The Logan Republican. [volume] (Logan, Utah) 1902-1924, 1914-11-03
APPLE GROWERS STRONGLY
AD\IjED TO USE COLD STORAGE

the European market and the large
production of American apples this
season, specialists Of the department
Of agriculture call the attention of
apple growers to the advantages of
cod storage for steadying the mar.
ket at harvest and for lengthening
the selling period.
Cutting of the market will result,
1t is feared, in many thousands OF
barrels of good apples rotting in the
orchard or being disposed of at pric-
es which figure net loss to the
grower.
The following are the directions
given by the apple handling special
lists of the department for using cold
storage successfully in handling APP
pies:
The proper function of cold stor.
age is to retard the ripening process
es of the fruit and the development
of decay organisms and skin blemish-
es. The first responsibility for the
keeping quality of his fruit rests with
the grower, since 1t is his growing
and handling methods that largely de-
termine its vitality. freedom from
disease, and general condition when
stored. Cold storage Is not rem
edy or a restorative for poorly devel-
oped, weak, imperfect fruit, but is
the most effective method Of preserv.
ing the quality. flavor, and appear.
ance possessed by the fruit at time
Of picking.
The first step in successful cold
storage of apples has been found to
lie in the practice Of such cultural.
spraying, and pruning methods as
insure production Of sound, healthy,
well colored fruit. free from disease.
Assuming this as the first requisite.
the following factors have been found
to most influence the keeping quality
of the fruit and furnish best condi-
lions for long storage:
/. Proper maturity at time of pick
ing,
2. Care in all handling operations.
3. Prompt storage after picking.
4. A proper storage temperature.
Careful and extensive investiga-
tions have demonstrated that fruit
picked at full maturity can be held
Tor longer period In storage and
is less affected by scald and decay
than that picked when somewhat i'm.
mature. Two important commercial
varieties, Rome Beauty, and Winesap
have been found to be especially sus
ceptible to scald during storage, II
picked prematurely. There is no
debut that several thousand dollars
are lost to the industry each year
through the improper picking of these
two varieties alone. The results EN-
phasize strongly that more care and
attention should be paid to this de.
tail of the harvesting operations than
is usually the case.
BY full maturity, however, is not
meant over maturity, which may
cause fully as heavy losses as imma
turity. Each grower should study
his own fruit and his own conditions
in order to determine the proper pick
ing stage. Probably the most reli-
able single indication of maturity is
the whitening or slight following OF
the ground color" of the fruit. This
is the color underlying the blush or
red color and should not be confus-
ed with the latter.
Careful Handling
Care in all handling operations Is
successful storage. A class of fungi
of which the common blue mold is
an example, are known to be unable
to attack and cause decay OF healthy,
uninjured fruit. In spite Of this fact
very serious rots, both In storage and
In transit to market, are the work OF
fungi of this type and the largest
contributory cause in all cases Is
bruising or skin breaking suffered by
the fruit in the picking ana packing
operations. Microscopic bruises and
breaks In the skin are large enough
to afford entrance to the spores OF
these fungi, and the necessity for the
utmost care in all operations con
nected with the handling OF the fruit
to avoid bruising and mechanical In
juries is more urgent than most grow
ers realize.
Prompt Storage
There Is marked difference in
condition between fruit stored
promptly after picking, say not more
than two days later, and otherwise
comparable lots of which the storage
4 lnu ~. maatG