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22 BULLETIN 1250, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
Storage under such conditions caused a small loss in sucrose and a 
slight lowering of the refractive index (Table 12). The results in 
Table 11 indicate that these changes occurred largely while the melons 
were in transit. 
If melons are kept at temperatures similar to those found in iced 
refrigerator cars from the time of picking, the composition of the 
juice changes little. Hence, the composition of a shipment at any — 
timé is indicative of its composition at the time of picking. When 
removed from storage and held at room temperature, the composition 
of the juice is changed. somewhat. The loss in sucrose after two 
days, however, is slight. 
EFFECT OF STORAGE ON STARCH CONTENT OF SEEDS. 
The weaker starch-iodide tests on the seeds of stored melons 
(Table 5) indicated that a loss of starch occurs during storage. 
Quantitative measurements of this change are shown in Tables 6 
and 7. For example, unstored melons with a refractive index below 
50 or a sucrose content below 4 per cent generally showed a relatively 
high starch content, in every case 0.5 per cent or more and running 
as high as 1.8 per cent. Such large percentages of starch, however, 
were not found in the stored samples. Lots 406 FH and 417 EGH 
had refractive indexes of 45.9 and 40.2, associated with starch con- 
tents of 0.4 and 0.3 per cent. 
Further evidence on this point was obtained from the experiments 
in 1919 on melons with green and waxy stems (p. 17). In this case, 
each of six lots of melons was divided into three groups, one sample 
being examined at once, one stored for from 10 to 12 days im a refrig- 
erator at 11° to 16° C., and one left for 10 or 12 days at room tempera- 
ture (85° to 90° F.). All the melons examined at the time of picking 
gave a distinct test for starch. Those removed from refrigerator 
storage showed the presence of starch, although the tests were 
weaker. All of the lots that had been stored at room temperature 
gave negative tests. 
This would weigh against the use of the starch content of the seeds 
of stored melons as an indication of maturity, since the starch con- 
tent of melons after a storage period would give no indication of the 
stage of development at the time of picking, and would not be corre- 
lated satisfactorily with eating quality. 
Table 13 shows the composition of the Eden Gem and Karly Water 
melons grown at Brawley in 1916. At the time it was not possible 
to foresee that these melons would not be raised during the followimg 
seasons, so that a few were included among the samples. 
