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I  E>  R.AR.Y 

OF   THL 

U  N  I  VLR.S  ITY 
Of    ILLINOIS 


6307 

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no  446-4-57 


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UNIVERSITY    OF    ILLINOIS    LIBRARY    AT    URBANA-CHAMPAIGN 


L161—  O-1096 


Precooliag  Rail 
SKipmertts    of 


NOIS 


w 


special  reference 
to  the  use 
of  ventilated  packages 


by 
J.W.Lloyd 


Bulletin   455 

University  of  Illinois 
Agricultural  Experiment  Station 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

PLAN  OF  THE  TESTS 512 

EQUIPMENT  USED  AND  METHOD  OF  MAKING 

TESTS 512 

RESULTS  OF  1935  TESTS:    LIMITED  TO  PRECOOLING 

PERIOD 517 

Ventilated  vs.  Standard  Packages,  Both  With  Standard 

Liners 517 

Ventilated  Packages  Without  Liners  vs.  Standard  Packages 

With  Liners 519 

Fruit  Loaded  on  a  Cool  Day 523 

Fruit  Loaded  on  a  Hot  Day 523 

RESULTS  OF  1937  TESTS:    CARS  FOLLOWED  TO  TER- 
MINAL  MARKETS 526 

Ventilated  vs.  Standard  Packages  Under  Standard 

Refrigeration 526 

Ventilated  Leigh  Tubs  vs.  Standard  Tub  Bushels 529 

Ventilated  Packages  and  Liners  vs.  Standard  Packages 

and  Liners 532 

Standard  vs.  Ventilated  Round-Bottom  Baskets  With 

Ventilated  Liners 536 

GENERAL  DISCUSSION  OF  RESULTS 540 

COMMERCIAL  PRACTICES  IN  1938 541 

SUMMARY 542 

CONCLUSIONS 544 

LITERATURE  CITED..  .544 


Urbana,  Illinois  May,   1939 

Publications  in  the  Bulletin  series  report  the  results  of  investigations  made  by  or 
sponsored  by  the  Experiment  Station 


PRECOOLING  RAIL  SHIPMENTS 
OF  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 

With  Special  Reference  to  Use  of  Ventilated  Packages 

J.  W.  LLOYD,  Chief  in  Fruit  and  Vegetable  Marketing 


TESTS  concerned  with  the  refrigeration  of  eight  carloads  of 
Illinois  peaches — four  in  1935  and  four  in  1937 — are  reported 
in  this  bulletin.  The  rapid  cooling  of  peaches  in  ventilated 
packages  had  been  demonstrated  by  experiments  in  1933  and  1934 
under  controlled  laboratory  conditions,  but  it  seemed  advisable  to  make 
further  tests  in  refrigerator  cars  in  order  to  determine  how  well  this 
type  of  package  was  adapted  to  carlot  shipments.  Furthermore  it  was 
considered  desirable  to  observe  the  combined  effect  of  forced  air  circu- 
lation, salt,  and  ventilated  packages  on  the  rapidity  with  which  peaches 
can  be  cooled  after  they  are  loaded  into  refrigerator  cars. 

Earlier  experiments  by  this  Station4*  had  shown  that  in  a  refrig- 
erator car  handled  under  standard  refrigeration  the  temperature  of 
peaches  packed  in  standard  bushel  baskets  and  having  an  initial 
temperature  of  about  72°  F.  was  reduced  about  24  degrees  during  the 
first  48  hours  the  car  was  in  transit.  In  other  tests,  in  which  electric 
fans  were  used  to  increase  the  air  circulation  in  refrigerator  carloads 
of  fruit,  there  was  much  greater  uniformity  of  fruit  temperatures 
thruout  the  load  and  more  rapid  cooling  of  the  entire  lading  while 
the  fans  were  in  operation.6*  The  addition  of  salt  to  the  ice  in  the 
bunkers  also  hastened  refrigeration.4* 

In  the  laboratory  tests5*  referred  to  above,  the  most  rapid  cooling 
took  place  in  ventilated  bushel  baskets  with  wide  cracks  between  the 
staves.  Peaches  packed  in  this  type  of  ventilated  basket  without  any 
liner  cooled  down  to  50°  F.  in  less  than  6  hours,  or  in  less  than  half  the 
time  required  for  the  contents  of  a  standard  lined  tub  bushel.  Other 
workers2*  have  shown  that  for  safe  carriage  the  temperature  of 
peaches  should  be  reduced  to  50°  F.  as  quickly  as  possible.  It  is  reason- 
able to  assume  that  with  rapid  cooling,  peaches  could  be  allowed  to 
become  more  mature  and  of  better  flavor  before  picking. 


The  author  acknowledges  the  assistance  of  S.  W.  DECKER,  M.  P.  GEHLBACH, 
and  V.  A.  EKSTROM  in  the  procuring  of  data  for  this  publication. 
*These  figures  refer  to  literature  citations  on  page  544. 

