98 FRUIT HARVESTING, STORING, MARKETING 



These are named in the reverse order of their impor- 

 tance, judged merely on the basis of their adaptability 

 to the needs of the fruit grower. 



I. Mechanical refrigeration. — There are various 

 systems of mechanical refrigeration, but the plan of 

 this book makes a consideration of them unnecessary. 

 Mechanical refrigeration undoubtedly furnishes the 

 ideal cold storage, giving the most direct and easy 

 control of temperature, usually at least expense when 

 large quantities are handled, and generally with best 

 results. The expense of installing and maintaining a 

 plant, however, places mechanical refrigeration out of 

 reach of the fruit grower, and makes it a business by 

 itself. Even Judge Wellhouse, "the Apple King," 

 with his hundreds of acres of bearing orchard, finds it 

 better to rent cold storage room than to build a refrig- 

 erating plant of his own. I think I am literally correct 

 in saying that there is not a single fruit grower, com- 

 pany, or association to-day in America maintaining a 

 private storage plant cooled by machinery. 



The fruit grower is interested in this system of 

 storage, therefore, only indirectly. Space in cold 

 storage compartments is frequently rented by fruit 

 growers, this being usually their sole connection with 

 the business. The only practical questions under 

 these circumstances are: (i) Is this method of storage 

 successful? (2) What does it cost ? 



In theory mechanically cooled storage ought to be 

 the most successful sort. Practically itjioes not seem 

 to be conspicuously so. The drawbacks are : first, 

 that refrigerating plants are not constructed primarily 



