STORAGE OF APPLES IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST. o1 
shipped or stored. The delay period selected for the experimental 
lots is not excessively long, therefore, and is entirely representative 
of delay under commercial conditions. Much of the delay of com- 
mercially handled fruit is unavoidable, but a great deal of it could 
be eliminated by a reasonable modification of orchard and packing- 
house methods. When it is impossible for a grower to store or ship 
his fruit promptly after it is picked, he should hold it at the lowest 
temperature available. A common storage room in which the fruit 
temperatures may be reduced by the cooler night air, and which is 
sufficiently insulated to maintain this lower temperature during the 
day, is a valuable adjunct to any orchard and is becoming increas- 
ingly necessary in handling the apple crop. In brief, the grower 
should keep clearly in mind the fact that the higher the temperature 
at which his fruit is held after it is picked, the more rapid will be its 
ripening and deterioration. 
With the longer keeping varieties, such as Winesap, the effect of a 
delay prior to storage is not as marked as with the earlier, shorter 
lived ones, and may not be noticeable during the first part of the stor- 
age season. As the fruit advances in its storage life, the differences 
between immediately stored and delayed lots become greater, and the 
injurious effect of the delay becomes apparent. With the Jonathan, 
on the other hand, consistent and striking differences usually are 
noticeable before the fruit has been in storage two months. The ex- 
cessive amount of Jonathan spot, or “arsenic spot,” following de- 
layed storage, is especially pronounced in this variety, and it is very 
evident that prompt storage is an important factor in retarding the 
development of this trouble. 
THE EFFECT OF STORAGE TEMPERATURES. 
For successful long storage northwestern-grown apples should be 
held at the lowest temperature possible without danger of freezing. 
A temperature between 31° and 32° F. is accepted generally as the 
most favorable for successful storage. Although the exact freezing 
point of apples has not been definitely determined and may vary with 
different varieties and conditions of growth, etc., it is known to be 
2 or 3 degrees lower than this. Thirty-two degrees F. is the freezing 
point of distilled water, and a somewhat lower temperature is required 
to freeze a concentrated fruit juice. Unless a good continuous air 
circulation is assured in the storage room, however, 31° F. should be 
_ considered the lowest limit at which the temperature can be held 
_ with safety. The danger from pockets of colder air at the floor, the 
refrigeration pipes, or cold-air ducts renders it inadvisable to allow 
_ the temperature to drop lower unless a thorough and constant air 
circulation is assured. 
