APPLE SCALD. 29 



It should be the aim of the apple storer to remove the fruit from 

 storage before a variety normally begins to scald and to hold until 

 late in the season only those sorts that do not scald. 



INFLUENCE OF TEMPERATURE ON SCALD. 



The temperature that checks the ripening to the greatest degree 

 also retards the appearance of the scald. In some of the apple-grow- 

 ing sections it is quite generally believed that bad scalding varieties 

 should be stored in a temperature of 36° to 38° F., and that a temper- 

 ature as low as 32° F. hastens its development. The investigations of 

 the Department have shown that this impression is not well founded, 

 but on the contrary they indicate that the scald develops more freely 

 in the higher temperature. To illustrate, one lot of York Imperial 

 apples, a variety which is greatly affected by scald, had developed 

 16.9 per cent of this trouble by January 22, 1902, in a temperature of 

 36° F., while a similar lot stored in a temperature of 32° F. developed 

 only 3.4 per cent. One lot of Rhode Island Greening apples by Feb- 

 ruary 3, 1903, had developed 21 per cent in 32° F., while a similar lot, 

 in 36° F. , showed 55 per cent. In the case of the Sutton apple, inves- 

 tigation showed 25 per cent of scald in apples stored at 32°, and 42 

 per cent where the temperature was kept at 36°. 



If the fruit is stored as soon as it is picked, or is shipped in refrig- 

 erator cars or in cool weather, and if it has been handled in the most 

 careful manner, the ripening may not proceed much more rapidly and 

 the scald may not develop more freely in the higher than in the lower 

 storage temperature. 



THE TEMPERATURE IN WHICH THE FRUIT IS REMOVED FROM THE 



STORAGE-HOUSE . 



When the fruit is removed from the storage-house the scald some- 

 times develops rapidly. Its appearance at this time seems to depend 

 on at least two important conditions— the ripeness of the fruit and the 

 temperature into which it is taken. Late in the storage season the 

 scald is most severe; first, because the fruit is more mature, and, sec- 

 ond, for the reason that the warm weather prevailing at that season 

 develops it quickly. 



The development of the scald also seems to be iniluenced by the 

 amount of humidity in the air. So long as the fruit remains cold and 

 condenses the moisture of the atmosphere upon it the scald is retarded 

 more than in a dry air of the same temperature. 



The accompanying table shows the rapidity with which the scald 

 may develop on Baldwin apples when portions of the same barrel are 

 removed to different temperatures. There was no increase in the 

 amount of scald in any of the lots after nine days. 