511 


512  BULLETIN  No.  455  [May, 

PLAN  OF  THE  TESTS 

Plans  for  conducting  the  tests  reported  herein  were  started  during 
the  1935  Illinois  peach  shipping  season,  and  arrangements  were  made 
with  one  of  the  package  manufacturers  to  make  up  a  special  order  of 
ventilated  packages  for  use  in  the  tests,  since  baskets  of  this  type  were 
not  carried  in  stock  at  that  time. 

Before  fans  for  this  work  had  been  procured,  it  was  learned  that 
two  different  companies  operating  precooling  equipment  were  seeking 
business  at  Illinois  peach  shipping  points.  Contacts  were  made  with 
shippers  considering  the  use  of  this  service,  and  arrangements  were 
finally  made  to  conduct  tests  with  a  number  of  carloads.  In  each  test, 
one  half  (one  end)  of  the  car  was  loaded  with  peaches  packed  in 
ventilated  baskets  and  the  other  half  with  peaches  packed  in  standard 
tub  bushel  baskets  or  standard  round-bottom  bushel  baskets.  Previous 
tests  had  shown  that  refrigeration  is  practically  the  same  at  similar 
points  in  opposite  ends  of  refrigerator  cars,  provided  lading,  package 
types,  and  loading  system  are  similar  in  the  two  ends  of  the  car.4* 

Tests  were  undertaken  in  a  number  of  cars  in  1935,  but  various 
contingencies  arose  which  rendered  the  results  in  several  of  the  cars 
unreliable,  such  as  failure  of  the  fans  to  work  properly,  unloading  part 
of  car  to  fill  truck  orders,  exhaustion  of  a  large  part  of  the  ice  supply 
in  bunkers  before  the  precooling  period  was  completed,  and  unusual 
delay  in  completing  loading  of  car.  Therefore  only  four  cars  included 
in  the  tests  made  in  1935  are  reported  herein. 

The  Illinois  peach  crop  in  1936  was  too  limited  in  volume  to  war- 
rant undertaking  any  commercial  precooling  tests.  In  1937  tests  were 
resumed.  These  included  only  four  cars,  but  in  each  test  the  car  was 
followed  thru  to  the  terminal  market.  Temperature  readings  were 
made  enroute  and  the  fruit  was  inspected  upon  arrival.  Results  of  the 
tests  on  the  four  cars  in  1935  and  the  four  cars  in  1937  are  included  in 
the  present  report. 

The  Elberta  variety  was  used  in  the  1935  tests.  In  1937  three  cars 
were  loaded  with  Elberta  and  one  with  the  Red  Bird  variety. 

EQUIPMENT  USED  AND  METHOD  OF  MAKING  TESTS 

Precooling  Equipment. — The  equipment  of  the  two  companies  fur- 
nishing the  precooling  service  used  in  these  tests  was  entirely  different. 
One  type  consisted  of  electric  fans  approximately  18  inches  in  diameter 
mounted  on  motors  to  be  connected  with  the  power-and-light  circuit  at 
the  packing  shed.  One  fan  was  placed  at  each  end  of  the  car  directly 


1939] 


PRECOOLINC.  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


513 


FIG.  1. — ELECTRIC  FAN  IN  POSITION  AT  END  OF  CAR 

Precooling  by  means  of  this  type  of  equipment  involves  the  use  of  salt  with 
the  ice  in  the  bunkers. 


opposite  the  center  of  the  opening  between  the  body  of  the  car  and 
the  top  of  the  ice  bunker  (Fig.  1).  A  baffle  of  fabricated  wood  covered 
with  canvas  closed  all  the  opening  at  the  top  of  the  bunker  except  the 
portion  occupied  by  the  fan. 

The  fans  used  in  different  tests  with  this  first  type  of  precooling 
equipment  differed  somewhat  in  type,  some  being  multiple-bladed  and 
others  single-bladed.  One  of  the  most  satisfactory  was  a  single-bladed 
propeller  fan  with  a  half-horsepower  motor,  rated  at  3450  r.p.m.  This 
was  operated  on  220  volts,  alternating  current.  Each  fan  was  set  so  as 
to  draw  the  cold  air  out  of  the  top  of  the  ice  bunker  and  force  it  down 
upon  the  load  and  toward  the  center  of  the  car.  Thus  air  currents 
were  set  up  which  were  directly  opposite  to  those  which  normally  occur 
in  a  refrigerator  car  loaded  with  fruit.6*  Of  course  the  velocity  of  the 
air  currents  generated  by  the  fans  was  very  much  greater  than  the 
ordinary  rate  of  air  movement  in  a  refrigerator  car. 

When  operating  the  above  type  of  precooling  equipment,  salt  was 
added  to  the  ice  in  the  bunkers  after  the  loading  of  the  car  with  fruit 
was  completed  and  usually  just  before  the  fans  were  started.  Some- 
times more  salt  was  added  later. 


