10 
BULLETIN 714, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
sible, sorting in cool rooms, which will prevent wetting the fruit by 
condensation from the air, is further considered under the next 
topic. 
Low Temperature. 
A study of the temperature relations of many of the fungi which 
cause fruit rots of cranberries (14, pp. 524 and 525) has shown that 
most of them grow very slowly, if at all, below 10° C. (50° F.). 
The only conspicuous exception is the end-rot fungus, which grows 
somewhat even at 0° C. (32° F.). The rate of growth of all these 
fungi, and consequently of the rot which they cause, increases rapidly 
with rise of temperature above 10° C. (50° ¥.)'. As already men- 
tioned, the ripening processes which result in the death of the cran- 
berry itself also go on more rapidly as temperature rises. 
As an illustration of the effect of temperature on the keeping 
quality of cranberries, the results of temperature tests conducted at 
Washington, D. C., during 1916 and 1917 may be cited (Table IV). 
Equal quantities of apparently sound cranberries from uniform lots 
were kept at different temperatures in the refrigeration apparatus 
described by Brooks and Cooley (1). 
Table IV. — Effect of temperature on the keeping quality of cranberries as shown 
by tests made at Washington, D. C, in 1916 and 1917. 
Days in 
storage. 
Percentage of cranberries spoiled in storage at temperatures — l 
Variety. 
0°C. 
(32° F.). 
5°r. 
(41° F.). 
10° C 
(5-5° F.). 
15° C. 
(59° F.). 
20° C. 
(6S° F.). 
Early Black 
28 
28 
25 
60 
60 
56 
67 
2 
1 
2.5 
16 
20 
39 
8 
4 
1.5 
5 
27 
27 
43 
27 
5 
3.5 
8 
12 
9 
15.5 
48 
51 
92 
48 
19 
Do 
13 
19 
Early Black 
72 
Do 
66 
Do 
99 
76 
i This includes smothering and all forms of fungous rot. 
In the course of the first three tests, the results of which are given in Table IV, it was observed that cran- 
berries color more rapidly at relatively low temperatures (5° C., 41° F.). It is, then, desirable from every 
point of view for cranberries to be kept as cool as practicable. 
When cranberries are picked they are usually at a temperature 
considerably warmer than that of the air, and the sooner they are 
cooled the better. To this end it is desirable that cranberries should 
be removed from the bog as soon as practicable and placed in the 
shade. They should be stored in ventilated boxes, never in barrels, 
and the boxes should be so piled as to permit free circulation of air 
among the boxes. 
The storehouse in which cranberries are held should be kept as 
cool as is possible without danger of freezing the fruit. This can 
be done most economically by having the house, provided with ade- 
quate ventilators to admit air at the bottom of the building. These 
