The Cleveland leader. [volume] (Cleveland [Ohio]) 1865-1865, 1865-05-18

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Late in October or early in November of |
last year, we visited the Fruit House Of |
Messrs. Nyce, shirk & Co, on Kinsman
street, while the proprietors were putting
in their fruit. We at that timeg gave quite
full description of the house, and detailed
the nVodus operandi of preserving the vsri-
ous fruits, apples, grapes, pears, &C., &C.,
which were put in. At the kind invitation
of Prof Nyce, we went through the esta6-
Iishment day or two since, and we are
| prepared 10 report most favorabIy on the
manner in which the fruit has been kept.
But before we speak particularly of this'
we will lay before our readers some account
of the building aud the theory on which
| this scientific process of preserving fruit is
based, believing, as we do, that it is mat
ter of great curiosity and general interest,
now that the institution may be considered
Q success.
This house consists of two apartments,
one above the other. The upper one con-
tains ice, put in every winter, in depth
usually FIVE or six feet. This is separated
from the fruit room below it by floor Of
galvanized iron, the sheets of which are
closely riveted and soldered, SO as to be
perfectly water tight. The walls are made
of two castings of sheet iron, three and
half feet apart. The edges of these sheets
are psinted and closely nailed to upright
studding, the intervening space being filled
with chat, sawdust, or short shsVings, or
other non-conducting substances. The
floor of the fruit room is also made of gal
vsuized iron. Below this are placed shaw
iugs, three feet thick, on q coating Of tar
and pitch, spread one inch thick upon the
ground TO prevent the entrance OF moisture.
One or more Wind-wheels are placed above
the roof, gsared to fans in the fruit rooms.
On the floor of the fruit room was spread
formerly, in its dry state, the chlorids OF
calcium, substance which has great power
of absorbing moisture but now the waste
bittern from salt works absolutely costless,)
after being dried, is found 10 be equally IS
efficient as the former chloride.
The elements of q complete preserving
atmosphere are, coldness, dryness, purity,
equality of temperature, at all times, and
in every part, absence of light, and if pos
sible, the exclusion of the great Ggent of
> decomposition, the oxygen of the air. This
plan secures all these elements in great
: perfsction. The thermometer shows a uni
form temperature Of $40 in all parts of the
room, and is found not to vary single
degree from $40, even from April until
October.
Dryness is its leading patentable feature.
Vapor is constantly given off from differ
= ent kinds of fruit, amounting usually TO at
least half gallon of water from one hundred
bushels, per week. This vSpor lS taken up
by the sorbsnt, which is spread over the
floor of the fruit room. Il is made to run
out in tubes to the outside, once in about
every month. It is then dried in large
pans, of sheet iron, and returned TO the
house in the dried state as before. The
. same substance is thus used twenty OF
thirty times. The air in 8 room 30 COM
pletsly confined, after the fruit is chilled
down to $40, becomes very still. The FAM
are used to give circulation to the sir, and
bring the moisture arising from the fruit
in contact with the absorbent, to be tsker
up by it, although it is found, on trial, that
they are not at all Indispensable.
The air is pure, because every source o
impurity is excluded.
In the gradual ripening of fruit, hydro
gen and carbon are constantly given off
the former unites with the oxygen of thu
air, and forms water; the latter carbOniC
acid,
= This process in any confined vessel flleC
with fruit, consumes all the oxygen, espe-
ciaIly if the fruit be ripe, and the air warm
in about fOrty-eight hours. The rooms o
It this house are gas tight, and when flleC
5 with fruit, if closed up for two days
q candle goes out in them almost instantly
The fruit is then surrounded by an at
mosphere composed of the nitrogen of tn
air and carbonic acid. The former is des
= titute of all active properties, good or bad
Q The latter is not sufficiently acid, unles
under heavy pressure, TO produce any &C
ton on fruits immersed in it. Hydrogen
u and carbon then cease TO be evolved from
: the fruit, as there is now no agent TO unit
. with them, in the same way that the
IS cease to be evolved from burning canndle
when the air is removed. Decomposition
ceases in both cases, and for theEAm reason
: The principle is thus stated by Liebig
mDecay is much retarded in the absence o
moisture, and by the substance being sur
. rounded with an atmosphere of cArboni
acid, which prevents the air from cominI
L in contact with decsying matter"
All fruit should be in the house Whel
tree-ripe; that is, as soon as it has receives
= all the virtue the tree or the vine can i'm
a part to it. Liebig says: Grub an unripe
s or green, apple or pear on q CRATER, TO
pulp; wash this with cold water on fin
o sieve-,the, turbid liquid which pssse
through, deposits fine -four of starch, 0
. which not even = trace can be detected il
a the ripe fruit. This sfter-ripening, a. it i
called, is purely q chemical process. It
the starch being transformed into sugar
is the more starch the unripe fruit contains
II the sweeter does it become when ripe"
b Although, after the sscchsrine change
: putrefcation may go on slowly at 81, ye
) starch is much moro slowly changed int
J. sugar at that temperature. In strict &C
d cordance with this principle, it is found tha
v the most tender fruits, if put in immediate
) ly when made, keep better than tho NOR
A hardy sorts, if not put in Till fully ripe. On
a bushel of apples if fully ripe, throws Of
more hydrogen, and forms more water, ,thal
three bushels if putin in the proper season
Il is believed and claimed by the paten
: tee and by all the scientific gentlemen VII
have examined the subject, that there ar
but two kno En modes, for practical use, Q
: drying air and, as We have already stated
; dryness is the leading pAtenLAbls feature @
: this house, and the sine qua non of pressrV
\ ing fruit in full health and flavor. On
i mode consists in throwing the air upon ice
\ or an ice-cold surface; the other, in forcinI
. it upon absorbents. The principal expert
ments hitherto have concerned the forme
> method, which is a very imperfect and un
satisfactory one. For by it the air gives U,
only SO much vapor as is in excess of its ca