COOL STORAGE

Hokitika Guardian, 31 December 1924, Page 4

COOL STORAGE

EFFECT ON APPLES. NELSON, December 20. Great importance attaches to the apple tool storage investigations. Very extensive work has been done by Mr It. Waters, officer-in-charge of the Biological Laboratory, and .Mr IV. C. Hyde, of the Department of Agriculture. The last lot of fruit under experimental storage has been examined this week.

Outlining the work .Messrs Waters 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 placed under average conditions, and another in a chamber at slightly higher temperature. FINAL LOT. After eigliL months’ storage the last set of samples has been cut up and their exact condition recorded. The result of all the examinations is highly satisfactory. Hi all stores of apples picked slightly before, and at full maturity, dealt with, collapse trouble has been usually entirely absent. Occasionally the closest scrutiny has revealed slight traces only, while over-mature lines (which have been proved to he more prone to the trouble) under the higher temperature conditions, have developed not more than .‘I per cent, of truil badly affected in this way. CAUSED LOSS. This result has been perceived only after a great deal of investigation of the factors concerned in 1920 when this trouble occasioned a very great loss. Orchard conditions were largely Illumed, and it was stated that locality, rainfall, cultivation immuring, and the time of harvesting -were primary causes ol apple llcsli collapse, hut the study of these operations and conditions has shown that while they had a great inllueiiee on the quality of apple and its susceptibility they were not the primary causes of jlituible, aiidf dinting the following season attention was given to cool storage conditions (i.e., cir-

culation of the atmosphere, sllorago temporalures, and low humidity), ns observation showed that stores with long hours of working gave inlerior results. The working hours for Tans and batteries in certain stores were reduced and the slacking of the I mil improved, hut losses I rout flesh-col-lapse persisted. VENTILATION PROBLEM. In 1922 ventilation was one ol the main factors dealt with and comparisons were made in different, stores. It was during this season that the greatly-increased susceptibility of apples that were rather past lull maturity was observed, a tael that experiment has endorsed each year since,

a.ltlu.'ugh further work now shows that even such fruit can he stored satisfactorily for a considerable lime. At a conference ol those interested in cool storage problems held in Nelson in 192:5. the need IW better ventilation id stores was stressed, and whilst ventilation, where it was increased during the following storage season, gave many experiments, the disappearance ol apple " scald being one ol them, a large percentage of flesh collapse in apples still persisted. TIvM PERATUEK ASSAILED. lo this year Mi Waters visited the main cool stores in Australia and Tasmania. and in Nelson continued his observations of the last two cool storage factors, temperature and humidity. Two features were outstanding: (!) That cool stores with a high storage temperature appeared to sutler less Iron’. Ilesii collapse; (2) that only one store that year was entirely I rue IToui llcsli collapse, and here a large proportion of the fruit was shrivelled. Thee two o l ’••'nations soeomd I” proyo llf mine cl r-l.iliiclv high • ””I storage temporal ores and low hiiniiditv, the combined ell’ecL on the fruit heino a loss in weight. WHAT I’KKIOD? During the present 1921 season Mr Water’s work has been to test this conclusion and ascertain the extent of the necessary loss in weight and the* period over which the treatment should extend. For this purpose a special chamber of '>'l99 case capacity was set aside at Motueka cool store, mid one of 2*190 capacity at Stoke, and growers were asked to nliei apples for storage in them. 1 lie oiler was taken up in the usual good spirit, mol with, a result the above factors

were indicated. Full details of these operations have been recorded and a great deal of valuable data lias been secured which will ho «>l* innnonso value i*> Tutme seasons, lull whilst results arc Bo satisfactory as to lead lbany to consider the problem solved, every precaution should he maintained until further definite experience has been secured.