FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

Press, Volume LXXIV, Issue 22431, 18 June 1938, Page 11

FROZEN PRODUCE LETTER

PROSPECTS FOB FRUIT SEASON POSSIBLE RESTRICTIONS ON EGG IMPORTS (From Our Special Correspondent.) LONDON, May 19. The havoc wrought in the English orchards by severe night frosts and the continued drought will make the home fruit trade largely dependent upon imported supplies during the months ahead. There is a reserve quantity of home-grown apples in the country in gas storage under refrigeration, but these stocks are ccmpara- ; tively The growers are threatened with very heavy losses during the 1938 season. According to seme reports, about 60 per cent, of the plum and apple harvest has been destroyedWorcestershire and Kent are the two counties hardest hit, and strawberries and currants have suffered, as well as the main pear, apple, and plum crops. Herefordshire growers declare that there will be so few cherries and plums in their orchards as to make them not worth picking. East Anglian growers state that a 50 per cent, crop of apples is the best they can hope for, whue the yield of Victoria plums has been entirely destroyed. In the meantime, the trade has received with every satisfaction the report of a bumper apple crop from New Zealand, and the 1,250,000 cases consigned to Britain should find a ready market. It is. of course, possible the New Zealand and Australian shipments may conflict with the American arrivals, since there is some overlapping of the seasons. At the beginning of March, for instance, there wee 10,000.000 more boxes of apples in store in the United States for export than at the same time last year. The American season, like that of Brhain, normally extends from October to February. but cold storage has enabled the <?ale of apoles to be continued from one season to another. However, the prospects for the New Zealand apple season are much better than those of last year. Fruit Storage Research

Recent research by the Food Investigation Board into the general thermochemjcal aspects of re rigerated fruit storage points to a complex relaf n between the temperature of storage ■nd the amount of physiological breakdown in various fruits. It was found that, after relatively short periods in f old store, breakdown of plums, woolhiess of peaches, and pitting of grape'ruit usually occur to a maximum 6X'ont at intermediate temperatures, the n jury-temperature curves usually showing a peak which appears to be a necessary consequence of the interaction of two opposing factors ii> the development of cold injury. The research workers discovered that there is an equilibrium factor; lowering the temperature increases the disposition towards injury. There is also a kinetic factor; the higher the temperature the sooner dees the injury become manifest, indicating a process governed by the thermochemical rule that the rate of change is reduced as the temperature is lowered. The experiments proved that

the temperature of maximum injury is mobile and not a fixed characteristic of the fruit. It may occur above or below the fruit’s freezing-point, although the latter could not be demonstrated but wag asgqmed. The three factors which lower the temperature of maximum injury are: (a ) greater resistance of the fruit, (b) longer period of storage, and (c) a faster rate of manifestation of injury. The experimenters report that the number of fruits injured does not increase indefinitely as the perjod.of storage is lengthened, a maximum being reached which js sufficiently definite to be considered as a first approximation. The number of fruits injured when the maximum is reached is greatest at the lowest temperature, but the maximum is reached soonest : at the highest temperature. The fact that a maximum is reached at each storage temperature' indicates that the susceptibility to injury exists in the fruit at the time pf cooling, this being referred to as “primary susceptibility.”

Susceptibility to-Injury Develops

Fruit changes during storage, and these changes result in the further development of susceptibility to injury, termed “secondary susceptibility.” The results of the tests, have established that the presence of secondary susceptibility developed after cgoling by the ageing and weakening of the fruit in store may logically be inferred from the development of maximum injury, beyond which there is no drift. The

factors which predisposed fruit to secondary susceptibility are hot necessarily the same as those which cause primary susceptibility which, existing about the time of storage, takes into account meters which affect the susceptibility of fruit up to the time of cool-1 ing, the secondary susceptibility re- : fleeting the changes in the fruit after: cooling, Between them, these two classes cover pll possible sources susceptibility and form a complete scheme of classification. The question also arises whether the rate of carbon dioxide production after cooling to a very low temperature is greatest for fruits that are cooled a. the climadric, and research now being conducted on this point should prove invaluable to overseas shippers of fruit to the United Kingdom market. Producers and Imported Eggs

