85 



ical is the only one to use. The ammonia system most generally 

 used has to be pumped at a pressure of 200 to 300 pounds to the 

 square inch, and in case of a leak or break in the pipe has been dis- 

 astrous to the workmen, and in some instances large damages have 

 been obtained against the owners. The next chemical in popularity 

 is Carbonic acid gas CO2, but it has the disadvantage of requiring 

 a pressure of from 900 to 1300 pounds per square inch. The users 

 of each chemical tell of the dangers of the other kind and the benefits 

 of their particular plants. AMth each one it requires a double set 

 of machinery complete in every way to guard against a breakdown 

 and heavy losses ; for the storage company is liable for the loss by 

 over cooling or loss from lack of cooling, if you can make out a case, 

 but they will always put up the cry of, "poor stuff" and try to prove 

 that the reason why the fruit did not keep was entirely owing to 

 poor quality. 



The ammonia storage men claim for their system, that if any 

 escapes by a leak or break, the odor is detected instantly and the 

 defect attended to at once. They also claim a cheaper method than 

 gas to start in with and should a gas system break or leak, there is 

 no way to discover it as the gas is nearly or quite odorless. 



Carbonic Acid gas users claim there is less danger to workmen 

 from the gas than from ammonia, and the gas, what little does es- 

 cape acts as a preservative and keeps fruit much better than the 

 ammonia system. 



One of the large storages of 80,000 barrels capacity uses Car- 

 bonic acid gas. This storage is a stock company and the company 

 does nothing but straight storage business, never buying fruit. 

 Their stock has averaged net 20 per cent, profits, besides a surplus 

 since it was built, for a period of twelve years. One of the houses 

 using ammonia have paid big dividends since they started, seven or 

 eight years ago, and a retiring partner this year received 200 per 

 cent, for his stock. 



The third system of chemical storage for fruit that it adapted 

 to the north, is what is known as the "Gravity Brine System." Mr. 

 G. Harold Powell, formerly with the U. S. Department of Agricul- 

 ture but now with the Citrus Union of California at a salary for 

 the first year of $10,000, says where natural ice can be secured 

 cheaply, the "Gravity Brine System" is the best and by far the 

 cheapest. I\Ir. Powell has spent much time studying and investi- 

 gating cold storage problems for the U. S. Department and is one 

 of the best informed men on that line in the country. Madison 

 Cooper, of Calcium, N. Y., has erected nearly 150 storages of this 

 kind in the United States and Canada. Canada is more kind to 

 her fruit growers than Uncle Sam, and where storage buildings are 

 needed pays 30 per cent, of the cost of new storages. 



The "Gravity Brine System" is a chemical cold storage the 

 same as the other two, but uses ice and salt with calcium carbide. 

 Usually at the side of a brine storage house, is erected a room for ice 

 well insulated, where ice is kept for use in the storage. No saw- 

 dust or other covering is used to keep the ice, depending entirely on 

 the insullation. AA'hen operating the storage, ice is run through the 

 ice breaker to an elevator which carries the broken ice to the tanks 



