HANDLING APPLES FROM TREE TO TABLE 



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V 



Figure 2. — Holding apples in large compact stacks outside of a packing house 

 is not recommended. In suck piles, unprotected from sunlight and rain, 

 ripening is accelerated. 



FACTORS AFFECTING CONDITION DURING STORAGE 



The sequence of changes in the harvested fruit is much the same 

 as in apples that are allowed to remain on the tree until they become 

 overripe, mealy, and insipid; that is, even fruit harvested at the 

 proper stage of maturity will eventually become mealy and flavorless 

 if held too long or under improper storage conditions. In fact, unless 

 the fruit is placed in cold storage promptly, the approach of senility 

 is more rapid after the fruit is picked than when it is left on the tree. 

 The length of time that apples can be held in satisfactory condition 

 in storage depends on three factors: (1) Maturity at harvest, (2) the 

 storage temperature, and (3) the presence of diseases. 



Maturity at Harvest 



. Apples picked before they are sufficiently mature generally remain 

 sour and astringent even after they have ripened and, except for the 

 red bud sports, are poorly colored. They have a marked tendency to 

 wilt or shrivel and are susceptible to scald and bitter pit during 

 storage. 



The apples most often picked before they reach the proper stage 

 of maturity are the solid-color varieties, such as the Grimes Golden 

 and Yellow Newtown among the green or yellow kinds and the red 

 bud sports of the Delicious, as already mentioned. When picked at 

 the proper stage of maturity, all these rate among the best for dessert 

 quality ; but when picked too soon, they are suitable only for culinary 

 use. and the Delicious is not particularly good even for that. 



When the weather remains warm at harvesttime, particularly at 

 night, some varieties of red apples are slow to color and there is a 



