There were also several instances of trash and dirt which accumulated in 

 the first 2 inches of the grooves at the front of the trailers. This restricted 

 circulation back to the refrigeration coils and so reduced the effectiveness of 

 the trailers' refrigeration units. 



CONCLUSIONS 



The motortruck shipping tests of New England Mcintosh apples indicated 

 that the method of loading apples in fiberboard containers in trailers is an 

 important factor in reducing damage in transit and providing more effective 

 refrigeration of the loads. 



The use of containers of uniform size facilitates greater uniformity of 

 loading pattern with safer and more compact loads and aids in reducing damage 

 that occurs in transit. For example, the 13 test loads of apples from regular 

 storage shipped during February and March 1958 had container damage of 2.7 

 percent. In the 8 test loads of controlled-atmosphere apples originating in 

 April and May 1958, in which boxes of uniform outside dimensions were used, 

 such damage was reduced to only 0.9 percent of the total containers shipped. 



Load patterns which contain air channels the entire length of the load 

 seem to permit better refrigeration and maintain more uniform fruit tempera- 

 tures in transit. In experimental Test 37, one of the shipments of controlled- 

 atmosphere apples which was loaded to permit proper air channels, the lowest 

 temperature was 32° at origin and 37° at destination and the highest was 39° 

 at origin and 42° at destination. This compared with temperatures as high as 

 50° to 60° or above in test loads without air channels. Additional experimental 

 test loads will be necessary to determine more conclusively the effectiveness 

 of the air-channel loading method in reducing transit damage and in improving 

 the refrigeration of the fruit in transit and to develop any further refinements 

 in it that may be required. 



Closer supervision of loading of the trailers by the shipper and more 

 systematic arrangement of the shipper's loading orders to the truck drivers 

 would help in achieving greater uniformity of loading patterns, better loading 

 practices, more efficient handling of the boxes with less damage, and reduced 

 loading time. 



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