Payette enterprise. (Payette, Canyon Co., Idaho) 1909-1935, 1918-01-17
RESULTS Of APPLE
STORAGE TESTS

ing promptly are two of the mos
important factors affecting the keeI
ing quality Of apples. Rome Beautie
/ picked before they have reaches
, proper maturity csald badly in stor
age, while Jonathans picked too lat
become punky and decay. A stil
L. more important cause of decay IL
Jonathans is the practice of delaying
storage for sometime after the frui
is picked.
Tho effect of picking Rome Beau
ties too early and of picking Jona-
thans too late has just been demon
strated in some tests conducted by
! employees Of the U. S. Department
of Agriculture working with Mr.. w.
r. Palmer, teacher of Agricu ture in
the Payette High School. At the
same time test was made to de-
terminc the effect of delaying the
storage Of Jonathans ten days after
picking. The tests were conducted
in the Payette Cold Storage with
apples secured from ranchers in the
vicinity Of Payette The results are
very striking and accord with re-
suits Of tests made in other apple
producing sections.
The tests were made as follows:
Lot 1-Jonathans, immediate cold
Storage; picked, packed and stored
October 10th.
Lot 2-Jonathans, delayed Storage,
picked Oct. 10th, packed and stor-
ed October goth.
Lot 8 Jonathans, Over-matHre
fruit; picked, ppacked and stored
October goth.
Lot 4-Rome Beauty, immature;
picked, packed, and stored Oct. 10th.
Lot 5-Rome Beauty, mature, pick
ed, packed and stored Oct. goth.
All the Jonathans in these tests
should have been picked earlier for
best keeping quality but they were
secured at the height Of the apple
harvest. The fruit in all three lots
come from the same tree, and the
apples in the different lots are alike
except that Lot l was picked some
what early and stored Immediately;
Lot was picked somewhat early and
stored ten days later; while Lot 8
was picked late and stored as soon |
as picked. Lots and were picked |
from the same tree and are alike |
with the exception that Lot was
picked ten days later than Lot 4.
The apples remained in storage
Until Jan. End. At that time the iona
thans were badly speckled with Jona-
than spot, "a round brownish blotch
that affects only the skin the /
1pple). The Rome Beauties were in
excellent condition. Immediately after
hey were inspected, the apples were
moved to a merchants basement
where the temperature was approx
nately fifty degrees, and there they
were left ten days. They were in
'pected again on jan 18th and found
20 be in the condition indicated be-
ow:
Lot 1 Ionathans immediate y
storage, First pick; fifte n per cent 4
Of the apples decayed because OF II
,ver-ripeness.
Lot 2 Delayed Storage, First
IS per cent of the appl S decayed
because of over-ripeness.
Lot 3-Jona thans immed att Stor-
3ge, Second rpick; 81 per cent of !,
he apples decayed because of over
ipeness.
Lot Rome Beauty INN ature, 20
Ter cent of the apples scalded.
Lot 5-Rome Peauty, Mature; one
Ter cent of thQ apples seal ed.
The results Of the tests with Jona-
hans given above agree with the
esults from a test with Jonathans ,
rom another orchard where the
rees are older and the arpl-s were
lot so ripe when picked, in this !,
econd test, there were no decayed .
.pples in the fruit picked Oct 10th,
While there were two per cent de-
aged in the fruit picked Oct Goth.
The proper date for picking var
es from year to year. 1t may not
e the same in the orcherds, or in
he parts Of the same orchard. 1t is
eldom the samo on the upper south :
ide of the tree as it is on the low |
r north side, definite date there
ore, cannot be set as the proper 9
ime to pick. 1t is even diff ult to o
esign to the proper time by dee- |
riding tho apple. In general. how Q
yer, for best eating quality combin-
with keeping quality Jonathans I
hould be picked when the under q
cath, or ground color turns from u
,af green to yellowish green, and
Ist when the flesh is beginning to y
lm from white to a tinge Of yell n
wv Rome Beauties should not be
icked till the ground color becomes