514 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


The  other  type  of  precooling  equipment  employed  was  much  more 
elaborate.  Each  precooling  unit  was  self-contained  and  furnished  its 
own  power.  It  was  mounted  on  a  motor  truck  chassis  and  could  be 
parked  beside  a  refrigerator  car  on  any  team  track  and  put  into  opera- 
tion, all  power  required  being  furnished  by  the  truck  motor  (Fig.  2). 
When  this  machine  was  used,  the  ice  in  the  bunkers  had  no  relation  to 
the  cooling  of  the  fruit.  The  portable  refrigeration  plant  itself  fur- 


* 


FIG.  2. — PORTABLE  PRECOOLING  PLANT  MOUNTED  ON  TRUCK  CHASSIS 
The  truck  motor  furnishes  the  power  for  operating  this  refrigeration  plant, 
which  can  be  parked  beside  a  refrigerator  car  on  any  team  track. 


nished  the  cold  air  which  was  forced  into  the  car  above  the  load  thru 
the  upper  part  of  the  doorway  at  one  side  of  the  car.  After  circu- 
lating thru  the  load  it  was  drawn  back  into  the  machine  thru  an  open- 
ing near  the  bottom  of  the  false  door  that  was  fitted  into  the  doorway 
of  the  car.  A  heavy  canvas,  perforated  in  certain  areas,  covered  the 
center  part  of  the  load  to  aid  in  forcing  the  cold  air  toward  the  ends 
of  the  car. 

Types  of  Packages  and  Liners. — The  ventilated  packages  used  in 
the  1935  tests  were  round-bottom  bushel  baskets  each  having  20  cracks 
approximately  %-inch  wide  at  the  top  and  gradually  tapering  until  at 
the  bottom  the  basket  was  solid  (Fig.  3).  These  were  compared  with 
standard  tub  bushels  or  with  standard  round-bottom  bushel  baskets  in 
the  different  tests.  Paper  liners  were  used  with  both  ventilated  and 
standard  packages  in  all  except  one  of  the  tests  made  in  1935.  Each 
liner  used  in  1935  had  21  round  holes  {Y\  inch)  arranged  in  two  rows 
located  at  one- fourth  the  distance  from  the  top  and  from  the  bottom. 

In  1937  ventilated  Leigh  tubs  (Fig.  4)  were  used  as  the  ventilated 


1939] 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


515 


FIG.  3. — VENTILATED  ROUND-BOTTOM  BASKET  (left)  AND 

STANDARD  TUB  BUSHEL  (right) 

The  three-hoop  ventilated  basket  shown  here  is  a  more  rigid  package  than 
the  two-hoop  ventilated  basket,  which  was  used  in  all  but  one  of  the  tests  in 
which  round-bottom  baskets  were  employed. 


FIG.  4. — VENTILATED  LEIGH  TUB  (left)  AND  VENTILATED  TUB 

BUSHEL  (right)  USED  IN  TESTS 

These    two    packages    were    quite    extensively    used    for    shipping    Illinois 
peaches  in  1938. 


FIG.  5. — Two  TYPES  OF  LINERS  USED  IN  1937  TESTS 

The  new  type  of  ventilated  liner  (left),  with  80  holes,  was  used  in  all  of  the 
1937  tests.  It  is  a  vast  improvement  over  liners  with  21  or  18  holes  (right)  which 
were  in  common  use  commercially  in  1937  and  were  used  in  the  1935  tests. 


516  BULLETIN  No.  455  [May, 

package  in  two  of  the  tests,  ventilated  tub  bushels  in  the  third,  and 
ventilated  round-bottom  baskets  in  the  fourth.  In  1937  a  new  type 
of  liner  was  used  which  provided  more  thoro  ventilation  than  any 
available  in  1935.  The  new  liner  contained  80  holes,  each  H/^  inches 
long  and  1/2  inch  wide  (Fig.  5).  Some  of  the  standard  liners  in  general 
use  in  1937  contained  only  18  holes,  and  these  were  not  very  well 
distributed  (Fig.  5). 

Equipment  for  Determining  Temperatures. — Sixteen  thermocouples 
were  used  in  each  car  in  1935.  Four  were  placed  in  the  air  and  12  were 
inserted  in  the  fruit.  Positions  of  the  thermocouples  in  cars  precooled 
with  the  fan  type  of  equipment  are  indicated  in  Fig.  6.  When  the 


THERMOCOUPLES 

T/ 


T*  Aft    A    A  •  K    A    A    A  *  A    A    A  •  A    A    JTl 


FIG.  6. — POSITIONS  OF  THERMOCOUPLES  IN  TEST  CARS  PRECOOLED  WITH 

FAN  TYPE  OF  EQUIPMENT  IN  1935 

Twelve   thermocouples   were   inserted   in   the    fruit,   while   4   recorded   air 
temperatures. 


