I20 THE CONNECTICUT POMOLOGICAL SOCIETY. 



barrel than natural ice cold storage on a small scale. I believe 

 that the bulk of the cold storage business will be done in the 

 cities close to transportation and the consumer. The great store 

 houses in varying seasons may be filled from widely separated 

 districts. The equipment for cold storage is so very costly that 

 it cannot afford to be idle part of the time. The smaller houses 

 in the producing regions should have a capacity nearer the 

 minimum rather than the maximum crops of such localities. 

 Thus they may be always filled and the surplus go to the great 

 warehouses where the temperature, humidity and ventilation can 

 be regulated to a nicety impracticable in the small plant. 



I would not like to put mechanical refrigeration into a house 

 of much less than 10,000 barrels capacity, while a 50 or 100,000 

 barrel house, if you can afford it, is more of a business proposi- 

 tion, location being right. In such a building you may run the 

 machinery continuously and refrigerate all food products at a 

 far less cost per cubic foot and with more uniform results than 

 in a smaller house. Natural ice storage has its place in a small 

 way, but hereafter must stand second to mechanical refrigeration 

 in storage. 



In gathering fruit for storage I keep it out of the sun, and 

 as cool as possible until put into storage. Refrigeration by rail 

 or steamers in transit is yet in its infancy. When this is per- 

 fected, we will have a vast outlet for our food products in other 

 countries, a trade as yet but little developed. He who plants 

 fruit at present must consider conditions which will prevail when 

 his fruit shall come into bearing, and grow such varieties and 

 under such conditions as to compete with all other districts for 

 this trade. 



The President : This has been a most interesting paper, 

 and I think we are to be congratulated in having Mr. Hart 

 with us to-day. Are there any questions? I hope you will 

 improve the opportunity and ask him some if you have any in 

 mind. 



A Member: How do strawberries keep in cold storage? 



Mr. Hart: With great difiiculty. They are kept best by 

 protecting them with cotton batting to prevent circulation of 

 air. 



A Member: Will you please tell us the degree of ripeness 

 of apples that is best adapted to give them good keeping qual- 



