38 



BULLETIN" 1406, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



r 

 i 



storage 

 soft. 





The data on the softening of the fruit of several varieties while in 

 storage at 32° F. are shown in Figure 24. It is apparent from the 

 data presented that the softening of these particular varieties while 

 on the tree was not appreciably more rapid than that which occurred 

 in storage at 32°. Also, there was no appreciable difference in the 

 rate of softening between early and late picked fruit held from the 

 time of picking at 32° F. Thus, at any particular time during the 

 storage season there was no appreciable difference between the firm- 

 ness of the commercially picked and the late-picked fruit in storage 

 at 32°. In nearly all cases the late-picked fruit was slightly firmer 

 at any particular time than that picked during the commercial season. 

 In Figure 25 is shown the rate of softening of medium and late- 

 picked Winesap apples when held in storage from time of picking at 

 40°, 50°, and 70° F. In Figure 26 is shown the rate of softening of 

 Washington-grown Stayman Winesap apples picked at four different 



intervals and held in 

 at 70° until 

 It is apparent 

 from the data presented 

 in Figures 25 and 26 

 that at the higher tem- 

 peratures late - picked 

 fruit softens somewhat 

 more rapidly than the 

 earlier picked fruit. In 

 Figure 25, for example, 

 the first-picked Wine- 

 saps required 30 days 

 to reach a 12-pound 

 test, which represents 

 prime eating condition 

 in this variety, when 

 held at 70°. Fruit 



Fig. 23. — Rate of softening of Ben Davis and Wine- r>ir>lrArl 90 rlavc: Iqtpt* 



sap apples held continuously from time of picking r ltlvcu *)> u<*v& ldici 



at temperatures of 40°, 50°. and 70° F.. compared was equally SOlt after 



with rate of softening in similar fruit held for a i +!,„« OO ^„, 7 o' V>^M 



period at 32°, then stored at 40°, 50°, and 70° F. l^SS man ZU days nola- 



ing at 70°. At 50° the 

 late-picked fruit was in prime eating condition as soon as the earlier 

 picked fruit, though there was 20 days' difference in time of picking 

 and practically no difference in the firmness of the fruit at the two 

 picking dates. At 40°, also, the late-picked fruit reached prime 

 eating condition slightly ahead of that picked 20 days earlier. The 

 data for Stayman Winesap shown in Figure 26 give a similar result. 

 There was not a great variation in the firmness of the fruit at the 

 date of the different pickings, although they were obtained from 

 the same trees. The first picking held at 70° required 16 days to 

 reach a pressure test of 12 pounds; the second required 12 days to 

 reach this same degree of softness ; the third 12 days ; and the fourth, 

 which tested practically the same as the first when removed from 

 the trees, showed a test of 12 pounds at the end of 9 daj^s. Appar- 

 ently the later picked fruit softened more rapidly at 70° than the 

 early-picked fruit from the same trees. Similar data for other varie- 

 ties have been obtained. It is evident that while late picking did 



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