T  HER  MOM  E  TERS 


FIG.  7. — POSITIONS  OF  THERMOMETERS  IN  TEST  CARS  IN  1937 
Eight  thermometers  indicated  temperatures  of  the  fruit  in  different  parts  of 
the  car,  while  4  indicated  air  temperatures. 

truck  type  of  precooler  was  used  thermocouples  were  placed  to  record 
the  temperature  of  the  air  as  it  entered  the  car  and  as  it  left,  instead  of 
recording  the  temperature  at  the  bottom  of  the  ice  bunkers. 

In  placing  a  thermocouple  in  a  fruit,  the  point  was  inserted  in  such 
a  way  that  it  grazed  the  side  of  the  fruit  pit  and  then  passed  a  short 
distance  into  the  flesh.  Under  this  arrangement  the  temperature  read- 
ings were  those  of  the  flesh  in  the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  pit.  In  each 
instance  the  thermocouple  was  inserted  in  a  fruit  as  near  the  center  of 


1939]  PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES  517 

the  package  as  was  expedient ;  usually  the  fruit  selected  was  in  the  third 
layer  from  the  top,  and  in  the  third  ring  or  center  fruit  of  that  layer. 

For  determining  the  temperatures  in  1937,  electrical  resistance 
thermometers  were  employed  except  in  one  of  the  tests.  Twelve 
thermometers  were  used  in  each  car,  4  in  the  air  and  8  in  the  fruit,  at 
positions  indicated  in  Fig.  7.  The  same  method  of  inserting  the 
thermometer  points  in  the  fruit  was  employed  as  with  the  thermo- 
couples, and  the  position  of  the  selected  fruit  in  the  package  was 
essentially  the  same.  The  baskets  of  fruit  in  which  temperatures  were 
taken  were  always  in  the  third  row  from  one  side  of  the  car. 

Arrangement  of  Packages  in  Car. — All  cars  of  peaches  were  loaded 
3  packages  high,  6  wide,  and  21  to  22  long,  depending  upon  the  length 
of  the  car. 

RESULTS  OF  1935  TESTS:    LIMITED  TO 
PRECOOLING  PERIOD 

Ventilated  vs.  Standard  Packages,  Both  With  Standard  Liners 

In  Car  A,  loaded  at  Ozark,  Illinois,  August  10,  1935,  a  comparison 
was  made  between  the  rate  of  cooling  of  peaches  packed  in  standard 
tub  bushels  and  in  ventilated  round-bottom  baskets,  both  equipped 
with  standard  liners  and  facing  pads.  The  fan  type  of  precooler  was 
used.  Two  hundred  pounds  of  salt  was  added  to  the  ice  just  before  the 
fans  were  started.  After  the  fans  had  been  operating  1 14  hours,  2,000 
pounds  of  ice  and  100  pounds  more  of  salt  were  placed  in  the  bunkers, 
which  were  not  as  well  filled  with  ice  as  they  should  have  been  at  the 
time  precooling  started.  The  fans  were  shut  off  for  15  minutes  during 
this  icing  and  salting.  Operation  was  continued  for  81/2  hours  from  the 
start,  except  for  the  15  minute  shut-off,  mentioned  above,  and  another 
shut-off  of  30  minutes  to  allow  a  switch  engine  to  move  the  car  6^i 
hours  after  the  start. 

Rapidity  of  Cooling. — Temperature  readings  were  taken  ten  times 
during  the  test.  The  readings  for  the  fruit  in  each  type  of  package  are 
given  in  Table  1,  together  with  the  total  drop  in  temperature  during  the 
8y£-hour  period,  and  the  air  temperature  at  lower  bunker  openings  and 
above  the  load. 

The  15-minute  shut-off  of  the  fans  and  opening  of  the  bunkers  for 
reicing  after  the  precooling  equipment  had  been  operating  for  1}4  hours 
seriously  interfered  with  the  progress  of  the  precooling.  Every  ther- 
mometer in  the  car  registered  higher  at  the  end  of  the  second  hour 
than  at  the  end  of  the  first  hour.  Shutting  off  the  fans  toward  the 


518 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


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1939] 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


519 


end  of  the  precooling  period,  while  the  car  was  being  switched,  did  not 
affect  the  temperature  so  much. 

The  cooling  of  the  fruit  was  distinctly  more  rapid  in  the  ventilated 
packages  and  in  the  top  layer  of  packages  of  both  types.  The  more 
rapid  cooling  of  the  top  layer,  compared  with  the  bottom  layer,  was 
due  to  the  reversal  of  the  air  currents  in  the  car  while  the  fans  were 


50 


FIG.  8. — PROGRESS  OF  COOLING  OF  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN 

VENTILATED  PACKAGES  IN  CAR  A 

Cooling  was  distinctly  more  rapid  in  the  ventilated  packages.  Standard 
liners  and  facing  pads  were  used  in  both  types  of  packages,  and  the  fan  type 
of  precooler  was  used. 


operating.  If  the  temperature  reductions  in  the  baskets  in  both  layers 
are  averaged,  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  shows  a  decline  of 
25.8  degrees  and  that  in  the  standard  packages  only  18.4  degrees.  The 
progress  of  the  cooling  in  the  two  types  of  packages  is  shown  in  Fig.  8. 

