40O 



Cold Storage of Pears. 



long exposure to the air of the storage room causes the fruit to 

 wilt. 



It was found that the pears kept very much better and for a 

 longer time if each fruit was separately wrapped up in some 

 kind of paper, and the advantage of the wrapper was more 

 marked as the season progressed. Early in the season the 

 influence of the wrapper is not so important, but if the fruit is to 

 be stored until late spring the wrapper keeps the fruit firmer 

 and brighter. It prevents the spread of fungus spores from one 

 fruit to another and thereby reduces the amount of decay. It 

 checks the accumulation of mould on the stem and calyx, and 

 in light-coloured fruits it prevents bruising and the discolor- 

 ation which usually follows. 



But little difference was observed in the efficiency of tissue, 

 parchment, unprinted newspaper, and waxed paper as wrappers, 

 except that a large amount of mould was developed on the 

 parchment wrappers at a temperature of 36 degrees Fahrenheit. 

 A double wrapper proved more efficient for long keeping than a 

 single one, and a satisfactory combination was found to consist 

 of an absorbent, unprinted newspaper next to the fruit, with a 

 more impervious paraffin wrapper outside. 



The chief advantage of the wrapper for the Bartlett pear, 

 which is usually stored for a short time only, lies in the 

 mechanical protection to the fruit rather than in its efficiency in 

 prolonging its season. Its use for this purpose is advisable if 

 the fruit is of superior grade and designed for a first-class trade. 

 For the late varieties the wrapper presents the same advantages, 

 and has an additional value in increasing the commercial life of 

 the fruit. It is especially efficient, if the package is not tight, in 

 lessening the wilting. 



Much of the loss in quality of pears when stored may be 

 attributed to their over-ripeness, owing to the fruit being stored 

 for an undue length of time. The quality is also injured by- 

 impure air in the storage rooms. If placed in a room in which 

 there are odours from other products stored there, the pears 

 may absorb them and become tainted. The summer varieties, 

 being generally warm when stored, are especially liable to 

 contamination in this way. The air of the storage room should 

 therefore be kept sweet by proper ventilation. 



