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CIRCULAR 74 0, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



SEGREGATING TO AVOID SOFT SCALD 



Development of soft scald in Jonathans and other varieties of 

 apples, including Winesaps, is erratic and unpredictable. It usually 

 can be traced to a quick reduction in fruit temperature to 30° to 32° F. 

 when the fruit is somewhat advanced in maturity or is delayed at 

 relatively high temperatures after picking before going into storage. 

 When such delays are unavoidable, the disorder may be prevented 

 by holding the fruit at 36°, or slightly above, for the first few weeks 

 of storage. When it is impossible to get susceptible varieties into cold 

 storage promptly, they should not be cooled to the 30° to 32° range 



Figuee 19. — Lines painted on the floor as a guide in stacking packages facilitate 

 warehousing and help in providing uniform spaces for the movement of cold 

 air through the stored fruit. 



generally recommended for apples but only to a moderate temperature 

 (36°) and segregated for early disposal. It is therefore highly de- 

 sirable to avoid putting them in the same room with a variety like 

 Delicious, which should be held at 30° to 32°. Storage in separate 

 rooms in which the temperature can be controlled independently is 

 desirable. The fruit will not keep so long at this higher temperature, 

 but the risk from soft scald will be avoided. 



STACKING PACKAGES 



Lines are ordinarily painted on the floor of storage rooms (fig. 19) 

 to indicate the spaces for placing rows of boxes and to facilitate even 