Ventilated  Packages  Without  Liners  vs.  Standard 
Packages  With  Liners 

In  Car  B,  tested  at  Kinmundy,  Illinois,  August  29,  1935,  a  com- 
parison was  made  between  the  rate  of  cooling  of  peaches  packed  in 
standard  round-bottom  baskets  with  standard  liners  and  those  packed 
in  ventilated  round-bottom  baskets  without  any  liners.  The  fan  type  of 
precooling  equipment  was  used.  Two  hundred  pounds  of  salt  was 


520 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


added  to  the  ice  in  the  bunkers  just  before  the  fans  were  started.  No 
additional  salt  was  used.  The  fans  were  operated  without  interruption 
for  6  hours. 

Marked  Differences  in  Rapidity  of  Cooling. — Because  of  the  cool 
weather  prevailing  when  the  peaches  loaded  in  this  car  were  harvested, 
the  temperature  of  the  fruit  at  the  time  precooling  started  was  much 
lower  than  in  Car  A.  Hence  the  rate  of  cooling  was  slower.5*  However, 


70 


FIG.  9. — RAPIDITY  OF  COOLING  OF  PEACHES  IN  UNLINED  VENTILATED  BASKETS 

AND  IN  LINED  STANDARD  BASKETS  IN  CAR  B 

The  difference  in  rate  of  cooling  in  the  two  types  of  packages  was  un- 
doubtedly accentuated  by  the  absence  of  liners  in  the  ventilated  baskets.  The  fan 
type  of  precooler  was  used. 


the  difference  in  rate  of  cooling  in  the  standard  baskets  and  the  venti- 
lated baskets  was  extremely  marked,  the  average  drop  in  temperature 
of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  baskets  being  nearly  three  times  as  great 
as  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  baskets  (15.7°  F.  against  5.7°). 
Here  again  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  top  layer  of  packages 
was  reduced  more  rapidly  than  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  lower  layer 
(Table  2). 

The  difference  in  temperature  drop  in  the  two  kinds  of  packages 
was  undoubtedly  accentuated  by  the  absence  of  any  liners  in  the 
ventilated  packages,  the  circulating  cold  air  thus  having  freer  access 
to  the  fruit  in  those  packages.5*  The  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  both 
top  and  bottom  layers  of  the  ventilated  packages  was  reduced  to  a  safe 
carrying  degree  within  the  6-hour  precooling  period.  The  relative 
rapidity  of  cooling  of  fruit  in  the  two  types  of  packages  is  indicated  in 
Fig.  9. 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


521 


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1939] 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


Fruit  Loaded  on  a  Cool  Day 


523 


The  portable  type  of  precooling  plant  mounted  on  a  truck  chassis 
was  used  for  precooling  Car  C,  loaded  at  Cobden,  Illinois,  August  13, 
1935.  The  day  the  fruit  was  harvested  and  packed  the  weather  was 
cloudy  and  fairly  cool,  so  that  the  temperatures  of  the  fruit  at  time  of 
loading  were  not  very  high.  The  precooler  was  operated  only  21/4 
hours,  in  accordance  with  the  commercial  practice  of  the  company. 
Temperature  readings  were  continued  for  an  hour  after  the  precooler 
was  disconnected  from  the  car. 

Portable  Precooler  Was  Effective. — During  the  hour  after  the  pre- 
cooler was  detached,  the  temperatures  of  the  fruit  near  the  center  of 
the  baskets  continued  to  decrease  rapidly  on  account  of  the  transfer 


50 


FIG.  10. — COOLING  OF  PEACHES  LOADED  ON  A  COOL  DAY,  CAR  C 
The  portable  type  of  precooling  plant  used  on  this  load   rapidly  reduced 
the  temperature  of  the   fruit  in  both  types  of  packages,  tho  the  fruit  in  the 
ventilated  baskets  cooled  considerably  faster  than  in  the  standard  baskets.    Both 
types  of  baskets  were  equipped  with  standard  liners. 


of  heat  between  the  different  rows  of  fruit  in  the  package.5*  During 
the  3}4-hour  cooling  period  the  average  drop  in  temperature  of  the 
fruit  in  the  standard  tub  bushel  baskets  was  11.9  degrees,  while  in  the 
ventilated  round-bottom  baskets  it  was  16.1  degrees  (Table  3  and 
Fig.  10).  Standard  liners  were  used  in  both  types  of  package. 

Fruit  Loaded  on  a  Hot  Day 

Car  D,  tested  at  Cobden,  Illinois,  August   16,   1935,  was  loaded 
with  fruit  packed  during  a  day  when  the  temperature  was  high,  the 


524 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


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1939] 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


525 


outside  thermometer  registering  94°  F.  at  4  p.  m.,  the  time  at  which  the 
loading  was  completed.  A  temperature  reading  was  made  at  this  time, 
but  the  precooling  machine,  which  was  of  the  same  type  as  that  used 
for  Car  C,  did  not  start  operating  until  4:45.  The  next  reading  was 
made  at  5  p.  m.,  after  the  machine  had  been  operating  for  15  minutes. 
No  reading  was  made  just  before  the  machine  started. 

