STORAGE, RESPIRATION, AND GROWTH. IL, 
were examined during this period. The influence of temperature, 
quantity of acid present in the fruit, variety of apple, and the effect 
of quartering the apples on the intensity of respiration and on the 
respiratory quotient are described. Apples respire more rapidly at 
30° and at 33° than at 18° C. Apples relatively high in acid respire 
more rapidly and have a higher respiratory quotient than apples low 
inacid. The influence of cutting the apple into quarters is to increase 
the intensity of respiration and’ respiratory quotient. 
Similar researches were carried out with grapes, citrus fruits, 
almonds, peaches, plums, and apricots. The existence of a respira- 
tory quotient greater than unity due to the combustion of acids is 
considered by the author to be established, and numerous conclusions 
concerning the effect of various factors on the function are given. 
Work with molds is described, the respiratory quotient of these 
organisms growing on different media being determined, and the 
results are believed to furnish direct support to the conclusions 
which the author has drawn from his work with fruits. 
Other fruits, Japanese persimmons (Diospyrus khaki zend)1), bananas, 
sorbes (Sorbus domestica), and medlars (Jlespilus germanica) were now 
examined by the method of the author. In persimmons tannin is 
believed to disappear by direct combustion, with no formation of 
sugar, this conclusion, however, depending on the results of an analy- 
sis of a single persimmon. 
The conclusion reached with the acid fruits, that the combustion of 
the acids is reponsible for the excess of carbon dioxid given off over 
oxygen consumed, possesses a certain probability merely because of the 
uniformity of the results obtained with a wide range of varieties of acid 
fruit. Gerber’s work is valuable as sugeesting certain auxiliary work 
that may be carried on in connection with the chemicai work necessary 
to the study of the ripening of fruit. His theories should be considered 
as hypotheses which must be confirmed by suitable scientific methods 
before they can be seriously regarded. Such data should be consid- 
ered as indications of facts only. The number of individual speci- 
mens in the samples examined and the methods employed do not 
warrant that any greater weight be given to the data. At the same 
time it is shown that the examination of the respiratory changes in 
fruits is easily made, and that fruits of different varieties and different 
degrees of maturity vary materially in the intensity of their respira- 
tion. The method would probably be of value in supplementing 
chemical work on growing or ripening fruits. 
From the above review it will be recognized how varied are the 
conclusions reached by workers with ripening fruits. With better 
chemical knowledge, particularly concerning sugars and starch, satis- 
factory agreements are found between the work of various modern 
authors working with apples and grapes. It must be considered that 
