The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1903-07-24
COLD STORAGE OF FRUIT.
GREAT SUCCESS IN AMERICAN
SHIPMENTS TO EUROPE.


Valuable Aid Rendered 10 Growers
and Exporters by the Department Of
Agrleulture-9uecess With Apples
and Pears Sent 10 France and Eng.
land.
You can never tell I'm you try"
Is the motto on which William A. Tay-
Tor, the field agent Of the division OF
genealogical investigation I'm the de-
partment Of agriculture. seems to
work His idea was abundantly made
good when a cargo Of russell apples was
sent to Paris a month or two ago and
sold for prices 40 percent above what
the same fruit would have brought in
the home market IL rs said to have
been the FIRST time that apples were
ever taken out of cold storage at that
season of the year and marketed In
Europe Why rus3ets should have been
chosen for the experiment has puzzled
many observers; but for reasons best
known to themselves Partisan apple
eaters had taken a great fancy to rus
set apples, and wanted nothing else
when these could be got IL was at the
suggestion OF the genealogical division
that this kind Of fruit was shipped, and
the sequel proved the soundness OF
The judgment.
A large fruit farmer in Southern IL
llnois complained last fall that he was
getting next to nothing for his hard
red winter apples. He carried his com
plant to Mr. Taylor whom he knew,
and asked for advice about sending
them abroad London said Mr. Tay-
Tor, has taste for some other things
no more wonderful" Would you be
willing to take a carload Of my apples
and put them down in London Nnder
government auspices, If I'll guarantee
the expense|' suggested the orchard
list That is what we are here for,
answered the pomologist. So a carload
was made up. The apples were eagerly
bought in London for somewhat more
than So a barrel, which, after all cost
of harvesting packing with especial
care, railroad transportation to the
seacoast, etc, left a very neat return
10 the owner of the orchard. 1t did
not take long for other Illinois farmers
to catch the idea, and before the win
ter was over thousands of barrels from
that part of the country found their
way to the London market
The pomologists at the department
had an idea that summer apples, too,
would sell in London Experienced
shippers shook their heads and felt
sure that it wouldn't pay to try what
nobody had tried up to that time But
Mr. Taylor assumed that there must be
a season between seasons" when the
apples from Australasia had given out
and the native apples had not yet ma
tured. We have so many apples in the
United States which ripen in mid
summer and are delicious to eat, but
highly perishable, that it seemed
worth while to try to do something
with them, and recent experiments of
the department with peach shipments
had shown that it was possible to
send very tender fruit long distance
without spelling it. This time the de-
paTtment had to seek the orchardist,
not the orchardist the department
Delaware apples we're chosen, and were
packed in quart baskets like peaches,
and the baskets carefully laid in crates,
all under the eye of the Washington
professionals. They went safely and
brought about double the price the de-
partment people had dared to estimate
for them
The next object lesson was arranged
for the benefit of the pear culturists
of Niagara county, New York. The de-
partment undertook to see that its
American clients should receive not
less than the best home market price
for their Bartletts The experts sup
erviBed the wrapping and packing,
personally conducted" the cargo TO
London, and put it up at public auc-
ton. Once more their expectations
were justified. The experiments made
with Delaware and Georgia peaches not
only have been successful in pecuni-
airy sense, but have taught shippers
here a great deal that they had not
guessed before about the possibilities
of storing such tender fruit in refrig-
Grated warehouses, not merely for ten
days or a fortnight, but for hye OF
six weeks, and bringing them out hard
and bright and fit for all market CON
ditions. 1t was simply question oi