The Washington weekly post., 1900-09-25
Queer Devices for Protecting
Perishable Goods.
STUDIES OF THE WEATHER BUREAU
Ice stoves a Novelty on Weil-resalatsd
the Outside Zero Air Canuet Enter Car
Lowest the Temperature Isside Cas
Which Is Very Rareis IBJurioas.

Cd N bulletin soon TO be issued by thu
Weather Bureau on the subject of pro-
tectjng perishable goods In transportation.
new kind Of Car is double lined ami
has al each end four galvanized iron
cylinders reaching from the floor TO near
the top In summer these cylinders are
filled with ice and salt. tamped down
hard. and il is claimed that a refrigera-
tor vehicle thus equipped does not nee1
any renewal OF its stock OF ice on jour
ney clear across the continent. The re-
markable point. however. is that the car
is iced in winter just the same, for the
purpose of preventing freezing. Ice Is
normally at about 3 degrees Fahrenheit.
and il is very reluctant 10 give up any
of its temperature. Hence when IL Is
zero weather outside. the cylinders or
relatively warm ice act as stoves, helping
TO keep up the Thermometer inside.
Another novel device by which ice Is
employed for protection against cold con-
sists In throwing upon the car. when the
weather is near the zero point. a stream
of water. which promptly freezes and
forms complete coat all over the We
ficie. This prevents radiation of heat
from the car, end so tends TO keep up
the temperature inside. IL is a plan fire.
quently adopted in the transportation OF
bananas, which are particularly suseep-
tible to cold. Fruit OF this kind is put
into paper bags, inside OF heavy canvas
bags. and covered with salt hay, when
the temperature is dangerously low.
Protection for Fruit.
Large shippers of fruit in the South
have found out by experience that il does
rot do to take fresh fruit, especially
peaches and cantaloupes, and load ii upon
the cars without chilling it first. Ac-
cordingly, one railroad in that part of
the country is about to establish, at the
largest shipping points along its lines,
cooling rooms. in which the perishable
merchandise may be put for a while be-
fore sending it on its journey. Oranges
on the trees will endure 26 degrees for an
hour or two, but in four hours will freeze
inside One recommendation made by
the Weather Bureau in regard TO lemons
is that in large hotels and other places
where quantities of them are used for
lemonade and other purposes, they shall
not be taken from the cold storage room
to a heated room. but shall be squeezed
in the cold storage room. They lose
quality quickly after being taken out Of
cold storage.
One very curious fact that has been as
certained is that perishable produce such
as fruit and vegetables. will stand low
er temperature when the car is in motion
than when ii is at rest. No theory has
been suggested to account satisfactorily
for this phenomenon, which is certainly
interesting. 1t is suggested by the Wealth
er Bureau that growers may derive sug-
gestions OF the utmost value from the
weather reports and predictions, thus
avoiding the shipment of their goods
when cold wave in winter or a hot
spell in summer is imminent. They ought
10 learn at what points on the railroads
transportation is liable 10 be blocked by
snOwdrifts, and from the United States
Geological Survey they can ind out as 10
the attitudes of regions traversed by ship
ping routes. OF course. the temperatures
encountered in crossing mountain ranges
are apt to be much lower than in the VAL
leys.
The use of paper for protection against
cold is increasing very much, and its ef-
fectiyeness in this way is wonderful.
Fruit wrapped in heavy brown paper will
endure Is degrees more cold than without
it, Potatoes are sometimes packed In
barrels lined with paper, and when the
weather is unusually severe, the barrels
are covered with paper also. CLANS and
oysters are similarly shipped in paper
lined barrels. 10 keep them from freez-
ing. and cars for transporting psrisEabIo
merchandise are quite commonly lined
with paper. There is said 10 be nothing
ike II to keep out frcst. Eggs shipped
n crates with separate pasteboa-d Givi-
sions and covered with d layer Of oat
cnan will endure a very low tempera-
ture. Ii is observed, by the way that
picked eggs are injured by cold more
quickly than fresh ones.
snow PrevesIs Freezing.
Thick or fat clans or oysters do not
freeze as readily as lean ones. and oys-
ters resist cold better han clans. Shuck-
ed oysters kept In their own liquor in
tight barrels. VIII not spoil IL frozen In
transit. When clans or oysters In the
shell are frozen, they should be thawed
gradually in a cool place. oysters in the
shell can be kept Two months In a dark
place. when the temperature II a little
above freezing. il they are sprinkled from
time 10 time with ice water. IL has been
noticed. BY the way. that clans and oys-
teTs in transit through a snOWstOrm do
not freeze as readily as when the weather
is fair. Fish may be kept sound and mar
keiable for thirty days after helng
caught. provided that they are cleaned
soon after capture They are shipped by
express IN barrels with ice, or o. freight
in casks or boxes on wheels.
Ever SO many little points OF value have
been aseeFtained by shippers OF perishs-
bic produce through long and costly ex-
perience. For example. IL is now known
that sweet potatoes and turniDs must not
be put together. because the proper tenn
perature rOF the former 80 degreesJ Is
too high Cor the latter, and r8ts them
fast Potatoes do best IN dOuble-walled
cars heated BY stoves 70 keep out frost
Thlrty-tEo degrees will not iniure them
for eating. but will prevent them from
s3r5utlng IN the spring On the other
hand. all sorts Of tree seeds, including
peach. plum. and walnut, sprogt better In
the spring II frozen IN the winter Bulbs
such as tulips lilies, and hyacinths are
no. injured b. temperature below zero.
Ia sending early vegetables from the
South tie utmost care has 20 be taken
that they be well ventilated. so as
70 get r!d % the carbonic acid Eas which
they engeuder. and on this account open
work baskets. Slated boxes. and barrels
with openings cut In them are employed
Where fruit is concerned, IL mas been
found that precautions 20 keep out cold
may actually cause decay by keeping In
heat which the fruit generates. This NAV
20 so far a. actually 70 cook the fruit.
Not q very los. Dat uniform tempera-
ture l. required. 81 - % y degrees. which
all keep fruit twenty OF thirty days. II
Il is carefully handled, Strawberries have
been transported from Florida 70 Chicago.
transferred 20 cod storage rooms. aaA
kept IN perfect condition 70 the end Of the
fourth week after being picked
Other Exssiisui >eheme.
4 e0ntTiyanee has recently been In.
vented ard = now on the market for ven.
illating grain 81 transit. az the same time
securing the contents q the car aeainst
rain. sparks. er elnasrs. II can % Al.
taeIea 30 sa ordinary car. and i likely IL
come into general employ naent before