COLD STORAGE 175 



such as winter apples, remain alive for many weeks after 

 being removed from the tree. The purpose of cold storage 

 of fruits is to delay the ripening process so that the Me of 

 the matured fruit may be extended over as long a period as 

 possible, in some cases even till the next year's crop 

 matures. In the case of short-lived fruits it is necessary to 

 get them into the hands of the consumer as quickly as possi- 

 ble. But the majority of the consumers live in the larger 

 cities, like New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and Chicago, 

 long distances from the more productive fruit growing 

 sections. 



It was formerly practically impossible to transport short- 

 lived fruits from the field to the consumer. Today, however, 

 by using modern refrigerator cars, oranges are shipped from 

 California to New York; strawberries from Mississippi to 

 Chicago; peaches from Florida, Georgia, and Texas to the 

 Boston market with little or no deterioration. Similarly, 

 the markets of the world are supplied with fresh meat and 

 poultry, killed and dressed in the slaughter houses of Kansas 

 City and Chicago. 



