McIntTosH 
McIntosh appears to be almost immune to storage scald; conse- 
quently it is not essential to leave the fruit on the tree until late in order 
to obtain good storage quality. As high color commands a premium, 
the variety should be left on the tree long enough to attain this color. 
McIntosh is not susceptible to water core. It has, however, a notice- 
able tendency to loosen and drop from the tree frequently even before 
prime picking maturity has been reached. This tendency can be over- 
come partially by applying harvest sprays for the prevention of 
dropping. 
Data (4, 14, 19)® relative to the period elapsing from date of bloom 
to maturity of McIntosh are rather consistent. They indicate that the 
minimum period is about 130 days from bloom, with optimum maturity 
generally between 135 and 140 days from bloom. Within these limits 
picking may be determined by the development of red color and the 
firmness of the fruit. If the fruit is poorly colored, picking may be 
delayed provided the fruit is holding on the tree satisfactorily and the 
firmness does not drop below 15 to 14 pounds’ pressure. 
NorTHERN Spy 
Northern Spy, like the McIntosh, is not susceptible to storage scald, 
and in the northern districts where it is generally grown it does not 
usually develop water core. It is, however, susceptible to bitter pit 
and early picking should be avoided. Fruit of this variety usually 
holds to the tree well and so may be allowed to remain rather late in 
order to get the best color development. 
In the districts where there are cool growing seasons, to which the 
Northern Spy is best adapted, the fruit may be handled in common 
storage with very good results. If fruit is to be held in common 
storage ane should be delayed as late as possible, since the fruit 
softens [ess and is less subject to bitter pit while on the tree than in 
storage at prevailing temperatures. Color and the marketability of 
the fruit are also improved by late picking. For cold storage the 
variety may be picked whenever the color is satisfactory. 
If Northern Spy is picked while very soft, it is essential that it be 
handled carefully in order to avoid bruising. If the fruit is suff- 
ciently mature to show a pressure test under 16 pounds, it is often 
very severely bruised. Limited results indicate that this variety 
requires 145 to 150 days from bloom to maturity. 
RHopE IsLAND GREENING 
Rhode Island Greening scalds badly in storage, and the commercial 
cold-storage life of the variety is largely limited by this trouble. 
As the variety is green and there is no incentive for leaving it on the 
tree in order to obtain color, it is generally picked relatively early in 
the districts where it is grown. Undoubtedly this variety is often 
picked in a somewhat more immature condition than is most suitable 
for storage, particularly considering its extreme susceptibility to 
storage scald when picked at an immature stage. It is now generally 
» See footnote 2, p. 2. 
17 
