40 



INTRODUCTION 



The purpose of this circular is to present a series of brief sum- 

 maries of the essential average storage requirements of most of 

 the more important varieties of fresh fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, 

 and certain other perishable commodities which enter the market 

 on a commercial scale. Many details are of necessity omitted, as 

 the work is intended primarily for general practical reference. The 

 conditions given should not be considered as absolute or final, but 

 rather as the safe limitations under which the various products can 

 ordinarily be stored. Detailed information on the handling and 

 storage of some of the commodities discussed is available elsewhere 



29181°— 38 1 1 



