OCR Text |
Show Gas From Fruit Skins Stops Potato Growth WASHINGTON. Theskins of ripe apples, pears and hawthorn haw-thorn fruits produce a gas that keeps potatoes from growing, Dr. O. H. Elmer of the United States Department of Agriculture Agricul-ture has found. Doctor Elmer measured a large number of the effects that this gas, produced by the living skin of sound apples, has on potatoes. He found that the respiration of the potato was speeded up, and consequently the activity of all the other processes proc-esses directly connected with the potatoes' respiration was also increased. in-creased. Sufficient concentration of the gas stops potatoes from sprouting, and keeps them well preserved for long periods of time, the experiments show. Chemical investigation disclosed dis-closed that the unknown gas was ethylene, the gas used in carbide lamps. Interestingly enough, this gas has for some time been used by produce experts to keep citrus fruits while in transit, and to aid in ripening them. |