The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1927-09-15
APPLES MUST
HAVE A BATH
is Held to be Harm
full - Warehouses In
stall Washers

apples in the state Of Washington
took another step upward this year
when the bureau Of chemistry Of
the Dept. of Agriculture ruled that
pound Of apples should not con-
lain more than OPS Of a grain Of
arsenic Of lead, thus necessitating
the washing of all apples before
they are packed or shipped to mar
ket. Boards of health in foreign
countries generally require that
the arsenic of lead content be even
smaller, .01 grain to pound, and
next year the u. S. dept. is ex-
pected to adopt the foreign stand
ard.
Conforming with this new regu-
lation the Highlands Fruit Co., as
well as the other warehouses which
plan to pack fruit in this territory
this season, have installed apple
washers. These machines, altho ex-
pensive have demonstrated con-
clusively that the spray residue
can be cut below the minimum set
by the government, in fact almost
entirely eliminated from the OUT
side, most of the poison which re-
mains after the washing process
being enclosed in the calyx. This
being the case, the arsinic of lead
content is greater in small apples
than in large ones.
The washer which j. w. Vickers,
manager OF the Highlands Fruit
Co. has installed in the company's
packing shed at Vista, has a capac-
ity of 1900 loose boxes per day,
about one carload of packed fruit
if the apples run one-half culls as
they are expected to do this year.
The machine requires a force Of
three men to operate it, one to
dump and the others to receive.
The cost of such washing, it is be.
lieved, will be about three or four
cents per packed box.
Ever since foreign countries be-
gan to object to the spray residue
on U. S. apples, considerable ex-
perimenting has been carried on
in an effort to discover how the
arsenic of lead which is sprayed
on the apples during the summer
to protect them from worms, could
be removed. Last year practically
every large shipper in the state
tried out various kinds of brushing
machines, none of which were en-
tirely successful. It was also diff
ficult to devise washing machine
which would eliminate the residue
as arsenic of lead is not soluble
in ordinary water. After a time
it was discovered that hydrochloric
acid added to the water would re-
move spray. The washer of the
Highland Fruit Co., gives the ap-
pies a thoro dousing with hydro
chloric acid water then rinses them
in fresh water.
Drying the apples after they
are washed is one Of the perplex-
ing problems Mr.. vickers has been
battling. At first. it was believed
the brushing machines which were
used last year could be used to
brush them dry as fast as they
came from the washer; that they
could then be run onto the sorting
bench and sized in the usual man.
ner. All went well the first few
minutes this scheme was tried. but
ere long the brushes became soaked
the belts became wet, and it was
obvious something else would have
to be done. At present the High
land Fruit Co. will wash their ap-
pies, set them away for a couple
of days and then pack them out,
but with crop of normal size,
some quicker way Of drying the
fruit would be indispensable. Mr..
Vickers expressed the belief that
apples packed and stored while wet
would not keep.
The most far reaching effect Of
the ruling as to the spray content
will be the elimination of the
small packer who prepares his
own fruit for market. With wash
ing machines a necessity the cost
OF such packing will be too great
for individual growers who pro-
duce only a few thousand boxes
annually.