STORAGE OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND FLORISTS' STOCKS 21 



Halawy, Khadrawy, Zahidi, and Saidy dates are all of the invert- 

 sugar type, and the cured grades can be kept until Christmas at 28° 

 to 32° F. without forming sugar spots but require a temperature of 

 18° or lower if stored until March. Noncured grades of these varieties 

 require 0° to 10° for even short storage. After Christmas it is well 

 to shift all dates of the invert-sugar type remaining in storage to 

 "freezers" at 0° to 10° (S). 



Dewberries 

 Short storage only. See Raspberries. 



Figs (Fresh) 



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



Fresh figs in storage require a temperature of 31° to 32° F. and a 

 relative humidity of 85 to 90 percent, but even under these conditions 

 they cannot be expected to keep satisfactorily for more than about 10 

 days. 



Grapefruit 



(Temperature, see text; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



Storage rooms for grapefruit should have a relative humidity of 85 

 to 90 percent. Lower humidities are favorable to pitting, and higher 

 ones may increase decay. 



For short-time storage, grapefruit can be held satisfactorily at a 

 temperature of 32° F. For longer periods the temperature to be used 

 will depend on the character of the fruit and the troubles most likely 

 to be encountered. For fruit grown in sections where stem-end rot 

 is prevalent, this disease is likely to be the determining factor ; it will 

 generally be advisable to use a comparatively low temperature range 

 (32° to 34°). On the other hand if the fruit is grown in sections 

 where stem-end rot is not prevalent, the limiting factors are likely to 

 be storage pitting and watery break-down, which develop most seri- 

 ously at temperatures of 40° or lower. For fruit from these sections a 

 temperature of 45° to 55° is satisfactory, and the more rapid develop- 

 ment of undesirable high color and the increase in blue mold and green 

 mold rots at the higher temperatures have not been found as objec- 

 tionable on such fruits as the pitting that results from storage at lower 

 temperatures. 



Sound fruit that is not overmature or likely to suffer from stem- 

 end rot can usually be held for 6 weeks without serious spoilage at 

 the higher temperature mentioned above, and this storage period can 

 sometimes be doubled with satisfactory results. Weak or overmature 

 fruit requires close watching from the time it is removed from the 

 tree, regardless of storage conditions. 



The percentage of stem-end rot in Florida and Texas grapefruit 

 will be greatly reduced if the fruit is properly treated with borax or 

 sodium metaborate, pulled from the tree instead of being clipped 

 {112), and precooled before being shipped. The disbuttoning that 

 may occur during handling and packing is also effective in reducing 

 loss from stem -end rot. As compared with stem-end rot, blue mold 

 and green mold rots are relatively less important on Florida grape- 



