12 



However, " full eating-soft condition " is not what is wanted in 

 apples withdrawn from storage for sale to retailers and by them to 

 the consumer. The dealer would ordinarily require 2 days to a week 

 for disposing of such apples. In determining when to remove 

 apples from storage he must of course consider the market, but he 

 must also allow for the more rapid softening that takes place at 

 the higher temperatures to which they will usually be removed. 



Investigations by the United States Department of Agriculture 

 (IS) have shown that apples soften approximately twice as fast at 

 70° as at 50°F., twice as fast at 50° as at 40°, and about twice as 

 fast at 40° as at 32°. It is advisable, therefore to consider the safe 

 storage period, that is, the period which is safe from the commer- 

 cial point of view, as about 2 weeks to a month shorter than those 

 given in the tabulation above. 



Apples in cold storage should be inspected frequently, in order 

 that they may be removed and sold while still in good condition. 

 It is highly desirable that apples intended for storage be wrapped 

 in oiled paper or packed in shredded oiled paper, in order to reduce 

 damage by scald as much as possible (1). Apples should not be 

 stored in the same room with potatoes because of the danger that 

 the former will absorb undesirable odors. 



APRICOTS 



Short storage only. See plums. 



BANANAS 



(Temperature, ripening. 62° to 70° F. ; storage, ripe, 56° F. ; relative humidity, 80 to 95 



percent) 



The banana is one of the fruits that must be shipped to market 

 in a green condition, as the ripened product is soft in texture and 

 cannot well be handled without serious injury. The bunches of green 

 bananas as they are received from the Tropics are usually ripened 

 at a temperature of 62° to 64° F., with a relative humidity of 90 to 

 95 percent. If it is desired to hasten the ripening process a higher 

 temperature can be used (up to 70°) for the first 18 to 24 hours, but 

 the relative humidity should be kept at 90 to 95 percent until the 

 fruit becomes thoroughly colored. After this the temperature should 

 be lowered to 66° and the relative humidity to 80 percent, since with 

 prolonged high humidity the individual fruits will tend to weaken 

 at the stem ends. A much lower humidity will cause undue shrink- 

 age, poor color, and slow ripening. Prolonged exposure to high 

 temperatures will cause poor color and also hasten decay. 



The lowest temperature at which green bananas can safely be held 

 in order to delay ripening is about 56° ; below this, bananas suffer 

 an injury known as chilling, which prevents their ripening properly 

 when later removed to a suitable temperature, and sometimes results 

 in discolored spots on the skin. The best holding temperature for 

 ripe bananas is generally considered to be 56°, at which they should 

 keep satisfactorily for a week to 10 days. 



BLACKBERRIES 



Short storage only. See raspberries. 



