COMMERCIAL STORAGE OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES 31 



individual stacks separated by a few inches of space to allow for air 

 circulation. When kept in common storage, onions are best stored 

 in slat field crates holding about 1 bushel, rather than in bags. Be- 

 fore being placed in storage onions should be well dried or cured in 

 the field for a period of 4 to 6 weeks and all decayed specimens or 

 those showing thick or "bottle" necks should be sorted out. 



Onion sets are usually held in common storage. They require 

 nearly the same conditions as large onions and are best stored in 

 shallow slat-bottom crates or trays not over 4 inches deep and about 

 5 by 5 feet in some districts or 2 by 3 feet in others. The corner 

 posts of the crates should project about an inch above the side pieces 

 in order to prevent the crates from resting tightly on each other when 

 stacked and to allow air circulation between them. Because of their 

 size, onion sets tend to pack closely in the crates; hence it is essen- 

 tial to allow as much air circulation as possible and to maintain a 

 comparatively low humidity. 



PARSNIPS 



(Temperature, 32° F.; relative humidity, 90 to 95 percent) 



Parsnips have nearly the same storage requirements as carrots 

 and should keep for 2 to 4 months. They are not injured by slight 

 freezing while in storage but should be protected from hard freezing 

 and should be very carefully handled while in a frozen condition. 

 Parsnips dry out readily in storage; hence it is essential that the 

 humidity of the storage place be kept relatively high. Parsnips are 

 sometimes stored in sand or clean soil to prevent wilting, but they 

 will keep in good condition when held in barrels or crates if the 

 proper humidity is maintained. 



PEAS (GREEN) 



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



Much the same storage conditions are required for green peas as 

 for beans. Shortly after being picked, green peas tend to lose part 

 of their sugar content on which much of their flavor depends. They 

 cannot be expected to keep in salable condition for more than 1 to 3 

 weeks unless packed in crushed ice, in which condition the storage 

 period may be extended perhaps a week. Peas keep better unshelled 

 than shelled. 



PEPPERS 



CHILI PEPPERS (DRY) 

 (Temperature, see text; relative humidity, 70 to 75 percent) 



Chili peppers are usually picked when ripe and then dried and 

 allowed to equalize in moisture content in covered piles. Water is 

 usually added to the peppers after drying, and as a result they 

 become less brittle. They are then packed tightly by tamping into 

 sacks holding 200 to 300 pounds and stored in warehouses for a 

 period often lasting for 6 to 9 months. 



The temperature of the warehouses depends to some extent on their 

 construction and the way in which they are managed but chiefly 

 on the outside temperature. In southern California, where a large 

 part of the commercial crop of Chili peppers is produced, the outside 

 temperature ranges from 50° to 80° F. during the usual storage 

 period. 



