COOL STORAGE.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume L, Issue 16619, 24 December 1924, Page 8

COOL STORAGE.

THE, EFFECT ON APPLES

IN V KSTTGATIONS’ C( )NSfI) EIMvD VERY IMPORTANT.

NELSON, Monday

Great- importance attaches to the apple cool, storage investigations. Very extensive work -has been done by Mr R. Waters, officer-in-charge of the Biological Laboratory, and Air AY. C. Hyde, of the Department- of Agriculture. The last, lot- of fruit under experimental: .storage has been examined l this week.

Outlining the work Messrs and- Hyde said that this fruit- was packed before, at and after full maturity, six stages in all being represented. Samples of each are being inspected

carefully from time to- time, one set of samples being pla-red under average conditions, and another in a chamber at slightly higher tempera,lure. After eight- months’ storage the last; set of samples has been cut up and their exact condition recorded. The result of all the examinations is highly sa,tishu-.tiory. in all the stores of apples picked dighlly before, and at full maturity, dealt with, Hash collapse trouble has been usually entirely albamt. Occasionally the closest scrutiny has revealed slight traces only, while over-mature line,-: (which, have been proved to be more prone to the 1 rouble) under the, lusher temperature conditions, have developed not more than ) per len.i. of fruit badly a-IToc-tedl in, this wav.

I'll Is result lias -been perceived only after a great, deal of investigation of be factors concerned in J 920 when this trouble oee-rnsjonedi a; very groat loos. Orchard conditions wore largely blamed, and it, was staled that locality, rainfall, cultivation, manuring, and the time of harvesting were primary causes, of appl-o flesh-collapse, but the study of these operations aiiil -conditions has shown that while they had; a, great influence on the quality o,f apple a,nd ills susceptibility they were not the primary raase.s of the trouble, and during" the following season attention was -given, to cool storage- conditions (i.e., circula.titm of the atmosphere, storage temperatures, and; low humidity. As observation showed that, stores with long Jicur-s of; working gave inferior results, the working hours for funs and batteries in certain stores were reduced, and the stacking of -the fruit improved, but losses from- flesh-collapse persisted.

Ju 1822 ventilation' was one of itlhe main factors dealt- with, and comparisons were made, in different, stores. it warn during this season that the greuflyuie.ren.sird' susceptibility of applets tliab were rather past full maturity was observed, a fact, that experiment lias endorsed each year since, although further work now shows that- even stub fruit, lan, he isto-red «ii‘ltsfaotorily for a co-n----sideraiblu time. At a- conference of those iiilereskfJ in -cool storage, problems held in Nelson in- 1925, the need for better ventilation of .stores was stressed, and whi'ist ventilation. whole it was increased during tlie following -storage season, gave many ■improvements, the disappearance of tipple "Hca.ld” being 'one of them, a. large pereemtagts of flesh collapse in. apples stilt persisted.

In j,his year Air Waters visited the main cacd stores in Australia and Tasmania, and in Ndison continued his observations 1 of tin* lasi two cool storage Vaietois, temperature and humidity. Two features were, outstanding: (1) Thai cool stores with a. high storage temperature ■appeared. I'o isv.ll'er less from flesh iql;i | ii-c,; (2) •ih,a.l | ; only one .store that year •uas eidin-ly Free iic-iri flesh collapse, and here a laj-ge proportion ui' the fruit, was shnvei'ieil. These two observations seemed to prove Ihe value of relatively high cool sloiagc tempera,Lures and low humidity, the combined, effect.' on the fruit being a, loss hi weight.

During the present 1924 season Mr Waters’ work has been to test this eonehwicn and a seer la in, the extent of the necessary loss, in weight, and. the period over which the treat-manli shmilil extend. For this purpose a special ehandier of 6000 case capacity wa.s set aside at Motueka, cool store, and one, of 2500 case capacity at .Stoke, and growers were asked to offer apples for storage in them. The*‘offer was taken up in the usual good spirit, and with a, result the above factors were indicated. |

Full details of I hose operations have ■ been recorded and a great, deal of vain- j able data, has been soured which, will!

he of immense! value in future reasons, hut. whilst remit -: arc so- satisfactory as to lead many L» c insider the problem solved, every ,precaution, sdmu'.d lief maintained until further definite experience has Veen sr-erred.