1822 
the room temperature well below the de- 
sired point until all the packages are 
thoroughly cooled. The packages may be 
so stacked that a thorough circulation is 
possible, resulting in greater uniformity 
in the cooling than is the case in the 
closely packed car. 
One disadvantage of having the pre- 
cooling done in warehouses is the expense 
of building and maintaining the neces- 
sary plants, and this must be borne by 
the shipping companies, growers’ asso- 
ciations, or individual growers. Under 
this system the expense and responsibil- 
ity fall on the shipper, while under the 
car-precooling system the transportation 
companies bear the burden. However, the 
transportation companies must require 
that the fruit be delivered to them in 
sound condition and fit for shipment, and 
whether the placing of the packages in 
proper condition for safe shipment should 
include the reduction to a proper and 
safe temperature is an open question. 
The advantages of precooling in the 
handling of deciduous fruits are mani- 
fold. The first and most important of 
these is the fact that, if precooled, the 
fruit may be left on the trees to attain a 
greater degree of maturity, thus assuring 
a much better quality. It has been shown 
that the soft fruits, like plums, peaches, 
and apricots, may be allowed to remain 
until they reach a hard-ripe condition 
and may then be shipped long distances 
without deterioration. In the case of 
cherries and berries, precooling will en- 
able the crop to be shipped greater dis- 
tances, thus assuring wider market dis- 
tribution and more satisfactory condition 
on arrival. 
Precooling is now recognized as one of 
the important factors in the safe shipping 
and handling of highly perishable prod- 
ucts, and its use will be extended as its 
advantages and application are better un- 
derstood. It should never be used as a 
means to overcome difficulties arising 
from improper or rough handling. Used 
as a means to insure safe shipment af- 
ter the grower and packer have done 
their share, precooling is both valuable 
and legitimate. Used as a means to over- 
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF PRACTICAL HORTICULTURE 
come the effects of rough handling, pre- 
cooling only retards decay and deteriora- 
tion for a time, and the troubles develop 
when the fruit warms up after arrival in 
market. 
A. V. STUBENRAUCH, 
Expert in charge of Ifruit Transportation and 
torage Investigations, Bureau of Plant 
Industry. (1909 Year-book.} 
EUROPE AS A MARKET FOR OUR 
APPLES AND PEARS 
Henry B. MILLER 
American Consul at Belfast, Ireland 
Great Britain is not in a general way 
an apple-growing country. Ireland is per- 
haps the best apple-producing section of 
the empire, but its production does not 
exceed over 50,000 barrels. The apples 
grown in Ireland are especially prized for 
cooking purposes and there is no doubt 
but that the production of cooking apples 
will tend to increase, but it will be many 
years before it will have any appreciable 
effect upon the market. The Department 
of Agriculture is endeavoring to encour- 
age apple growing by establishing experi- 
mental orchards and giving instruction 
in horticulture in various districts. 
The table given shows the importation 
of apples into Great Britain for four 
years, together with the countries of their 
origin. A review of the apple importa- 
tion into Great Britain for a period of 
years prior to this schedule shows that 
for a number of years the annual im- 
portation amounted to between five and 
six million dollars. In 1892 the imports 
for some unknown reason nearly doubled 
and reached about $10,000,000, and since 
that time they have remained close to 
that value, varying only slightly either 
way, and for the last year of statistics, 
1908, the total imports amounted to $10,- 
398,500. It seems clear, therefore, that 
there is little likelihood of any decrease 
in this quantity of imports of apples into 
Great Britain. There is a fair prospect, 
under favorable conditions of industrial 
prosperity, of this amount being consid- 
erably increased. 
The United States of America shares 
in this market to the extent of something 
over one-third, averaging for the past 
