38 CIRCULAR 6 5 9, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



for eating out of hand, but for sauce or pie it is considered one of the 

 best. Delicious, on the other hand, is so lacking in acidity that it is not 

 adapted for most culinary uses but is the leading variety for the fruit- 

 stand trade. 



The character of the flesh of a variety when ripe is an important 

 consideration for all handlers of apples, since in general it indicates 

 the susceptibility of the fruit to bruising and how it will withstand 

 handling, especially in bulk or in the retailer's bins. Important in 

 this connection also is the color of the fruit. Those listed as "soft'' 

 in table 5 are most likely to become badly bruised, while those listed 

 as "hard" are less likely "to be damaged by ordinary handling. Those 

 marked "firm" are intermediate in this respect. As a rule varieties 

 that are solid yellow or green show bruising much more readily than 

 red or striped varieties, although actually they may not be bruised 

 to any greater extent. Consequently they have to be handled much 

 more carefully if the appearance of the apples is not to be affected. 



The marketing season indicated for the different varieties in table 5 

 is the period during which commercial supplies of these apples should 

 be at their best. If found on the market earlier the apples are likely 

 to be unsatisfactory either because of immaturity (being picked too 

 soon) or because they have not had a chance to ripen sufficiently. 

 If they are offered later than their normal marketing season they 

 may still be in good condition and may still give consumer satisfac- 

 tion if they have received exceptional care in handling and storage 

 but the hazards of their soon becoming overripe or of quick break- 

 down are greatly increased. Much of the complaint about overripeness 

 in apples is due to their being stored beyond their normal marketing 

 season. 



THE INDUSTRY'S RESPONSIBILITY 



The most practical approach to the problem of getting good apples 

 to the consumer seems to lie in a close coordination of all elements 

 in the industry to apply good handling methods at all times during 

 the marketing process according to the principles outlined herein. 

 For any such effort to succeed will doubtless require the initiative 

 to be taken by apple producers and shippers. They are not only the 

 most immediately concerned but also possess the requisite knowledge 

 and appreciation of the technical requirements in handling the apple. 

 Their business is often tied up closely with apples alone, whereas 

 to others in the trade apples are only one item of merchandise. 

 Success of such an undertaking also is dependent on sustained in- 

 dustry-wide cooperation rather than on the sporadic initiative of 

 individuals. It can perhaps best be attained through the specialized 

 organizations that have been set up for the purpose of promoting 

 the sale of apples generally. With adequate support of these organi- 

 zations by growers and shippers, and close-knit cooperation between 

 such organizations in different parts of the country particularly, 

 much could be done. Success would require an educational or demon- 

 stration program based on two fundamentals that apply to all in 

 the industry: (1) The intrinsic worth of the apple as an article of 

 diet and (2) the necessity of keeping apples in good condition to 

 maintain their intrinsic worth as food. 



