COLD STORED FRUIT.

Auckland Star, Volume XLVII, Issue 18, 21 January 1916, Page 9

COLD STORED FRUIT.

EXPERIMENTS IN AUSTRALIA. A great deal of attention hae been paid to the cold storage of fruit in connection with the export trade (says the "Australasian"). Xew South Wales was very slow to begin to find markets abroad, and nothing very wonderful has been accomplished even yet. Still, sufficient has 'been accomplished to 6how that apples and peare could with safety be grown in very orach larger quantities than at present. One of the thinga which fruitgrowers harp on considerably ie the competition of American pears and apples in our local markets. The American exporters have, for many years, timed the Sydney markets very nicely. Their fruit has always been good, and exhibited in the best shops in first-class condition. It often commands almost a monopoly of the very best trade. It ie quite a usual thing to see American pears and apples marked up in ■windows at 2d and 3d each, and at these prices the fruit 3 are freely bought by well-to-do people. This monopoly often lasts for months, during which our local growers have scarcely any say in the business. It ie now proposed that fruit might 'be stored 'here to compete with the American in our off season. The Department of Agriculture has taken the matter up. 1/aet January the Dc- J partment caused pears and apples of several varieties to be placed in cold store in Sydney. Further storage was made in February and in March. A good sound fruit of ordinary grnde was used, the apples being picked a little on the green side, while the peara were well matured and fully coloured. In October the fruit was taken out, after having •been in the cool chamber for terms of from seven to eight and a half months. It came out in excellent condition, carrying the bloom and looking as fresh as when it was packed. The temperature maintained all through tras 33deg to , 36 deg., and it is claimed that the experitnelit was completely successful. The apples were mostly Granny Smith, Ben Davis, King David, and Red Five Crown;' and they were superior to the Americans now on sale. They were from 6/ to 6/6 per case when stored, and they sold at 13/ per case. It was said that large fruit in the same condition would have realised 18/ per caee; storage charges were 2/9 per case. Packham's Triumph was the best of the pears; these wer« worth 18/, as against 10/ when they went into store.