showed these standards to be reliable enough for field trials, 



Sullivan Elberta - The tentative standards for maturity of Sullivan Elberta 

 peaches in terras of pressure-test readings suggested in 1953 were l5«5 pounds 

 or less on the suture and an average of 17 e^ pounds or less on the cheeks. 

 The x/ork in 195U shox-ied that fruit from the early pickings testing 1^.5 

 pounds or above on the suture or 17 .^ pounds or above on the cheeks were 

 immature by both subjective tests and ripening response. Because of this^ 

 it is suggested that the pressure=test standards for maturity be changed to 

 l5oO pounds or less on the suture and an average of 17 oO pounds or less on 

 the cheeks o However^ fru.it picked several days later in the commercial 

 season T-dth pressure-test readings of l5o5 pounds on the cheeks or 17 o5 

 pounds on the suture^, while still appearing iriTriis-ture by subjective tests^ 

 often ripened in 8 days or less to at least an acceptable flavor, 



Elberta -= VJhen successive pickings of Elberta peaches are made at intervals 

 of 2 or 3 days from the same trees^ there is a progressive change in the 

 ground color from green to light green to yellow. Similarly there are pro- 

 gressive increases in the surface blush, in the filling out of the shoulders, 

 and in the size of the fruit o Inside the peach there are a progressive 

 decrease of the granular appearance of the broken flesh and^ in many years, 

 increases in pit freedom and the red coloration of the pit and pit cavity, 

 Tliese changes are usually adequate to enable an experienced individual to 

 separate fruit of medium or advanced maturity from imma.ture fruit „ Hovrever, 

 these subjective tests are not adequate for separating immature fruit from 

 finiit of borderline maturity and usually any fruit that shox-js a "break in 

 color" or a slight fading of the dark«=.green ground color is scored as mature. 

 An additional consistent objective test would be welcomed by the inspector 

 since it would substantiate his grading and make the scorings for immaturity 

 more uniform in different packing sheds o 



Tlie tentative standards for maturity of Elberta peaches in terms of pressure-test 

 readings suggested in 19^3 were lij-oO pounds or less on the suture and an 

 average of l6oO pounds or less on the cheekso The work in 19$h indicated that 

 these standards should be changed to lUo^ pounds or less on the suture and an 

 average of l6o5 pounds or less on the cheeks, since fruit as firm as this 

 ripened in 8 days or less to an acceptable flavor, 



DISCUSSION 



The pressure-test standards for riiaturity suggested for the 8 varieties studied 

 are surrimariaed in Table 1. The varieties differ somewhat in the firmness at 

 which they should be picked. The best approximation for a common pressure-test 

 standard that could be used for all the varieties studied, if such a standard 

 is desired, would be llie5 pounds or less on the suture or an average of l6,5 

 pounds or less on the cheeks. 