After  the  loading  had  been  completed  and  the  car  closed,  and 
previous  to  the  starting  of  the  machine,  the  refrigerative  effect  of  the 
ice  in  the  bunkers  was  operative  for  y\  hour.  The  precooler  was 
operated  for  2i/4  hours.  Thus  a  total  of  3  hours  elapsed  from  the  time 
the  first  reading  was  made  until  just  before  the  precooler  was  stopped. 
Temperature  readings  were  continued  for  1^4  hours  after  the  pre- 
cooling machine  was  detached  from  the  car,  making  a  total  period  of 
hours  during  which  temperature  records  were  taken. 


60 


FIG.  11. — COOLING  OF  PEACHES  LOADED  ON  A  HOT  DAY,  CAR  D 
Fruit  at  high  initial  temperature  was  cooled  very  rapidly  by  the  portable 
type  of  precooling  plant,  but  this  was  especially  true  of  the  fruit  in  the  venti- 
lated packages.    Standard  liners  were  used  in  both  types  of  packages. 


Marked  Differences  Between  Packages. — Again,  the  fruit  in  the 
ventilated  packages  cooled  much  more  rapidly  than  that  in  the  standard 
packages,  the  difference  in  rate  of  cooling  being  somewhat  more  marked 
than  in  Car  C.  This  greater  difference  may  have  been  due  to  the  higher 
initial  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  Car  D.  The  average  drop  in  the 
temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  tub  bushel  baskets  during  the 
4^4  hours  was  12.7  degrees,  while  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated 
round-bottom  bushel  baskets  was  21.1  degrees  (Table  4  and  Fig.  11). 
Both  types  of  packages  were  equipped  with  standard  liners. 


526  BULLETIN  No.  455  [May, 

RESULTS  OF  1937  TESTS:    CARS  FOLLOWED  TO 
TERMINAL  MARKETS 

In  the  tests  conducted  in  1935  there  was  no  opportunity  for 
determining  the  ultimate  effect  of  the  precooling,  either  by  temperature 
readings  while  the  fruit  was  in  transit  or  by  inspection  of  the  fruit  upon 
arrival  at  destination.  Plans  for  the  tests  in  1937  therefore  provided 
for  following  each  car,  taking  temperature  readings  at  transfer  and 
reicing  stations,  and  inspecting  the  condition  of  the  fruit  when  the 
car  was  opened  in  the  terminal  market  to  which  it  was  shipped.  Cars 
were  purposely  selected  that  were  to  be  billed  to  points  at  considerable 
distance,  so  that  the  real  effect  of  differences  in  temperature  of  fruit 
at  the  end  of  the  precooling  period  might  have  a  chance  to  manifest 
itself. 

In  the  1937  tests  fruit  temperatures  were  determined  at  eight  points 
in  each  car  (Fig.  7). 

Since  practically  a  week's  time  is  required  to  prepare  a  test  car, 
conduct  the  precooling  operations,  follow  the  car  thru  to  market,  await 
the  unloading  of  the  car  so  the  temperature-recording  equipment  could 
be  taken  out,  and  drive  back  to  the  producing  region,  it  was  decided  to 
make  one  test  on  Red  Bird  peaches  before  the  opening  of  the  Elberta 
shipping  season,  so  as  to  run  at  least  four  tests  while  Illinois  peaches 
were  available. 

As  a  result  of  the  favorable  outcome  of  the  tests  of  ventilated 
packages  in  1935  (a  preliminary  report  of  which  was  presented  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Illinois  State  Horticultural  Society  in  December  of  that 
year3*),  several  peach  growers  in  the  state  had  provided  themselves 
with  ventilated  packages  for  part  of  their  shipments  in  1937.  Arrange- 
ments were  made  with  certain  of  these  growers  for  conducting  tests  on 
some  of  their  cars.  The  orchardist  with  whom  arrangements  were 
made  for  testing  the  car  of  Red  Bird  peaches  and  one  car  of  Elbertas 
had  provided  himself  with  a  supply  of  ventilated  Leigh  tubs  (Fig.  4), 
which  he  expected  to  use  for  shipping  most  of  his  fruit.  Accordingly 
these  Leigh  tubs  were  used  as  the  ventilated  package  for  comparison 
with  standard  tub  bushel  baskets.  A  new  type  of  ventilated  liner, 
commercially  available  in  1937  (Fig.  5),  was  used  in  both  types  of 
package  in  the  test  with  Red  Bird  peaches. 

