'^Circular No. 579 



January 1941 • Washington, D. C 



UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



Nj 



The Relation of Firmness to Ripeness of 

 Eastern-Grown Apples 



By M. H. Hauler, associate nomologist, J. M. Ltjtz, assistant physiologist, and 

 E. D. Maluson, associate horticulturist, Division of Fruit and Vegetable Crops 

 and Diseases, Bureau of Plant Industry x 



CONTENTS 



Introduction 



Materials and methods 



Presentation of results 



Arkansas (Black Twig). 



Ben Davis 



Bonum 



Delicious 



Golden Delicious 



Grimes Golden 



Jonathan 



Oldenburg (Duchess)— 



Page 



1 



4 



5 



6 



6 



8 



9 



10 



11 



12 



12 



Presentation of results— Continued. 



Rome Beauty 



Stayman Winesap 



Wealthy 



Williams 



Winesap 



Yellow Newtown (Albemarle Pippin) 



Yellow Transparent 



York Imperial 



Discussion 



Summary and conclusions 



Page 

 13 

 15 

 15 

 16 

 17 

 17 

 19 

 19 

 20 

 21 



INTRODUCTION 



Apples that are inspected for condition by marketing specialists 

 of the Agricultural Marketing Service are rated as to ripeness in 

 accordance with definitions given in the United States Standards 

 for Apples. 2 In this publication there are defined four stages of 

 ripeness through which an apple passes after it has become mature 

 and before it becomes overripe. These are as follows : 



(a) "Hard" means apples with tenacious flesh and starchy flavor. Apples at 

 this stage are suitable for storage and long-distance shipment. 



(&) "Firm" means apples with tenacious flesh but becoming crisp with a 

 slight starchy flavor, except the Delicious variety. Apples at this stage are 

 also suitable for storage and long-distance shipment. 



(c) "Firm ripe" means with crisp flesh except that in apples of the Gano, 

 Ben Davis, and Rome Beauty varieties the flesh may be slightly mealy. Apples 

 at this stage may be shipped long distances but should be moved into consump- 

 tion within a short period of time. 



(d) "Ripe" means mealy and soon to become soft for the variety. Apples 

 at this stage should be moved immediately into consumption. 



2. "Overripe" means dead ripe, very mealy or soft, past commercial utility. 



1 Acknowledgment is made to M. E. Smith, R. L. Spangler, and others of the Agricultural 

 Marketing Service, ^vho rated many of the lots of apples for stage of ripeness. 



2 United States Bureau of Agricultural Economics, united states standards for 

 apples. U. S. Bur. Agr. Econ. Serv. and Regulat. Announc. 154, 8 pp. 1937. 



250413°— 40 1 



