COMMERCIAL STORAGE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 27 



34° to 36° F. For this reason celery intended for storage should be 

 free from decay so far as can be determined by reasonably careful 

 examination, and if held only in rooms where a uniformly low tem- 

 perature can be maintained, it should keep for 2 to 4 months^ It 

 is best stored at a temperature of 31° or 32° F., with a humidity high 

 enough to prevent wilting (90 to 95 percent), and with sufficient air 

 circulation to keep the temperatures at the top and bottom of the 

 room as nearly equal as possible. Considerable heat is given off by 

 celery because of active respiration, and the air at the top of a storage 

 room is likely to be 3° to 4° warmer than at the bottom unless special 

 precautions are taken to avoid such a condition. Air circulation can 

 be maintained around the crates by using 1- by 2- or 2- by 2-inch 

 dunnage strips between the crates, which should be stacked so as not 

 to touch at the sides. 



Celery should not be piled more than four crates high in storage; 

 otherwise there is danger of overheating even with stock that is in 

 prime condition. If it is piled 5 to 8 crates high, as is sometimes 

 done, the room should be watched carefully to see that overheating 

 does not occur. 



Some growth takes place in celery while in storage. The central 

 stalks lengthen considerably, obtaining their food at the expense of 

 the outer stalks and the roots. Blanching of the stalks also takes 

 place in most varieties that are put into storage. Some celery is 

 trimmed and washed as it comes from storage, but probably the 

 larger part is shipped out in the original crates in which it was 

 received (45). 



CORN (GREEN) 



(Temperature, 31° to 32° F.; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



Green corn is seldom stored, although there are occasions during 

 the southern shipping season when it may be desirable to put an 

 excess supply of this. commodity temporarily into cold storage; how- 

 ever, storage for more than a few days is liable to result in some 

 impairment of flavor. The sugar content which so largely determines 

 quality in this product and which rapidly decreases at ordinary tem- 

 peratures is not greatly reduced. In order to keep this loss of sugar 

 to a minimum and preserve the flavor, corn in the husks as it comes 

 from the field for consumption in the fresh state should be cooled 

 down about 32° F. as quickly as possible. This is best accomplished 

 by submerging it in tanks of ice water for at least 30 minutes immedi- 

 ately after removal from the field. 



Corn should not be handled in bulk because of its tendency to heat 

 but should be put in baskets or crates which allow air circulation, in 

 order to remove field heat and heat produced by respiration. This 

 commodity as it usually arrives on the market should not be expected 

 to keep satisfactorily in cold storage for more than 4 to 8 days. 



CUCUMBERS 



(Temperature, 45° to 50° F.; relative humidity, 80 to 85 percent) 



Cucumbers are usually held in storage for only short periods and 

 cannot be expected to keep satisfactorily for much over 10 to 14 days. 

 The most favorable storage temperature range seems to be between 

 45° and 50° F., with a relative humidity of about 85 percent. When 

 cucumbers are held for longer periods than recommended at 45° or 



