16 



The Weekly Rorists' Review, 



JONB 20, ldl2. 



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COLD STORAGE 

 jot Mr OF FERNS 



1 



PICKING, PACKING AND KEEPING. 



Extent of the Industry. 



The storage of wild ferns has devel 

 oped into an important feature of cold 

 storage industry in parts of New Eng- 

 land, and doubtless there will be some 

 demand elsewhere for space for their 

 proper handling, says Madison Cooper 

 in Ice and Refrigeration. Compara- 

 tively little is accurately known about 

 suitable packages, handling and storage. 



Although many ferns are picked in 

 Michigan and in the south, the greater 

 part of the ferns are picked in the 

 mountainous parts of New England, the 

 Berkshire hills of western Massachu- 

 setts being especially productive, with 

 Hinsdale the chief center. They are 

 stored during the entire year and 

 shipped out on orders to practically all 

 parts of the country. New York city 

 is a great consumer, but other eastern 

 cities also use large quantities, and 

 they are shipped in large lots to Chi 

 cago and even the far west. 



Storage Methods — Old and New. 



In the early history of the fern ship- 

 ping business it was customary to store 

 them in barns, in beds about 10x4x1 

 feet, covering them with moss. Others 

 were stored in cellars, sprinkling with 

 water from time to time to prevent 

 drying out, but owing to uncertain 

 temperature, and various other condi- 

 tions not under control, considerable 

 loss resulted from wilting and rotting. 

 It was found that as business increased 

 picking must be commenced earlier in 

 the fall, when the weather is too warm 

 to keep the ferns properly, and cold, 

 storage was then resorted to. Cold 

 storage has proved to be the salvation 

 of the business on a large scale. At 

 first undertaken in a small and experi- 

 mental way, the results were so much 

 of an improvement that now the busi- 

 ness is wholly handled through cold 

 storage. Under the right handling, 

 packing and temperature, the ferns 

 come out of storage with the fresh, 

 green appearance which makes them so 

 attractive when used in combination 

 with cut flowers. 



Picking Time and Details. 



Exact data are not now obtainable as 

 to the best time of picking, but it is 

 generally understood among the pickers 

 that the work should not begin until 

 the first frost, and the picking, there- 

 fore, takes place mostly during Sep- 

 tember and October. Picking begins 

 about June 20, but not for storage. It 

 seems that the ferns are toughened by 

 the cool nights of fall, which probably 

 act to lower the moisture content or dry 

 them to some extent. Anyway, it is 

 well understood that the picking for 

 storage should not begin until the first 

 frost, and experience has demonstrated 

 that ferns picked before are not prop- 

 erly matured for storage and shipping 

 purposes. The picking is done mostly 



by women, children and old men, and 

 as the work is done during a time of 

 the year when rural occupations are 

 least pressing, the work is very accept- 

 able and forms an important industry 

 and source of income in some sections. 

 One and one-quarter to two cents per 

 bunch of twenty-five is paid, according 

 to variety, care in picking and quality, 

 and even at this seemingly low rate 

 some of the most expert pickers earn 

 as high as $7 per day. 



The wild ferns usually collected are 

 commonly divided into two grades or 

 varieties, dagger and fancy ferns. The 

 dagger variety is the more hardy and 

 easier to pick, and less loss is usual in 

 storing. The leaves are of waxy ap- 

 pearance and coarser than the fancy 

 ferns. As the name indicates, fancy 

 ferns are very delicate of leaf and finer 

 in every way and easily damaged in 

 picking and handling. The greatest 

 care and skill are necessary in preparing 

 the bunches or bundles. Not all the 

 ferns are marketable, by any means, 

 and the careless picker is penalized. 

 Buyers located at the railroad station 

 receive the ferns from the pickers, 

 and if necessary carefully sort them. 

 Bunches of twenty-five are standard, 

 and the ferns must be carefully ar- 

 ranged so as to lie fiat, to avoid crush- 

 ing or bruising. None broken or de- 

 cayed or badly discolored are packed 

 for shipment. As a storage package a 

 wooden box is used (mostly second- 

 hand shoe boxes), and the ferns are 

 packed in layers with moss on top, bot- 

 tom and sides, about 5,000 to 10,000 to 

 the box. The object is to pack in such 

 a way as to retain the moisture and 

 eSfclude the air. 



Temperature and Treatment. 



A close determination of the most 

 suitable temperature has not been made, 

 but it is more than probable that what 



is wanted is a temperature which win 

 freeze the moisture in the packing mj. 

 terial and still leave the ferns unfrczen. 

 Satisfactory results have been obtained 

 at 30 degrees, but a temperature of 25 

 degrees to 28 degrees is suggeste I as 

 more suitable, and experimental T^ork 

 along this line is recommended. Ferns 

 picked in August and early September 

 should not be stored at as low a tem- 

 perature as those picked later. If the 

 ordinary frosts up to, say, October 15 in 

 the Berkshire hills will not damage the 

 ferns, it would seem that 25 degrees in 

 cold storage should not, but still in the 

 presence of moisture soaked packing 

 material the effect may be different. 

 The moss used in packing is pretty well 

 soaked, and 28 degrees to 30 degrees 

 will, of course, freeze the packing ma- 

 terial and leave the ferns unfrozen. 



It is absolutely essential to best re 

 suits that ferns after picking should be 

 promptly sorted and packed and placed 

 in cold storage. If they are shipped 

 and on the road for several days, heat- 

 ing is likely to result and ruin the ferns. 

 If placed in cold storage the same day, 

 so much the better, but in cool weather 

 a day or two may elapse without dam 

 age. If shipment by rail to a cold stor- 

 age house is necessary, by all means use 

 refrigerator cars. Far better results 

 may be had, however, by cold storing 

 where picked, or sufficiently near so 

 that the ferns packed one day may be 

 in storage the next. A cool or cold room 

 for sorting and packing is almost a 

 necessity, and this may best be ob- 

 tained in connection with a cold storage 

 plant. 



In piling the boxes in cold storage it 

 is advisable to provide a 2-inch air 

 circulating space on top, bottom and 

 sides of the box, so as to allow a quick 

 cooling and freezing. After a week in 

 storage they may be piled more tightly, 

 keeping them from side walls and floor 

 at least two inches. 



Blame for Irregular Ee&ults. 



Results from cold storing have been 

 reported as irregular, and, as stated at 

 the beginning of this article, the accu 

 rate information available is small. It 

 would seem that the irregular results 

 must be due to the condition of the 

 ferns when picked, or the exposure to 

 varying conditions before storing, as it 

 is comparatively easy now to hold uni 

 form temperatures in cold storage. The 



Salesladies in the Retail Flcwer Stores at Omaha. 



