STORAGE OF FRUITS, VEGETABLES, AND FLORISTS' STOCKS 23 



AMERICAN 

 (Temperature, 31° to 32° F. ; relative humidity, 80 to 85 percent) 



The eastern, or American, varieties of grapes, the most important of 

 which is Concord, are not adapted to long storage ; and most of them 

 do not hold up well under storage conditions for more than 3 or 4 

 weeks, depending on the variety. After that time they begin to 

 deteriorate in flavor and may suffer heavily from decay if the temper- 

 ature is not kept close to 32° F. The Catawba keeps better than most 

 other eastern varieties and, if in good condition when stored, can be 

 held for 3 to 8 weeks even in common storage in the districts where 

 this variety is grown on a commercial scale. 



Too low humidity is undesirable for grapes, since it causes shrivel- 

 ing, especially of the stems. Stock intended for storage should be 

 handled carefully to avoid cracking of the berries or loosening at the 

 cap stem, because such injuries allow juice to exude and thus furnish 

 favorable conditions for the beginning of decay. 



Muscadine grapes are shipped only short distances if at all and are 

 not known to be held in cold storage anywhere in commercial quan- 

 tities. 



(See 8,48.) 



Lemons 



(Temperature, 55° to 58° F. ; relative humidity, 85 to 90 percent) 



From the standpoint of preventing decay (blue mold rot, green 

 mold rot, and alternaria rot) in stored lemons, the lowest temperature 

 that can be used without freezing the fruit would seem to be the most 

 desirable. The difficulty is that at low temperatures certain non- 

 parasitic troubles which are fully as serious as decay develop ; among 

 these are red blotch, pitting, and membranous stain. With proper 

 humidity and at temperatures above 50° F. red blotch and pitting 

 practically never occur and membranous stain is greatly reduced. 

 The best results are usually obtained by storage at 55° to 58° in a 

 relative humidity of 85 to 90 percent. Under such conditions lemons 

 can be expected to hold up satisfactorily for periods of 1 month to 

 as long as 4 months, depending on their maturity and condition when 

 stored (11). Tree-ripened lemons, which are yellow when picked, 

 do not keep well in storage. 



It is of the utmost importance that lemons be handled carefully 

 during picking and packing in order to avoid clipper cuts, scratches, 

 and bruises and consequent damage later by green mold rot and blue 

 mold rot. The fungus that causes the latter is able to penetrate the 

 uninjured skin of lemons but is likely to cause more loss if the skin 

 of the fruit is broken at numerous places. It can also spread from 

 one fruit to another in the package and for this reason is frequently 

 referred to as "blue contact rot." Air conditioning as now used in 

 some of the lemon storage houses in California furnishes a means of 

 preventing condensation of moisture on fruit and so decreases the 

 danger of decay. 



Lemons and other citrus fruits should not be stored in the same 

 rooms with dairy products because of the readiness with which the 

 latter absorb odors. (See also p. 14.) Lemons in storage should be 



