10 COLD STORAGE OF THE PEAR AND PEACH. 



that a man of ordinary prudence would exert under the circumstances 

 in protecting- the goods if they were his private property. 



It is frequently assumed that the cold-storage house in some mys- 

 terious way levels the differences that naturally exist in the fruits of 

 a given kind, causing all. the apples of a variety, for example, to keep 

 alike. No assumption, however, could be more fallacious, and it is 

 probable that no one aspect of the storage business has led to more 

 misunderstandings between the men who store fruit and the ware- 

 housemen than this unfortunate impression. Cold storage can not 

 improve the physical condition of fruit, and is in no way responsible 

 for the deterioration that may arise from improper picking, grading, 

 packing, and handling before the storage house is reached. 



Fruits of all kinds are profoundly modified by the climate, the soil, 

 the age and health of the trees, and the conditions to which they are 

 subjected during their development, and these acquired differences 

 will manifest themselves in the storage rooms just as they do in nor- 

 mal storage ripening, except that they usually appear later. 



THE PURPOSES OF FRUIT STORAGE. 



In the consideration of any storage problem it is important to pay 

 due attention not onl\ r to the influences which affect the keeping 

 quality of fruits and to the function of the cold-storage plant, but also 

 to the purpose for which the fruit is stored. The fruit dealer may not 

 alwa} r s desire to retard the development of the fruit to the greatest 

 possible extent. For the Holiday trade it may be advisable to have 

 certain varieties of apples or pears in condition for immediate con- 

 sumption during the Christmas season, though the same varieties might 

 be retarded until April if stored in a lower temperature. The 

 fruiterer who takes the fruit from the storage house to the fruit stand 

 from day to day may desire it to ripen and color considerably before 

 it leaves the storage house. The dealer, on the other hand, who stores 

 the same varieties in large quantities for export trade or for late 

 domestic markets has a different object in view, and the two distinct 

 purposes w T ould influence the storage treatment of each. 



It is equall} T important to consider the requirements of the market in 

 the storage of different fruits. The commercial use of a particular fruit 

 is limited principally to the season when people are in the habit of 

 buying it, and beyond that period the demand is restricted, unless 

 there is a failure in the supply of other fruits that normally fill the 

 market at that time. It is possible to hold many varieties of pears till 

 late winter or early spring, but the usual demand for them at that time 

 would not warrant their storage in large quantities, as apples and 

 oranges are then at the height of their season. In fact, it is doubtful 

 whether it is advisable to store pears of any kind in large quantities 



