The Savannah morning news., 1903-07-09
REFRIGERATING PLANTS
NEEDED FOR PEACHES.


EIberta, Says President Egan of
Central.
President John NJ. Egan. of the Cen
trail of Georgia, returned home yester-
day after visit to the peach section of
the state, the vicinity of Fort Valley
and Marshallvilla. The crop will turn
out but a third or a fourth of the nor
NAL size, he says, though already $40
cars have been shipped about the same
number that had been shipped up to
the same date last year. Forty-nine
cars, one of the largest days shipments
of the season, were shipped Tuesday.
1t appears. said Mr.. Egan, that many
of the growers omitted to spray their
trees with the Bordeaux mixture this
season, with the result that the fruit
on such trees suffered from the dry rot,
that is, they dropped before reaching
maturity; but where the trees were
sprayed the peaches produced are with
out defect, in fact, said the speaker, no
finer peaches wsre ever grown.
Peaches Sent to London.
While at the beginning of the sea-
son the fruit did not bring as good
prices as had been expected, those ship
ped since, July l have brought prices
that are most satisfactory. That the
market for the Georgia peach is being
rapidly widened is shown by the fact
that Prof. Powell. an attache of the
Department of Agriculture, is now at
Marshallville preparing shipment of
the best of the fruit for London.
The fruit is selected wrapped in
paper, and when they reach New York
will be transferred at once to the re-
frigerator of the steamer that is to
carry them across the ocean, About
twO-thirds of a car load will consti-
tute this shipment. Last season four
such shipments were made from Fort
Valley and three from Connecticut
The fruit reached the other side in
good condition; the shipments, in fact,
were satisfactory in every respect.
No one not in touch with the situa-
ton can comprehend, Mr.. Egan says,
the growth of the peach industry in
the Fort Valley vicinity. Thousands
and thousands of young trees have been
planted this season. The day is not
far distant he states, when the trans
pOrtation of peaches will take the same
course as the transportation of meats
RefrigeratinG Plant Needed.
This means that the peaches, after
having been picked and packed, will
be placed in refrigerator rooms and
kept there until the natural heat has
left the fruit, when they will be trans
ferred to the cars. 1t is claimed that
this treatment will insure their ar
rival at their destination in far better
condition than is possible under the
present system.
The present method is to place them
in iced cars as soon as they have been
packed. The astonishing rise in tenn
perature of the car thus loaded shows
how much of the natural heat of the
fruit is still retained when packed.
This leads to many troubles that will
be Obviated SO soon as the plan of
refrigerating the fruit before ship
ment is generally adopted.
Mr.. Egan disclaims any credit as the
originator of this plan for refrigerat-
ing peaches, as it was originally adj
vanced by Mr.. Hale, a gentleman that
stands in the forefront of peach grow
ers in Georgia.
PIums a Growing FavOrite.
The plums shipped from the Mar
shallville and Fort Valley section this
year have created a reputation for
Georgia plums, according to Mr.. Egan,
and though peaches are looked on at all
times as representing Georgia's choice
of fruits, the plum is now a good sec
ond and will eventually become a for
midable rival to the peach The re-
turns of the cantaloupe crop so far
have been most satisfactory, also, Mr..
Egan declared. Many car loads of the
delicious Rocky Fords have been ship
ped from the Albany district, and these
too, have brought good prices.
How Railroads Help.
AS an Illustration of what the rail-
roads are trying to do for the peach
industry Mr.. F.gan cited the case of
the CentraFs fast through train from
Atlanta to Savannah, which on Tues
day night was twice side-tracked be-
tween Atlanta and Macon in order to
make way for trainloads of peaches
and plums that were being hurried
northward. 1 am sorry to say Mr.
Egan continued that outside of the
fruit districts the people of Georgia
do not get the best of the fruit, for
it is shipped direct to Northern mar
kets.