The standards suggested were set up raore or less arbitrarily, depending on the 

 length of time required for peaches that appeared to be mature to ripen. It 

 has been emphasized that those proposed represent the minimura standards for 

 iois.turity. A standard based on firmness must be high enough to allow for the 

 normal variation in comraercial lots and yet sufficiently low to remove the 

 vforst of the immature fruit. If in a given lot as much as 50 percent of the 

 peaches test lUoS pounds on the suture or an average of 16.^ pounds on the 

 cheeks the fruit would undoubtedly have poor quality when ripenedo Certain- 

 ly peaches of this firmness could be allowed to rems.in on the trees somewhat 

 longer and still be firm enough for long-distance shipment. 



However, in most comraercial samples there is a wide range in firmness of the 

 finiit at harvest. Therefore, it is probable that any sample having as high 

 as 50 percent of the peaches on the borderline of maturity also would have 

 over 10 percent of the fruit with pressure=test readings above the standard 

 and would be scored immature. The standards can be made more stringent if 

 the peach industry desires. However, a standard would be of little value if 

 the pickers in the orchard and the graders in the shed cannot provide fruit 

 to meet itc 



The work in 19^h was done in close cooperation with the Inspection Service, 

 l-feturity evaluations of peaches by eicperienced inspectors and maturity as 

 deterriiined by the proposed pressure-test standards were compared. The 

 scorings for immaturity as found by the two different standards were suf- 

 ficiently close to warrant further field trials by the Inspection Service of 

 the pressure tester as a supplementary measure of peach maturity© 



In the course of this work data which shox>r the relation between the pressure- 

 test readings at harvest of peaches of different maturities and the times 

 required for them to ripen at room temperature were also obtained (Table 2)o 

 This information is of value to those interested in marketing peaches in an 

 advanced stage of maturity, since it gives a measure of the potential life 

 of peaches picked at different degrees of firmness. In examining the data 

 one should realize that if the ripening temperature of the peaches is lowered^ 

 by either refrigeration or hydrocooling, the time required for ripening will 

 be increased© 



In summary, the standards for maturity in terms of pressure-=test readings 

 proposed in this paper should be looked upon as supplementary, and they must 

 be used with judgment and a knowledge of the other factors that affect the 

 growth of peaches. The best evaluation of maturity in a fruit as variable 

 as the peach is, and will undoubtedly continue to be, the decision of an 

 individual eyq)erienced with peaches and having good judgment. 



