The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1901-10-13
FRUIT And COLD STORAGE.
DEyELOPMENT or a NEW TRADE
IN THE LAST FEW YEARS.
EAriy Attempts NJ Refrigeration -Rapsd
Growth ef Cold s,ersse Warehouse
Car and Steamships Eject IN fruit
Trade of the Country Fruits stored

When you buy yellow. juicy peaches
or luscious strawberries In season and out
and other fruits at comparatively low
prices practically all the year round You
probably don't remember that you arc
more fortunate In this respect h your
grandfather. and even h a your father. Tor
tho change brought about by modern
methods OF refrigeration has become so
familiar that people do not think much
about II.
Tho influence OF refrigeration on the
fruit industry Ia treated In an article pro-
pared by william A Taylor, assistant
pomologist In the Department 81 Agri-
cultur. and printed In the year book OF
that department. In tho first part OF his
article Mr.. Taylor reviews briefly the de
vclopmen, Of frli, culture as a feature OF
the agricultural progress Of the world IN
the last century. One hundred years ago
he says, there was little commercial rut
culture except for wine and for local needs,
excep, In the districts where pruies ana
raisins we're grown for drying.
Even oranges and lemons were carried
abroad with difficulty. and no longer ago
than 1871 there were. according TO an au-
thority. only half a dozen fruiterers IN
London. As transportation facilities were
Increased tho trade grew rapidly. 80 rapidly
indeed that over-production set In and was
not relieved to any great extent until re
frigeration both for storage and transit
was perfected. or nearly perfected.
Some of tho most remarkable work OF
refrigeration a. a means OF preserving
fruits has been shown To all visitors az the
Pan-American Exposition, where grapes,
apples and othcr delicious things we're
kept sound. fragrant and dbl for months
The records % early attempts at re-
frigerstion. SAN Mr.. Taylor. are "i-
ccciingly f~rsgmentsry, but enough l. said
by the ancient writers on the sub.ec' 70
show that Ice and NOV were stored by the
early Greeks and Romans In pits protected
from the sun. Tho Ice and snow however,
seem 10 have been used more Tor cooling
drinks and foods than for retardtng the
decay OF psrirhshl. fruits. Other
agents were probably used a. early a.
1907. Fahrenheit used al ice-and-sslt mil
tur. Ia 1882 In this country Ice was used
early and trade In " developed In the
eighteenth century 10 some degree.
Ir l7ps a ma Ia Charleston. y. E, char
cred a vessel a. couvry n load Of Ice cut
Ia Now York To- Charleston and In ISL the
brig Favotitc took 10 tom ot ice rom
Bo.ton TO the island Of Martinique for Use
ir a yellow fever epidemic. The 81 ipn.ent
wss a total lo-s. and "a similar shipment 20
Havana IN 1910 was a failure, hut after the
War Of 1912 Mr.. Tudor OF Boston. who made
Tho shipments, eNp-rimentcd some moro
and built up a larg" trade In the South
Atlantic and Gulf States and later in South
America and Asia.
py 1884 American Ice was shipped 10 tho
West Indies. Rio Janeiro. Ceylon. Calcutta.
Bombay. Madras. Batavia. Manila, Sinsa-
pore. Maunius and Australia. This trade
continued until about 1870. when a very
short ice crop In New England. In conjunc-
ton with the growing use Of practical loo
making machines, gave an impetus to the
making OF artificial ice In the tropics. This
killed the importation OF ice into these
regions.
Mr. TAYLOR nays that the Rev. Benjamin
NJ. Nyce Of Decatur county, Ind. began
the real experimental work In controlling
temperature and humidity in Ice chambers.
He patented a process OF construction
In lass. Large sums were offered for the
Use Of his patents In New York and other
States, but he didn't accept them and met
with ultimate loss.
In 1895 a distinct improvement Wa made
by an employee Of n Fulton Market firm
In this city by which a mixture Of salted
ioe was placed In V-shAped galvanized
iron tanks which were suspended from
the ceiling. This method Allowed the hold
ing Of poultry and game al a low enough
Temperature 10 preserve them for some
time. of this Mr. Taylor nays; This APP
pears 10 have been the nearest approach
10 the modern cold-storage establishment
pror 10 the introduction OF mechanicaI
pfngcration.
According 10 the author OF the article,
Jacob Perkins OF London in 1854 invented
An ether machine which was the forerunner
Of the compression machines Of this day
In 1850 Cara Ina France invented the am
monia absorption process by which at the
Paris Exposition in 1907 he made ak tons
Of ice n day. Other inventors got at work
quickly on the new idea and new machine,
kept appearing almost every day. Mcchani'
cal refriser alton soon became a real fact
to 10 reckoned with The transportation
OF fresh meat from Australia almost revo'
mtionised the Australian meat trade
In the early 10 mechanical Refrigeration
was extensively applied 20 the chilling
Of meats ia this country, and In 1878 aurecn
wich street firm in this city fitted up n build
ing Tor the cold storage 81 fruit. About
1851 a Boston company started a big build
ing on the same plan. In 1878 the Western
Cold Storage Company OF Chicago openeC
a warehouse in which in 1850 a -emi-me
chAnioal system was introduced. Fruit wa
stored In that house from its opening
Ever since 1890 there has been a mark~+
yearly increase In the number OF cold
storage warehouses in apple-producinl
regions, new houses with a capacity OF from
10000 to 10000 barrels being built ever,
wear. The number Of the fruit storage house,
" ,s estimated In March Of this year 60 II
eD with a total capacity Of 100000 cuhi'
feet. The total estimated capacity OF all d
the cold storage houses, including meai
storage places. Ia 100000 cubic feet.
OF the summer fruits. such a. berries
peaches. plums and early pears, relative',
small quantities are, stored except In thu
event Of a gluttcd market. OF later fruits
such a. Bartlett peArs. single houses In thu
western part uf this State have sold a
many a. Is. oo barrels az one time, II
- H. 81. ,aapstv .nu,egtmas REACHES