blackberry and retains many of the qualities of each. However, some
small fruits, such as blueberries, or huckleberries, are still grown
wild and marketed only from their wild source.

10. While fruit is usually improved by cultivation, there has been a
tendency through this means to produce fruits that will stand up for
long periods of time, so that they may be marketed at great distances
from the place where they are grown. For instance, apples, especially
those found in the market in the spring, and other fruits, which look
very fine, will many times be found to have a tough skin and to be
almost tasteless.

In general, fruits of delicate flavor and texture cannot be kept very
long after they have ripened. To stand shipping, they must be picked in
their green stage; then if they are kept in the right temperature they
will ripen after picking. Bananas that are to be shipped a long distance
are picked when perfectly green, but by the time the consumer buys them
they are usually well ripened. In addition to bananas, a few other
tropical fruits are shipped out of their native climates in small
numbers and are sold at very high prices. However, many tropical fruits
cannot be shipped to the Northern States because of their
perishable nature.

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COMPOSITION AND FOOD VALUE OF FRUITS

COMPOSITION OF FRUITS

11. The composition of fruits is a matter of considerable importance,