8 Oct., IQ07.] h'ntit I'ransportatioii and Marketing. 613 



extend over a lengthened period is due to rough usage during harvesting 

 and packing, causing breakages in the skin. The result of the evidence 

 adduced regarcUng the percentage of fruits destroyed l)y this cause was 

 rather startling, as it was proved beyond doubt after exhaustive trials 

 that from 30 to 60 per cent, of all waste occurring arose from this. 

 Harvesting and packing are now in consequence becoming specialities 

 quite disassociated from the growing and cultivating of fruit. Companies 

 of commercial men in some instances, and in others associations of fruit 

 growers themselves have been formed. These now buv the fruits at the 

 orchard, handle, pack, transport ; and in short wholly deal with the 

 fruits until placing them on the markets. This entails the employment 

 of expert harvesters and packers. These are sent from orchard to orchard, 

 and means are devised in most instances whereby each man's work of 

 harvesting and packing can be checked. It has been found that the use 

 of complicated machinerv for grading and packing fruits is not advisable 

 as there is greater liabilitv to skin injuries when fruits are dealt with in 

 this manner than when they are graded and packed bv hand. As a result 

 of this knowledge many of the packing houses in California and elsewhere 

 have discarded the machinery which was used for this purpose and are 

 resorting to the manual method. The companies and associations which 

 deal with the harvesting and transportation of the fruit also include in 

 their programme cold storage. _ 



Cold Storage. 



In connexion with this side of the question it has been a.scertained 

 that an even temperature of 32 or t^t, degrees Fahr. is the best at which 

 to keep most fruits. At these temperatures moulds and decay of all kinds 

 are arrested, the ripening processes are retarded and the fruit remains in 

 good preservation longer after removal than when stored at higher tempera- 

 tures. Every degree of temperature above 33 causes a proportionate 

 advance in the rapiditv of the ripening processes, and also in the develop- 

 ment of moulds and kindred form.s of decay. 



A rapid increase in the quantity of fruits placed in cold storage in 

 the United States quickly followed as the result of this knowledge. In 

 1898-9 there were 800,000 barrels in cold storage; in 1903-4 there were 

 2,348,540 barrels. The charges for storage average from 40 to 60 

 cents per barrel and from 15 to 20 cents per box equivalent to is. 8d. 

 to 2s. 6d. per barrel and 8|d. to lod. per bushel box for the whole 

 storage season from ist October until ist May following. These charges 

 appear exceedingly low, but the storage accommodation is so large and 

 the quantity available for this purpose so great, that good profits are 

 realized notwithstanding. 



Full grown, well matured apples (provided they are hard and firm 

 when picked) keep longer in storage than apples prematurely harvested. 

 Perhaps this is because the growing cells in the immature apples adapt 

 themselves to their environment, and after they have become accustomed 

 to the changed conditions, continue the ripening process and proceed to 

 full development unchecked. This would not occur in apples which had 

 passed their life history under normal conditions until fully developed. 

 Pears should not be allowed to ripen quite so fully as apples, but should 

 be picked at early maturity. 



The higher the temperature at which fruits are picked, the more 

 speedily should they be placed in cool storage after picking, and the 



