10 BULLETIN 7 4, HAWAII EXPERIMENT STATION 
the fruit has matured, apparently when the rind is tender. Further 
growth deposits a stony mass on the inside of the rind, cutting the 
puncture off from the pulp inside. No maggots are found in any 
part of the fruit, and although the stony wall appears to prevent 
decay it is detrimental as it prevents the development of pulp and 
seed, sometimes to the extent of more than half the interior of the 
fruit, and results in very inferior fruit. The fruit fly punctures, 
which occasionally occur on the yellow variety of P. Edulis, also 
fail to produce larvae, and the rind, which is thicker and harder 
than that of other varieties, does not develop the stony obstruction 
on the inner surface. The damage to this variety is mere disfigure- 
ment of the outer surface of the fruit. 
No fungus diseases have as yet been reported as attacking either 
plant or fruit of any of the edible Passifloras in Hawaii. Several 
serious diseases have caused much concern to growers in some other 
countries (15^ p. 564), 
HARVESTING AND MARKETING 
The harvesting of the crop is a comparatively easy part of passion 
fruit production. It is also much less difficult than the handling of 
most other horticultural crops. The grower of any considerable 
amount of passion fruit should be either equipped to extract and 
preserve the juice or be near a market which will take large quan- 
tities of the fruit regularly. Gathering and handling should be 
done while the fruit is cool. Fruit intended for shipment to any 
considerable distance should be cut from the plants when it is just 
approaching the full color of ripeness. For local markets or imme- 
diate- use, it may be fully ripened, when the flavor is best. Many 
growers prefer to let the fruit ripen and fall to the ground, picking 
it up each morning. 
When the fruit has been gathered, it should be carefully laid in 
padded field boxes of about 12 by 12 by 18 inches in size. Crinkled 
and marred fruit does not sell well on the market, although it may 
be good otherwise. It should be used for local consumption or 
juice extraction. The juice keeps well and in good condition for 
the market. Properly ripened passion fruit, like most other fruit, 
has the best flavor. Fruit intended for market purposes should 
not be shipped in bags, large boxes, or barrels. The best result in 
shipping the fruit from the Kona substation to Honolulu, was ob- 
tained by using strong paper boxes having a capacity of about 20 
pounds of fruit each. 
In a study of marketing Australian passion fruit, Gregory (5, 
p. 10) found it highly important to handle the fruit carefully in pick- 
ing, sorting, and packing, especially when intended for long-dis- 
tance shipments. He also advises the growers to sort the fruit into 
three grades as follows : Special — large and medium-sized fruit, full 
of juicy pulp, and free of dummy, blemished, and diseased fruit; 
Standard — large and medium-sized, slightly skin-blemished fruit, 
full of pulp, and free of dummy and diseased fruit; Plain — small- 
sized fruit and all sizes of crinkled and blemished fruit, free of 
dummy and diseased fruit. Gregory points out the importance of 
growers grading the fruit to some such plan as the above, as it en- 
ables agents and buyers to understand the quality of the fruit they 
