Prepare Plant for the Fruit Season

New Zealand Journal of Agriculture, Volume 60, Issue 1, 15 January 1940, Page 60

Prepare Plant for the Fruit Season

Cool StorageTNotes

OWNERS of fruit cool stores should ensure that all the refrigerating plant is in good working order before undertaking the work of the forthcoming fruit season. Only by utilising fruit cool storage facilities to their full capacity throughout the fruit harvesting period will it be possible, to maintain the condition . of the fruit while holding it temporarily in cool storage, and to regulate the supply of fruit to meet the demand. By the temporary holding of much of the fruit in this manner it will be possible, by the removal of the heat, from the packed fruit, to maintain it in better condition while awaiting.and during distribution. If large quantities of fruit are packed and held for too long without cool storage, fungal rotting will develop with the advancing maturity of the fruit, and re-pack-ing and losses from wastage will result. . C.'l. ' •' 'I

Do Repairs Now To enable the cool storage plants to cope with the extra - amount of fruit, the refrigerating equipment will need to be in good working order. Therefore, any repairs to the plant should be done without delay if the work of the store during peak periods is to proceed without the annoyance and loss in l the efficiency caused by stoppages or faulty equipment. The question has often been asked, “To what extent does the amount of fruit going through the store affect power costs?” ' The increase is not nearly so much as might be expected. Assuming as a basis that the store is once filled, it will require , only 20 per cent, more power if the throughput of fruit is doubled, and 40 per cent, more power if it is trebled. The reason for this is that the major proportion of the expenditure of power is in counteracting the insulation losses,

which remain the same whether the store is filled or not. The secret of cool store operating economy, therefore, is to be found in making the maximum use of the space. Removing Odours \ Having painted the cooling coils in fruit cool storage chambers, care should be taken to leave the chamber doors open. This will assist in quickly removing paint odours in time to receive the new season’s fruit for storage. All fruits are very quickly tainted by strong odours from chemicals, paints, etc., especially when bitumen, tar, or kerosene has been used. After using paints in fruit cool storage chambers, be particularly careful that the paint smell has disappeared before the chambers are again used for fruit storage. - ' , .

A. POWELL,

Cool Storage

Officer, Wellington.