22 



BULLETIN 601, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



five days in transit the field heat had not been removed from the 

 upper part of the fully refrigerated car to the extent that it was re- 

 moved from the precooled car at the time it left its starting point. 



Figure 16 shows the maximum and minimum temperatures in 

 both cars. Each point is the average of two thermometers placed 

 in the same crate. One was inserted in the center of the crate and 

 the other in the mass of leaves at the top. The minimum tempera- 

 tures were obtained on the bottom tier- next to the ice bunkers and 

 the maximum temperatures were obtained on the top tier. 



The maximum temperature in the nonprecooled car started at 

 about 66° F. and rose during the first 18 hours to about 70° F. It 

 then dropped slowly to a final temperature of 48° F. During the 

 early part of the trip the difference between the highest and the 



T£MP 



—{—as- 



a a h/shest tempepatufpe op celepr hom-ppecooled cap 



-bb lowest .,...- - 80 



c c h/6hest • - precooled cpp 



o d lowest 



1 



75 



Fig. 16. — Diagram illustrating the highest and the lowest temperatures (°F.) of celery in carloads 

 precooled md nonprecooled in transit from Florida to New York, season of 1915. 



lowest temperature in the nonprecooled car was over 30 degrees, 

 whereas in the precooled car the greatest difference was only about 

 10 degrees. If the precooled car had been iced in transit to make it 

 comparable with the nonprecooled car, the difference in temperature 

 between the top and bottom tiers would have been still less. As it 

 was, the highest temperature in the precooled car was over 6 degrees 

 lower than that of the nonprecooled car when it reached its destina- 

 tion. 



The celery in the precooled car arrived on the market in fine condi- 

 tion. The leaves in the top crates were nearly as green as those in 

 the bottom crates, and the receiver pronounced this car the best he 

 had seen that season. The nonprecooled car arrived on the market 

 showing the characteristic yellow leaves on the celery on the top tier. 



