In the investigation of carbohydrate metabolism of developing cotton fibers it is essential to stop metabolic events as rapidly as possible on harvesting the bolls. To address the question of possible post-harvest physiological events bolls were subjected to four different freezing protocols in the field. Bolls were sealed in vacuum bags and then kept at ambient temperature for one hour or on ice for one hour before being placed on dry ice. Alternatively, bolls were placed directly on dry ice or placed in a dry ice/isopropanol bath for 1-2hr before being placed in a dry ice chest for storage. Samples were then freeze dried and extracted with water for carbohydrate analysis. The ambient temperature samples showed signs of post-harvest metabolic activity. As expected, the faster the samples were frozen the better the results. The optimal method was that of immersing the samples in a dry ice/isopropanol bath, immediate placement on dry ice was the next best and both of these methods were better than for samples placed on ice for 1 hour before freezing.