Ventilated  vs.  Standard  Packages  Under  Standard  Refrigeration 

Car  E,  loaded  with  Red  Bird  peaches  at  Cobden,  Illinois,  on  July  5, 
1937,  was  followed  thru  to  Detroit,  Michigan.  Since  no  precooling 


1939]  PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES  527 

TABLE  5. — PROGRESS  OF  COOLING  OF  RED  BIRD  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN 

VENTILATED  PACKAGES  IN  DIFFERENT  LOCATIONS  IN  CAR  E,  1937 

(Car  was  shipped   from   Cobden,    Illinois,   to   Detroit,    Michigan,   under  standard 

refrigeration  without  precooling.     Eighty-hole  liners  were  used  in  all  packages) 


Time  elapsed  (hours)  

Start 

2X 

Chicago 
22 

Detroit       Drop  in 
44  K          2^  hrs. 

Drop  in 
22  hrs. 

Standard  tub 

(Temperature  of  fruit,  °F.) 

Lower  layer 

Basket  2  

.     66.0 

65.4 

59.9 

54.0 

.6 

6.1 

Basket  8  

.  .      75.4 

71.6 

61.8 

3.8 

13.6 

Average  

.  .     70.7 

68.5 

60.8 

2.2 

9.8 

Top  layer 

Basket  2  

.     65.7 

64.2 

57.1 

53.4 

1.5 

8.6 

Basket  8  

..      72.9 

72.6 

59.9 

57.1 

.3 

13.0 

Average  

.  .     69.3 

68.4 

58.5 

55.2 

.9 

10.8 

Average,  both  layers  

.  .      70.0 

68.4 

59.7 

54.8 

1.5 

10.3 

Ventilated  (Leigh)  tub 

Lower  layer 

Basket  2  

76.0 

58.3 

42.0 

40.1 

17.7 

34.0 

Basket  8  

.  .     89.8 

77.8 

57.4 

12.0 

32.4 

Average  

.  .     82.9 

68.0 

49.7 

14.9 

33.2 

Top  layer 

Basket  2  

.     83.4 

81.6 

52.1 

49.7 

1.8 

31.3 

Basket  8  

.  .     84.6 

81.6 

59.9 

56.5 

3.0 

24.7 

Average  

..     84.0 

81.6 

56.0 

53.1 

2.4 

28.0 

Average,  both  layers  

.  .     83.4 

74.8 

52.8 

48.8 

8.6 

30.6 

(Temperature  of  air) 

At  bottom  of  bunker,  standard  .... 

.     52.8 

43.8 

35.7 

35.7 

At  bottom  of  bunker,  ventilated  .  .  . 

..     51.5 

42.0 

35.7 

36.0 

Above  load,1  standard  

..      71.9 

68.0 

56.5 

55.6 

.  .  •  • 

Above  load,1  ventilated  

71.3 

60.8 

51.2 

50.6 

•Fifteen  inches  above  load,  3  feet  from  bunker. 

equipment  was  available  at  Cobden  before  the  beginning  of  the  Elberta 
season,  the  car  was  shipped  under  standard  refrigeration  without  pre- 
cooling. Both  standard  and  ventilated  packages  were  used. 

Temperature  readings  were  made  soon  after  the  car  was  closed 
following  the  completion  of  the  loading.  Another  reading  was  made 
2^2  hours  later,  shortly  before  the  car  left  the  shipping  point.  The 
next  reading  was  made  in  Chicago  22  hours  after  the  original  reading; 
and  the  final  reading  was  made  in  Detroit  44^  hours  after  the  first 
reading  (Table  5). 

Temperature  Reductions  Previous  to  Shipment. — Owing  to  differ- 
ence in  time  of  loading,  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard 
packages  was  much  lower  than  of  that  in  the  ventilated  packages  at  the 
time  the  first  reading  was  made.  During  the  first  2i/i  hours  of  refriger- 
ation the  drop  in  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  packages 
was  slightly  more  than  2  degrees  in  the  lower  layer  of  baskets  and 
slightly  less  than  1  degree  in  the  top  layer.  The  drop  in  temperature 
of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  during  this  2i/2-hour  period  was 
14.9  degrees  in  the  lower  layer  and  2.4  degrees  in  the  top  layer.  This 
shows  the  rapidity  with  which  refrigeration  may  start  in  the  ventilated 


528 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


packages  in  the  lower  layer  directly  accessible  to  the  cold  air  emerging 
from  the  bottom  of  the  bunker  and  drifting  toward  the  center  of 
the  car. 

Temperature  Reductions  in  Transit. — The  further  influence  of  the 
two  types  of  packages  upon  rate  of  refrigeration  is  well  indicated  by 
the  reduction  in  temperature  during  the  22-hour  period  which  elapsed 
by  the  time  the  car  reached  Chicago.  The  average  drop  in  temperature 
of  the  fruit  in  the  lower  layer  of  standard  packages  during  the  period 
was  9.8  degrees,  while  that  in  the  top  layer  was  10.8  degrees,  or  an 
average  of  10.3  degrees  for  both  layers.  The  drop  in  temperature  of 
the  fruit  in  the  lower  layer  of  ventilated  packages  during  the  same 
period  was  33.2  degrees,  while  that  in  the  top  layer  was  28.0  degrees, 
or  an  average  of  30.6  degrees  for  both  layers.  Altho  the  average 
temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  at  the  start  was 
13.4  degrees  higher  than  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  packages,  it 
was  6.9  degrees  lower  at  the  end  of  the  22-hour  period  (Fig.  12). 
Even  tho  allowance  is  made  for  the  differences  in  temperature  at  the 
start,  there  is  a  wide  margin  in  favor  of  the  ventilated  packages  in 
reference  to  rapidity  of  refrigeration  of  the  fruit  contained. 


