The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1919-10-31
prepared by the United States Depart
ment of Agricuiture)

prepared by the United States Depart
ment OF Agricuiture)
For every thousand persons in the
United States there is at least one re-
frlgerator car, loaded with food prod
ucts, rolling along the rails. These
cars carry billions of pounds. and more
than three-fourths of them haul fruits
and vegetables. Much Of this produce
is highly perishable, and must be
moved quickly, while temperatures are
kept down by the use of Ice.
Unless one is given to travelling, his
breakfast fruit or dinner salad is like
ly to have covered more miles in trip
of days than he has in as many
months, and all the way from field to
table perishable fruits and vegetables
must be watched over and cared for
by group of workers who are as busy
as a mother travelling with baby in
her arms.
Sometimes refrigerator cars arrive
Mt markets with their fruit or vege-
tables damaged by heat or shifting OF
loads through faulty containers, or dis
eases and rots developing durin''
transit. This means not only a loss
Of foodstuffs, but increased prices for
the sound produce that arrives on TIE
market-losses that in the long run
must be borne by wholesaler, retailer,
producer and consumer. This itself Is
serious enough, but. according to the
bureau of markets of the United States
department of agriculture there Is
a present shortage of refrigerator
cars in this country, and the more
cars that bring damaged produce
to market the fewer available cars
there are to carry perishable food to
the cities.
What Can Be Done About It2
If, and this Is where science steps
in, the present equipment of refrigera-
tor cars should be moderulzed, and II
more care were taken in loading, brac-
ing and hauling perishables In these
modcrnlzed cars, losses Of food would
be reduced and our scanty supply OF
refrigerator cars made to carry more
actual food to market.
At one large market last July 127
cars of peaches were inspected by the
bureau of markets. Most of these cars
were '"in trouble" as the inspectors
say. and they represented 81 per cent
of the total July arrivals at that mar
ket. Although brown rot was bad
this year among peaches, and account
ed for much loss and sales OF as low
as ten cents crate for rOtted fruit,
Il is pointed out by refrigerator car
men that some of this loss Is due to
poor refrigeration which could be
avoided by proper construction Of cars
and better loading and handling meth
DDS.
Bio Losses Recorded.
Estimates based on reports of carlot
shipments of fruit and vegetables,
compiled by the bureau of markets,
show about 100000 shipments moving
under refrigeration. From reports OF
inspectors at Chicago, Cincinnati and
Pittsburgh from May Is to July IS,
covering 1S9 shipments under refrig-
GRAFTON, It was found that the aver
age decay Of all commodities was lib
per cent. In lat of these shipments
the temperature Of the load on arrival
was found to vary from 40 to 70 de-
grees Fahrenheit, averaging Sd de-
grees. These shipments, including 90
cars of peaches with average decay
on arrival Of 90 per cent; 30 cars or
cabbage, average decay 1873 per cent;
. cars Of tomatoes, average decay 25S
per cent; 8 cars of cantaloupes, aver
age decay 81 per cent; and 9 cars OF
strawberries, average decay 80 per
cent.
Decay on arrival does not include
all the deterioration, according to In.
veAtigators, because many shipments
slowing a small percentage Of decay
arrive overripe and soft, owing to I'M
perfect refrigeration, and these ship
n,ents deteriorate rapidly while In the
hands Of dealers and consumers. But
without considering the decay that oc-
ours after the cars are unloaded, the
percentage of decay in the total num-
Der of cars Of fruit and vegetables ar
irving under refrigeration shows an
enormous loss Of food. II the average
Of lib per cent decay shown on
shipments at Chicago, Cincinnati and
Pittsburgh last year held at other mar
kets, It would mean an annual loss Of
about 1920 carloads destroyed In
transit. or about 1.180.O00,0O0 pounds
Of fruit and vegetables. This loss Is
only in shipments moving under refrig-
Grafton. There II heavy loss also In
shipments under ventilation.
Better Cars, Less Lots.
Experiments on shipping perishables
In refrigerator cars have located causes
of loss and shown that change In car
construction viii reduce the losses. In
each end Of q refrigerator. car are COM
partments running from the roof to
the floor and known as 'bunkerS,"