HANDLING APPLES FROM TREE TO TABLE 21 



serious on apples held at warm temperatures. Ordinarily its pres- 

 ence is an indication that the apples are ripe or well advanced toward 

 full ripeness and that their further potential storage life is not long. 

 It can be prevented almost entirely by picking the apples at the 

 proper stage of maturity and storing them promptly at a tempera- 

 ture of 30° to 32° F. The greater the delay in reaching cold storage 

 the more serious the disease. Storage at temperatures higher than 

 the range 30° to 32° tends to increase the severity of the disease. 



WATER CORE 



Water core is a functional disease that appears in the apples before 

 harvest and gives the flesh a water-soaked or glassy appearance due 

 to the gorging of the tissues and intercellular spaces with sap (fig. 

 9, J.). Since it usually becomes worse as the apples reach maturity, 

 its appearance sometimes causes growers to pick the fruit earlier 

 than would otherwise be desirable. It is usually most severe on the 

 highly colored and most exposed apples in the tops of the trees, 

 while the poorly colored shaded fruit may be entirely free. 



When water core extends to the skin of the apple it is easily de- 

 tectable and such fruit is seldom packed. However, it is often hard 

 to detect slight water core, especially if it does not come to the skin, 

 and consequently affected apples sometimes get into storage uninten- 

 tionally. Growers who are not aware of the hazard likewise may store 

 water-cored crops. 



Since water core predisposes apples to internal break-down (fig. 

 9, B). it is always hazardous to store affected fruit for late market- 

 ing. Slight water core in the long-season, hard-textured varieties, 

 Winesap and Yellow Xewtown particularly, may disappear in 

 storage without leaving any trace; but in the shorter season, softer 

 varieties, even slight water core is usually followed by internal 

 break-down, and this almost always happens with more severe water 

 core in even the harder varieties. 



INTERNAL BREAK-DOWN 



Internal break-down is a senility disorder that marks the end 

 of the storage life of apples. It is characterized by brownish 

 discoloration of the flesh, development of mealiness, and loss of flavor. 

 in advanced stages the skin of the apple cracks as though from 

 internal pressure and one can easily press the thumb deep into the 

 flesh. In earlier stages, however, there may be no outward symptoms 

 except possibly a dull color of the skin, often confined to the affected 

 area. Upon cutting, however, a brown discoloration will be found 

 in the flesh (fig. 9, B), sometimes only in the core region, sometimes 

 throughout the whole interior, and sometimes localized on only one 

 side of the fruit. Sometimes, also, the break-down will be found at 

 severe bruises. In such cases it doubtless is due to the localized 

 stimulation of respiration, which follows the injury. This is another 

 reason for careful handling to avoid bad bruises or for sorting out 

 badly bruised apples. 



Since internal break-down is a senility disease, its presence in a 

 storage lot can ordinarily be taken as an indication that the apples 

 either were overmature when picked or have become overripe in 