Tile National Farmers’ Union and home produce, s’ organisations have made representations to the Minister tor Agriculture iMr W. S, Morrison) tor additional tariffs and Quantitative restrictions to be imposed upon imported eggs- While their proposals have so tar received a direct negative, they have not been discouraged, however, and have expressed the hope that the conversations between the Minister and the joint committee of the National Farmers’ Union and the National Poultry Council, concerning measures for improving the condition of the poultry industry, may include proposals similar tp those which have recently been rejected. At tne. moment, the joint committee have informed Mr Morrison that they are in favour of dropping the suggested prpdueer-qontrolied scheme Under the Agricultural Marketing Acts which necessitates the registration of producers and the regulation of their sales of eggs. They, favour the reorganisation and statutory control of distributory functions under fresh legislation, the linking up of marketing with stock improvement under the administration of a single commission, the assurance pf net prices to producers during the period of highest production, and securing the necessary legislative authority for the control of imports of eggs and poultry in lieu of powers provided under the Agricultural Marketing Acts, They have also strongly pressed that effect should he given, in the legislation required, to the recommendations of the Reorganisation Commission in regard to egg marketing. That the Government may decide to restrict egg imports into the United kingdom is evidenced by a recent official report which shows that the imports of eggs during the first quarter of this year reached the highest figure for the period since 1931, The tptai Supply of 63,043,000 dozen from overseas was 12,100,000 dozen, gr 24 per Cent,, more than in the first quarter pf 1037, Empire supplies increased by only 7 per cent., however, shipment from Australia being reduced by 59 per cent., but those from Eire increased by 4.5 per cent. Supplies from foreign countries were 26 per cent, greater than a year earlier. The principal increases were in supplies from Denmark, Holland, Sweden, and Poland. Owing to the hostilities in china, imports of liquid or frozen eggs from that country are declining, shipments from China in March being 50 per cent, smaller than in March. 1937,

SUITABLE LABOUR SCARCE

PLANT BREEDING STATION’S difficulty

The difficulty of obtaining satisfactory labour fpr the plant-breeding station of the Wheat Research Institute is mentioned in the report of the geneticist, Dr. O, H, Fraokei, which was presented to the committee of the institute yesterday. “As in the previous season, I consider it my duty to draw attention to the largely unsatisfactory labour conditions at the plant breeding station,'’ said Dr, Frankel. “Troublesome as it is from tfie point of view of accuracy apd efficiency, casual labour becomes increasingly difficult tq obtain. We have no applicants of youths 88 temporary assistants, and shall no doubt be forced to employ an additional man at standard rates of pay. In spite of a relatively small amount of work after the last harvest, we did not get through the work of selection and threshing until well on in May—when normally sowing should be finished. We have little prospect of securing temporary assistance for the following threshing season. There only remains one way oufc=»th® appointment

of. an adequate permanent staff. This incurs the difficulty of lack of work during the three or four winter months. At the same time I may point out that among the dozens of larger institutions breeding wheat, I know of none which breeds nothing but autumngown wheat as we are doing. Everywhere at least one spring-sown crop such as barley or oats is included in the same department or section with autumn-sown wheat. This makes for a distribution of the work all the year round, and warrants the expense of maintaining the indispensable permanent staff.”

WHEAT GROWING COSTS To the Agricultural Editor Sir,—ln reply to “Grower’s” letter criticising mine about wheatgrowing. If his letter is that of a genuine grower I would like to ask him what difference it would make to the cost of production here in New Zealand if wheat could be landed for nothing. .1 admit the price quoted by me was inadvertenty overstated and stand corrected on that point, Erpm the tone Of “Grower’s letter I should say it bad emanated from the office of the Wbeatgrowers’ Association or was a bit of Ministerial propaganda, which is one and the same thing- Could “Grower” inform me what the obvious reasons are for wheatgrowers being Kept in the dark as to the wheat position. Why is it not possible for the wbeatgrowers to be kept

fully informed about cost of imputation, etc.? The flourmUler is wOTfflf under a guaranteed price for m| j»e buys and sells, also the baker, ermm the unfortunate man who grows,the wheat can be shot at by anyone ■•nd everyone, and is_ forced to take is left til anything) after paying- «m.penses. Why not pay a little mwe for all wheat grown south of the Bfligt* tata river, for this is just about a» tar south as the headers can be used_irith safety. This talk of the ~flourmil*rsr helping the wbeatgrowers is jfaro moonshine, for during an experience of 50 years growing wheat I have never yet heard of such a thing happening The flounnillers might perhaps help indirectly by installing plants in tpnr mills for reconditioning wheat the same as was done many years '•go. Meeks mill. I remember, had such a plant at Oamam. and treated sprouted and damp grain with groat success, though of course we were charged so much a bushel. To add to the growers' troubles this season the weather has been, and still is. very much against them, and the area of winter wheat will be much reduced in oonseaueooe As I said in nay previous letter, if Mr Sullivan wants reasonably priced wheat the growers must have reasonable labour to produce it, otherwise the position will go from bad to wtsrs* as the years go on. Instead of throwing away millions of the taapofetsr money on a useless venture like One*kaka Iron, why does not this Laaotif Government assist a gwasne iiylatfij June 14. IPS. - * - - -