RIPENING, STORAGE, AND HANDLING OP APPLES 



15 



tures at ripening time are relatively low. The ground colors at 

 Amherst, East Lansing, and Ithaca were generally more yellow at 

 picking time than at Rosslyn or Wenatchee, particularly in the 

 Baldwin, Jonathan, and Delicious, which ripened when the weather 

 was very warm at the two latter stations. Although the Virginia 

 and Washington State apples had a greener ground color on the 

 optimum picking date than the same varieties in the districts having 

 shorter growing seasons, the fruit from the districts first mentioned 

 was softer and was dropping more than that from New York or 

 Michigan. 



The picking season at Wenatchee in 1924 was fully two weeks 

 earlier than normal. Under these conditions the early varieties 

 did not attain the yeljow ground color generally characteristic in 

 that section. It appears that when apples ripen under very warm 

 climatic conditions the green color does not disappear to the same 

 extent by the time the fruit is beginning to drop from the tree as 



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Fig. 9. — Change in firmness of flesh and size of Winesap apples, 1924 



when ripening occurs under cooler conditions. If this is true, in 

 any season when ripening occurs abnormally early the ground color 

 would seem to be a less accurate test for determining maturity than 

 during normal ripening seasons. Though the change in ground 

 color is an exceedingly valuable test for determining the time of 

 picking, the interpretation of the test will of necessity vary with 

 the different varieties and with the particular seasonal conditions. 

 Considered in conjunction with the firmness of the flesh and the 

 way the fruit is holding on the tree, however, it offers an exceed- 

 ingly valuable index to the real condition of the fruit. 



EASE OF SEPARATION FROM THE TREE 



In Table 3 are general notes on the extent of dropping at the 

 time the fruit was rated as in optimum picking condition. In prac- 

 tically all cases there was slight dropping, indicating that the fruit 

 would separate fairly readily from the tree. In certain instances, 



