The morning call., 1894-01-14
TO SAVE MILLIONS.
Dry=Air Process for Fruit
- Shipments.
BY 1T ALL DECAY RETARDED.
Scientific Basis OF the Process and
Its Application-lts Practical
Value for Economy.


there has been widespread discussion
among OTcnardis,s IN general and class
newspaUers ard So various district ana
State meetings over tie important question
If tre better MARKETING OF California
frufts. Agitation q the topic brought out
exuress .cus CT determined resolve IN favor
Of needed reform and crystaIliZed IN
mass co17enron. which On the 29.h Of last
month. Il this city, formed a State Ex-
change. i. nay therefore be taken for
granted that nothing viii be left undone
10 forward the dTIed-frUit Industry.
There : promise now Of far more impor-
tant reform in the marketing oi ripe fruit,
which shall correct The evils and draw
backs Of the present system Of shipment
By refriEeFator-car. Il is the dTy-eir
process, which has recently been brought
Il perfection By the Rev. Alfred 7. Per-
kics Il Alameda, treasurer OF the State
horticultural Society. Who has devoted
many years 10 2 study O, the causes Of
decay IL fruit and OF lis prevention.
Something is known by fTuit-gToweTs Of
the process. but only IN general way. In
telling OF Il Ar. Perkins did LOT permit
himself 10 go into detsils, for the reason
that patents were pending. But late last
week letters patent weIe received from
" asllngtoD, covering every Olnt OF the
process ana Of the car N which fruit Is 70
be transported. The practical application
Of discovery which promises II save the
fTuit-gToweTs OF California 81 least $500
COO per annum Is now made PUBIC Tor the
nTst time Uy The CALL.
L substitutes for the uncertain Tefriger-
at0T method the safe TRANSPORTATION CT
fruit tbe doing away with ice. the use o[ q
car but little hesyier t1aa 90 ordinary box
car, -he saving OF E; least $40 per car II
freight charges, and, above aud bevoDd al
thA foregoing, the delivery OF fFult at
distant markets in better condition than
when Z leaves !he orchard.
TIE dry-air process Is based on the
scientific principle that when fruit decays
& uew life begins, /. =. Ile fqDgolQ growth.
DGmp1ess : conducive 10 tie spread CT
fungus. while dryness has the opposite
tendency. Il other words, TIpe fruiE will
last Longest while i is under the Influence
+ Of - air g. tie temperature Of IS degrees
= Under these conditions the life Of the
1Tuit s prolonged and decay arrested for a
longer period than under any known con-
d.gl1u.
The natural inquiry IS: Where can you
secure a steady supply Of dry air al
STEADY ten perature IN car which moves
through Z variety OF climates on its long
journey across tne cOntluent?'
An answer 70 taIs question involves
much II ore than d6scTI pIIOl Of tie ne
cbaDIcal appliances used. Il is 2 we'll
established principle in science that when
ar Is compressed its temperature 5 raised.
E0E Instance, take FIVE simCspheFes az
tsnreEature Of 100 degrees FahEenhe
Compress them into the space Of enc a.
nOspnere, AID yCu raise the temperature
10 go degrees Release compressed sir
and II instantly becomes cooler.
In applying this principle 70 q freight
car you must have tank or reservoir TO
hold compressed air a. q high tempera-
t1re- This air is released Dy stop-coeks
Through spray nCZZlss SO arranged within
the car LGGE there i z Constant circulation
throughout every part Of the car OF dry
air. Tie eQuab.e temperature Of 55 de-
grees : maintained By regulating the
pressure az the uCZZ.e=, Just "a tie pres
sure Of water Is regulated. Additional 10
thls there IS far further protection aud for
better circulation u air 8 thTee-Ilcl shell
which sgFTuuU1s taa car.
j constant supply Of compressed air can
be furnished 10 TIE tank from tbe Incoma-
tive n exactly TIE same manner as air is
furnished 10 the Westinghouse brake
But is not known as We. whether the
railroads would be willing 50 10 eOUlp
their engines as 70 furnish this supply Of
siT; therefore. q plan has been perfected
whereby The process can &c Carried on in-
dependent Of the locomotive. There Will
Be ne tank full OF compressed air az the
beginning OF the journey. Each ear Will
Be provided with al airplmp which will
raugemens attached 70 che Of tie car
szles.s. This pump will furnish e fresh
supply as ias: as the stock IS exhausted. A
delay, during Bhich the car should not
move, would shut Il the dry air. but still
the fTuI. would keep far better exposed.
after having been subjected for q tine 10
contact with dry ar, than L would fresh
from the tree, for the reason that much of
4 tCe huniGity-tLe principal factor IN de-
eag-has been removed.
The EIsk Of loss or damage TO trcit IN
case & car is sidetracked has been amply
provided agzlns.. First, there IS q shell
on the outside. leaving e tlVee-inch space
for the clrcu atl0n Of dry sir; inside Of
tina. another iaree-ineh space for dead air
and inside of that tEe air cham Der o.
tanning tie fFuit- The dry air after max
ing the circuit Of the car escapes through
vents under the fooiooard On sop Of the
car.
These double shells were tested last
summer on the Arizona deserts. While
tue side CT Refrigerator ear exposed to
Tie sun was 50 hot mat ones hand could
not De hed against Il the interior shell
Of the PerkIns car was only little above
normal. Thus protected. IL IS claimed
that breakdown Of not to exceed five
days. whatever the temperature CT the
outside air, viii not a1ecs the fruit ad-
YeTseiy.
l. should not Re inferred tha, the frpi,
" =
temperature between - and 65 & perfectly
safe.
Moisture and high or low temperature
are fo0d for the development Of fuugoii
growth. After the fungus has once gaIu-i
& f0otaoid rs spread Is very rapid The
process Just described acts upon all the
factors Of decay. The refrigerator method
takes the fruit before il Is perfectly ma
tured, before il receives Its full amount of
sugar, and places il in low temperature.
Tetarding fermentation. When the fruit q
transferred TO warm temperature the
fermentation is abnoEually rapid and tie
decay rapid III proportion. Under dry air
the fruii not only keeps better IN transit,
but lives much longer after being taken
out of the car.
The dry-aiT process is not theory alone.
EFery form Cf experiment and practical
lest has been made al the laboratory IL
-Oak.aBd with surprising results The
mes delicate peaches and apricots were
Kept twenty-five days, and when placed
s.Qe oy SIDE with ripe fIuii freshly plueked
e1peFls were unable 10 tell one from the
ot.eE lne most remarkable test was
VILE ETapes picked in the wet season of
!o5I- IL that year they were snip. ed al a
loss because OF he rapid decay. Several