TRANSPORT OF APPLES

Hokitika Guardian, 11 March 1926, Page 3

TRANSPORT OF APPLES

SOME PROBLEMS,

WELLINGTON, Alarcli 9,

in a recent address to the Wellington Chamber of Commerce, Sir Frank Heath, secretary of the British Department of Scientific anil Industrial Research, mentioned the result of inquiries made at Home into diseases affecting apples during transport from Australia ami New Zealand to Great Britain. He said that investigations showed that the disease of apples called ‘'brown heart ” is caused Tiy excessive accumulation of carbon dioxide in insufficiently ventilated ships’ holds. “ Bitter pit” is a disease arising not so much, he said, from storage conditions in transport as from, inherent weakness in the apples, due to some I deficiency in the soil, lie added that the work of the English investigators must he supplemented by scientific work at this end. The atlcntion of Air R. Waters, officer in charge of the biological laboratory of the Department of Agriculture, was directed to the statements of Sir Frank Heath, and he said he welcomed any effort for the advancement in New Zealand of agricultural science, which at present is only in its infancy. Air Water• added that what Sir Frank said with regard to llio effects of soil conditions upon storage qualities of apples is fully borne out by investigations carried out in New Zealand. He explained tint I different varieties of applies, on account of their variation in quality, respond differently to cool storage conditions.

“Even in the ease of apples of the same variety, hut grown under markedly different conditions, there are found to he great differences in their ability to hold satisfactorily under coni (Storage cofndjt.iains,” Jye said. “Meteorological conditions and soil conditions are reflected in the rate at which apples mature. The same variety may matuiv.* fully a month earlier under bad orchard management than under good cultural conditions. ‘Prematurity’ is the term f have adopted in describing such early maturing fruit, because the constitution of the fruit is not fully dovcloj cd when maturity sets in. hence such apples are correi'lily described .as ‘.premature,’ and sneli pre-maturity is to some extent the mcasing' of the adverse coit11itinns to which the orchards have been subjected. In cool store we find

aht premature apples are more slts•eptihle to physiological diseases than ipplcs that have passed through a oug and favourable period of growth it the end of which they have liaturdly reached inatiirilv.

“ Experiments that have been conducted in various New Zealand cool stores have given us some valuable iu--1 urination on the requirements of the different varieties of apples and of pears. As a member of the Cool Storage and Transport Committee I can say that much of this information has been communicated to engineers in charge of apple shipments lhai have lelt this country. However, problems on board ship differ somewhat from those on land. In the ship’s hold the problem is to produce conditions ol temperature, humidity, circulation and ventilation that are necessary for the storage of trail by means of each particular refrigerating plant with which the ships are fitted. There are a number of modifications of refrigeration systems to be found on the boats that cnrrv otir Iruit. but inspection of these systems and full discussion ol their manipulation to produce the desired conditions have no doubt helped consierably towards the suceesstul storage of New Zealand fruit in transit In ■Great Britain. \Ve are centainly indebted to the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research lor the valuable conclusions they have reached as to the causes of development: of brown heart in apples in transit, to oversea markets. ’This work, together with invest motions that have been carried out In this country, should materially assist- in assuring that lultire Iruit shipments shall reach our oversea, markets in >alisfactory condition.’'