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Show RIPENING OF FRUITS 1 Tho placo which fruits aro assuming assum-ing In tho dietary" of man Is ono of growing Importance. Certain spcclc3 llko the applo nnd pear, tho plum and tho grape, havo long enjoyed a deserved de-served popularity; others which wero unco nmong tho rarities In tho United Uni-ted States nro now finding widespread favor. Melons nnd other fruits aro now being shipped by water from tho tropical regions, whero thoy aro grown, to tho centers of distribution. Hananns, which wero found only in a fow seaboard towns a geroerii'tlon ngo nro 'now common in every roglon of America. In Grent Hrltaln, whero they wero llttlo known less thnn two decades ngo, they aro now tho poor man's fruit. Tho ripening of fruits plays so Important Im-portant n part In tholr availability and in somo of tho problems of transportation: trans-portation: that authentic Information on this subject Is much to be desired. Somo fruits, llko tho apple, may bo allowed to rlpdn almost fully on tho tree and may bo kept In tho ripened condition for relatively long periods If proper nttcntlon Is paid to their mnnlpulnton nnd storngo. Otlifer fruit llko tho berries, cannot bo kept In tho ripe condition very long before deterioration nnd decay set In. In still other cases, ns with the banana, tho fruit may bo picked and transported trans-ported advantageously beforo tho final fin-al ripening has begun; and this process pro-cess can then bo controlled In tho market and homo ag tbo conditions demand. Tho physical changes, llko tho variation var-iation in color of ripening fruits, aro famlllajr, slnco thoy nro evident to senses; but theso alterations aro merely Indicative of changes In tho chemical makeup of tho fruits undor tho conditions which dotcrmlno rip-lining. rip-lining. Heat, motsturo, air and light may nil participate In determining tho characteristic changes that ensue Laboratory Investigations In recent years havo given clearer Indications of what takes placo. Among tho changes chan-ges nro tho transformation of starch Into sugar, tho conversion of solublo (uniiln compounds with tholr astringent astring-ent parts Into Insoluble forms, tho actual lessening of tho ipinntlty of ncld, or tho making of tho ncld flavor fla-vor by tho accu: ''latlon of sugnr, tho softening of woody tlssuo, and tho In-creaso In-creaso of water In tho form of Julco. With tho growing knowledgo of what tho ripening of fruits really Involves, In-volves, says tho Jourfnol of tho Amor lean Medical Association, wo nro cor-tnln cor-tnln to ncnulro better Ideas of what n proporly ripened product should really re-ally bo. Tho fact that unrlponcd (winter) tipples nro unfit for consumption consump-tion In tho early fall, becnuso Instoad of sugar thoy contain a larco amount of raw starch which will disappear iwlth tho mellowing process, will bo understood In a moro intelligent wny than has usually been ibe case. Furthermore, Fur-thermore, tho facilitation or otnor teg-ulntlon teg-ulntlon of tho natural procisr.ea of ripening by artificial mim will make It posstblo to dispel tho Jhriliai toi.s hltberto placed by seasons or distance Tho beglnnim; u '3 ilr" idy ,ip an Lt In tho praril-es f "-(' t.i n.u.murb |