6 BULLETIN 1868, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
to make it necessary to sort and repack the fruit, thus increasing | 
the cost of storing, and this, together with the storage charges, will | 
undoubtedly warrant a somewhat higher price for this fruit than | 
the usual market price at the height of the season. For a four to | 
six weeks’ storage period it is possible that curing the fruit before | 
placing it in storage is unnecessary, as in most of our experiments | 
the uncured lots did not begin to pit when stored at 32° F. until | 
they had been in storage about six weeks, and in most cases the pit- | 
ting was not sufficiently developed to make the appearance of the | 
fruit objectionable from a commercial point of view until after two | 
months’ storage at this temperature. 
The evidence indicates that fruit to be stored more than six weeks }| 
should be cured before being placed in storage if pitting is to be | 
avoided. Curing can be accomplished either by exposing the fruit } 
to air at a temperature around 70° to 75° F. with a humidity of 
about 65 per cent from one to two weeks or by treating it with | 
kerosene-stove gas in a coloring room for three or four days. The | 
latter method is preferable, because during the curing process the | 
buttons will be loosened, so that most of them can be removed during | 
the process of washing and brushing the fruit. The removal of the 
buttons will tend to decrease the decay in storage. 
Fruit for late storage should be picked in March or the early part | 
of April and not left on the tree too long. If the fruit is seeded it | 
should be placed in storage before the seeds begin to sprout. Fruit | 
that remains on the tree too long is liable to break down in storage 
or soon after it is removed and placed on the market. It should 
not be stored too long, as considerable deterioration will result both | 
in storage and after it is marketed. Uncured fruit should not be | 
stored more than six weeks to two months, but cured fruit can safely 
remain in storage from two to three months without danger of much 
pitting. It is possible that some curing might result by shipping 
the fruit to storage in ventilated cars rather than under refrigera- 
tion. In the-warm spring weather, however, considerable decay 
may develop in fruit so shipped, and the loss from this cause may 
exceed the cost of refrigeration. Undoubtedly from a commercial 
standpoint the storage of grapefruit is practicable. 
There is a limited demand for this fruit in competition with 
cantaloupes, strawberries, peaches, and other similar fruits, so that 
care should be taken that the market be not oversupplied. The 
placing of too much of a commodity in storage, especially of a fruit 
which has a limited storage period, such as grapefruit, may result 
in attempts to market more than can be absorbed in the limited time 
the fruit can be held in good condition. With careful attention to 
marketing conditions, however, there seems to be no reason why the 
storage of grapefruit in limited quantities should not be profitable 
and safe. 
It must be remembered that grapefruit grown in Florida was 
used in these experiments, and these recommendations for curing 
and storing apply only to fruit from that State. 
