14 



cold-storage plant, and anything which will reduce the cost will enable 

 a reduction of the charges for storage, and this brings us directly to the 

 object of this paper. 



Early in the present year the Quincy Market Gold-Storage Company 

 of Boston, at the advice of Mr. John G. Jack, of the Arnold Arboretum, 

 applied to the writer for information as to the exact or approximate 

 temperature at which goods of this class should be kept in order to 

 maintain in a state of inactivity any destructive insects which the 

 goods might contain. It was stated that the company was in the habit 

 of carrying eggs and fruit at temperatures ranging from 32° to 40° F. 

 and butter and poultry at from 12° to 20°, and that recent applications 

 for storage room for furs, felt, and different kinds of woolen goods 

 found the company at a loss to know the necessary degree of cold. 

 The practical importance of the inquiry appeared at once from the fact 

 that every extra degree of cold means a more or less definite expense 

 to the company, and they were, therefore, anxious to keep the goods at 

 as high a temperature as would be consistent with perfect safety from 

 insects. 



Much to his regret the writer was unable to give the Boston company 

 the definite information which it desired. He searched entomological 

 literature for facts bearing on the subject and consulted his experienced 

 assistants in the Division of Entomology of the United States Depart- 

 ment of Agriculture without satisfaction, and was finally obliged to 

 make the indefinite and unsatisfactory reply that in his opinion a tem- 

 perature of not more than 40° F. would in all probability keep any of 

 the insects concerned in an inactive condition. He advised careful 

 experiment, and has since learned that this company has utilized the 

 services of Mr. Samuel Henshaw, of Boston, in this experimental work, 

 although the results are not yet known. 



Soon after this correspondence and futile investigation of the litera- 

 ture a similar query was received from a Western cold-storage firm, 

 and correspondence with this firm and subsequent investigation of the 

 methods in use by other firms showed that many companies engaged in 

 this business have not considered it worth while to inform themselves 

 on this important point, but have, in their desire to " make a sure thing 

 ^f it," kept this class of goods systematically at a most unnecessarily 

 low temperature, and have thus practically thrown away large sums of 

 money. As an example of the facts ascertained and as a preliminary 

 to what follows it may be stated that a prominent Southern firm first 

 places furs and woolens in what is called the "freezing room" at a tem- 

 perature of 18° F. for a week or more and afterwards stores them per- 

 manently at a uniform temperature of 24° F. 



The writer then decided that the importance of the subject well, 

 warranted experiment, and he decided to apply to some local company 

 for facilities. At this juncture he was greatly pleased to receive a 

 call from Dr. Albert M. Bead, manager of the storage warehouse 



