118 HARVESTING, STORING, AND MARKETING 



may be specified to reduce the temperature further. Life 

 processes and changes take place very rapidly at high tempera- 

 tures, and even under refrigeration the fruit in the top layer 

 of packages in a car will go down much more rapidly than that 

 at the bottom. 



Pre-cooling, or cooling before shipment, is now practiced 

 to some extent in hot weather and for shipment to distant 

 markets. The fruit is packed quickly after picking. It is 

 cooled down to about 40° F. either in a central station or in 

 special chambers in cold storages, or by forcing cold air through 

 the packed car. The former process gives much better results 

 and is more economical. The fruit is thus reduced to a tem- 

 perature at the outset as low as or lower than would be attained 

 by former methods after the car had been long in transit. The 

 end-to-end offset style of loading bushel baskets so that the 

 weight of fruit is on the baskets rather than on the fruit is best. 

 The baskets are loaded three tiers high, giving 360 or more 

 baskets per car. About 476 Georgia carriers, loaded on their 

 sides, are placed in a car. Most railroad companies have 

 complete instructions and diagrams for loading. It is well to 

 secure and follow them. 



5. Storing. Hard and firm peaches, not overgrown, may be 

 held in cold storage for two to three weeks. Elberta has been 

 held eight weeks when stored immediately after picking, but 

 the risk is great. If held too long, the fruit loses flavor and 

 in any case must be consumed quickly after removal from 

 storage. The proper storage temperature is from 30 to 32° F. 



Owing to the progressive ripening from south to north of all 

 varieties, the storage of peaches seldom presents an advantage. 

 In past years this practice had merit in giving the grower an 

 opportunity to wait for a favorable market. This advantage 

 is almost entirely dissipated now as the various sections pro- 

 vide a continuous supply throughout the season. 



6. Canning and Drying. Canning factories take large 

 quantities of peaches in some Eastern sections. In California 

 the fruit is both canned and dried. Most of the work is done 



