398 
How to Coon anp THaw Fruit. 
Fruit for export in cool chambers must not be placed hot and 
fresh from the fields into the cool chamber. Thorough “sweating” 
must precede, then sorting, wrapping in oiled paper, and placing 
in non-ventilated, insulated chambers, the temperature of which is 
slowly lowered to 32° to 40° F. (zero to 4° C.). This temperature 
must be uniformly maintained during the whole period of storage. 
Neglect of this condition caused, in the initial days of fruit trans- 
portation to distant markets, considerable damage and loss. 
On arrival at its destination it is essential to the good keeping 
of that fruit that almost as much thought and time be given to its 
return to a normal temperature as was done when cooling it. This 
warming up should be slow, gradual, and carried out in a dry 
atmosphere in a room of about 40° F. To lack of proper attention 
to these details is chargeable a good many of the failures in fruit 
shipment. 
SHIPMENT CHARGES. 
Until a few years ago shipping fruit from the Australian States 
to the London market had not proved a uniformly remunerative 
enterprise. Apart from the heavy packing, shipping, and handling 
charges which are known beforehand, heavy losses have been sus- 
tained through circumstances which may be only guessed, but which 
nevertheless remained without reasonable explanation. 
Out of shipments of 100 cases of carefully selected, graded, 
and packed fruit, for instance, half the consignment or more would 
sell at a remunerative price, whilst the remainder would on opening 
show signs of decay, and would be sold at a loss. It is fortunate, 
however, that competition in the fruit-carrying trade caused the 
shipping companies to pay closer attention to details which safe- 
guard the interests of their customers, and every season since has 
shown less waste in the fruit cargoes shipped to the European 
markets. 
Prior to the war, the cost of shipping a case of apples from 
the orchard to London was:— 
B 
w 
Cost of case at orchard .. 
Wrapping paper and woodwool 
Sorting, packing, and branding .. 
Railway carriage (32 miles) 
Port charges and wharfage 
Freight and lighterage 
Insurance ae 
London charges 
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