CIRCULAR 2 7 8, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Page 

 Vegetables — Continued 



Broccoli (Italian, or sprout- 

 ing) 33 



Brussels sprouts 33 



Cabbage 33 



Carrots , 34 



Cauliflower 34 



Celeriac 35 



Celery 35 



Corn (green) 36 



Cucumbers 36 



Eggplants 37 



Endive, or escarole 37 



Garlic (dry) 37 



Horseradish 37 



Jerusalem-artichokes 37 



Kohlrabi : 38 



Leeks (green) 38 



Lettuce 38 



Melons 38 



Mushrooms (cultivated) 39 



Okra 39 



Onions and onion sets 39 



Parsnips 40 



Page 



Vegetables — Continued 



Peas (green) 41 



Peppers 41 



Potatoes 41 



Pumpkins and squashes 43 



Radishes (winter) 44 



Rhubarb 44 



Rutabagas - 44 



Salsify 44 



Spinach - 44 



Squashes 44 



Sweetpotatoes 44 



Tomatoes 45 



Turnips 45 



Frozen vegetables 46 



Cut flowers, florists' greens, rhi- 

 zomes, tubers, corms, and 



bulbs 46 



Cut flowers . 48 



Florists' greens 52 



Rhizomes, tubers, and corms _ 53 



Bulbs 54 



Literature cited 54 



*^^^^^^^^ 



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 that 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 in the form of 

 bulletins or textbooks; for many of them only general information 

 exists. 



Fresh fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, etc., intended for storage 

 should be as free as possible from skin breaks, bruises, and decay. 

 They should be neither immature nor overmature, because in either 

 case it may be difficult to keep them from too rapid deterioration, 

 and even if they do not change appreciably in storage, they will not 

 be commercially desirable when removed. The proper degree of 

 maturity in each case can usually be determined by consulting the 

 various sections of this circular, or the publications listed in Liter- 

 ature Cited (p. 54), or on the basis of previous experience. There is 

 a seasonal variation, however, in the storage quality of certain prod- 

 ucts, particularly fruits ; hence care must be taken not to assume too 

 much from one year's experience concerning the probable behavior of 

 a given commodity grown the next year. 



Decay and other deterioration in storage is too broad a subject to 

 be discussed in detail in this publication. It is discussed very gener- 

 ally in connection with various fruits and vegetables covered by this 



