408 ANNUAL REPORT OF THE Off. Doc. 



cheaply, the "Gravity Brine System" is the best and by far the 

 clieapest. Mr. Powell has spent much time studying and investi- 

 gating cold storage problems for the U. S. Department and is one 

 of the best informed men on that line in the country. Madison 

 Cooper, of Calcium, N. Y., has erected nearly 150 storages of this 

 kind in the United States and Canada. Canada is more kind to 

 her fruit growers than Uncle Sam, and where storage buildings are 

 needed pays 30 per cent, of the cost of new storages. 



iThe "Gravity Brine System" is a chemical cold storage the same 

 as the other two, but uses ice and salt with calcium carbicle. Usually 

 at the side of a brine storage house, is erected a room for ice well 

 insulated, where ice is kept for use in the storage. No saw^dust 

 or other covering is used to keep the ice, depending entirely on the 

 insulation. When operating the storage, ice is run through the .ice 

 breaker to an elevator which carries the broken ice to the tanks 

 in the top of the building where it is mixed Avith salt. This mix- 

 ture goes into the tanks which have pipes filled with calcium carbide 

 and water. These jjipes go through all the storage rooms thus cooling 

 them to the required temperature. There is a complete system 

 of ventilation for all the rooms drawing out the bad air, which con- 

 tains carbonic acid gas that is thrown olf by the fruit and replacing 

 with fresh air. Pears going into storage hot in the summer weather 

 throw off more carbonic acid gas than do the apples, which are put 

 in in cooler weather, and replacing with fresh air. These fans are 

 run on frosty nights in the fall and when cold Aveather comes can 

 be used at any time, thus saving the cost of ice in operating and 

 giving fresh air to the fruit. 



M. Plartwell, who ran 'three cold storages at one time but who 

 is now managing the 80,000 barrel ammonia plant at Brighfon, N. Y., 

 came to the conclusion that the old way of storing fruit with no 

 ventilation was bad on the fruit, so at a big expense has put in a 

 complete line of fans, piping, etc., that w'ill change all the air in 

 the rooms in a short time. Carbonic acid gas in any quantity 

 through the lungs is a narcotic poison, while taken through the 

 stomach does not act as a poison, but is refreshing. Mr. Coper 

 and Mr. Hartwell both claim and seem to be able to prove that* 

 carbonic acid gas is detrimental to fruit and should be removed. 

 This idea has not been absolutely settled, but in visiting the different 

 houses, one cannot help but notice better air and freedom from fruit 

 and other odors in rooms where fan circulation is used than in 

 rooms where the same air is kept through the entire seasoon and 

 from year to year. The air is damp and heavy with no life in it. 

 One feels depressed in the room not ventilated besides the unpleas- 

 ant odor from the damp barrels. Some kinds of wood give off a 

 disagreeable odor and wdien barrels are made from these kinds of 

 w^ood, the odor from them for the entire season is almost sickening. 



The ammonia and carbonic acid gas systems of storage call for 

 houses of 40,000 or more barrels capacity to keep the cost of operat- 

 ing down to a paying basis. Tavo complete duplicate systems of 

 machinery must be always ready in case one should break down and 

 two competent skilled engineers must always be on hand, one for day 

 and one for the night shift, and in the Brighton, N. Y., storage 

 three engineers working on an eight-hour shift at |25.00 each per 



