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AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BOTANY 
[Vol. 9 
cember 9. These berries were stored in barrels under the same conditions. 
The early-picked berries were in water not over 2| days; the late-picked 
were in water 3-5 days. Notwithstanding this, the late-picked berries 
show a lower percentage of spoilage than the early-picked. Two barrels 
of the former showed 31.1 and 37.4 percent while the latter showed 54.4 
percent of spoilage. The greater injury in the case of the early-picked 
berries is probably due to the higher respiration rate of these berries. 
Methods of Drying in Relation to Spoilage 
A large, if not the greater, part of the loss in cranberries after harvest 
is due to rot-producing fungi. The conditions favoring their development 
are not well understood. The prevalence of these fungi varies in different 
seasons, with different varieties, on different bogs, and even on different 
parts of the same bog. There seems to be a definite correlation with weather 
conditions, particularly with humidity. Because of the possibility of 
infection by fungi whenever sufficient moisture is present, water-raking may 
cause greater loss by decay of the berries after harvest than would be the 
case if they were dry-raked. Any difference in this respect between water- 
raked and dry-raked berries depends to some extent upon weather con- 
ditions. If there is danger of frost, the bog must be flooded whether the 
berries are to be water-raked or dry-raked. The only difference is that for 
the latter the water is withdrawn and the vines are allowed to become 
completely dry before the berries are raked. In this way complete drying 
is insured. In water-raking this may not be true, even with good drying 
conditions, unless care is taken. With poor drying conditions the berries 
may remain several days before becoming sufficiently dry to be taken into 
the storage house. In some instances the berries may be placed in drying 
crates and be taken at once into the storage house instead of being left 
outside to dry as is usual. In either case the period during which condi- 
tions are favorable for infection by fungi is greatly lengthened, and greater 
loss by fruit rots results. 
Storage Conditions in Relation to Spoilage 
This problem has been discussed by Shear and associates (4). Since all 
conditions which apply to dry-raked berries apply also to water-raked, 
it need not be treated at length here. The importance of keeping the 
berries dry during storage and in shipping is pointed out by these writers 
(p. 8). They also state that cranberries should be picked dry, as does 
Franklin (2, p. 216). None of the experiments described, however, show 
that picking wet is the cause of spoilage. The berries were not dried after 
picking but were placed in boxes and stored in a wet condition. Under 
these circumstances the increased spoilage must be attributed, largely at 
least, to increased infection by fungi as a result of slow or incomplete drying. 
This is confirmed by the following statement of Franklin (p. 203) : 