40 


FIG.  12. — COOLING  OF  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN  VENTILATED 

PACKAGES  UNDER  STANDARD  REFRIGERATION,  CAR  E 

This  car  was  shipped  from  Cobden,  Illinois,  to  Detroit,  Michigan,  without 
precooling.  Refrigeration  was  much  more  rapid  in  the  ventilated  packages. 
Eighty-hole  liners  were  used  in  both  types  of  packages. 


1939]  PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES  529 

Temperature  and  Condition  of  Fruit  at  Destination. — By  the  time 
the  car  reached  Detroit  one  thermometer  had  become  displaced.  Leav- 
ing out  of  consideration  the  corresponding  thermometer  in  the  other 
end  of  the  car,  the  average  temperature  of  the  three  baskets  of  fruit 
in  the  standard  packages  was  54.8°  F.,  while  that  in  the  ventilated 
packages  was  48.8°  F.,  a  difference  of  6  degrees. 

Inspection  in  Detroit  44i/i  hours  after  the  car  was  loaded  at  Cobden 
showed  the  U.  S.  No.  1  peaches  to  be  in  good  firm  condition  except 
for  a  trace  (about  1  percent)  of  brown  rot  in  the  fruit  in  the  standard 
packages.  There  was  no  decay  apparent  in  the  No.  1  peaches  in  the 
ventilated  packages.  A  few  baskets  of  Utility  grade  peaches  in  venti- 
lated packages,  that  had  been  put  in  to  fill  out  the  car,  showed  7  per- 
cent brown  rot. 

Ventilated  Leigh  Tubs  vs.  Standard  Tub  Bushels 

Car  F,  loaded  with  Elberta  peaches  at  Cobden,  Illinois,  on  August 
13,  1937,  was  precooled  and  billed  thru  to  Bay  City,  Michigan.  The 
precooling  was  done  with  the  portable  truck  type  of  precooler.  The 
peaches  in  one  half  of  the  car  were  packed  in  ventilated  Leigh  tubs 
while  those  in  the  other  end  were  packed  in  standard  bushel  tubs.  The 
new  type  of  ventilated  liner,  with  80  holes,  was  used  in  both  types  of 
packages.  The  condition  of  the  fruit  in  both  types  of  containers  was 
"hard"  to  "firm"  at  the  time  of  loading.  Loading  was  completed  and 
the  car  closed  at  11:40  a.  m.  The  bunkers  were  practically  full  of  ice 
at  this  time.  A  temperature  reading  was  made  at  1  p.  m.,  and  the  car 
was  opened  for  attaching  the  precooling  equipment  at  1:10.  Actual 
precooling  was  started  a  few  minutes  later,  and  the  machine  was  con- 
tinued in  operation  for  3  hours. 

Temperatures  During  Precooling. — During  the  3-hour  precooling 
period  the  temperature  of  the  peaches  in  the  standard  packages  near 
the  center  of  the  car  dropped  very  rapidly  (18  degrees  in  the  lower 
layer  and  25  degrees  in  the  top  layer).  The  drop  in  temperature  of 
the  fruit  in  the  same  type  of  packages  near  the  end  of  the  car  was 
very  much  less  (7.8  degrees  and  9.2  degrees  in  lower  and  top  layers 
respectively).  On  the  other  hand  there  was  much  less  variation  in  the 
amount  of  drop  in  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  ventilated  packages  in 
different  positions  in  the  car.  In  the  lower  layer  the  difference  in 
temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  package  near  the  end  of  the  car  and 
near  the  center  was  only  2i/2  degrees.  In  the  top  layer  the  difference 
was  greater,  the  drop  being  20  degrees  in  the  basket  near  the  center 
of  the  car  and  12.2  degrees  in  the  basket  near  the  end  of  the  car. 


530 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


There  was  thus  much  better  distribution  of  the  refrigeration  in  the 
ventilated  packages,  even  tho  the  average  drop  in  temperature  was  only 
slightly  greater  (Table  6). 

Temperatures  in  Transit. — Half  an  hour  after  the  above  readings 
were  made,  the  car  was  "pulled"  by  a  switch  engine  and  attached  to  the 
fast  fruit  train.  The  bunkers  were  seven-eighths  full  of  ice  at  this 
time.  The  car  was  billed  for  Bay  City,  Michigan,  with  instructions 
not  to  reice. 

The  next  temperature  reading  was  made  in  Chicago  22  hours  after 
the  initial  reading.  By  this  time  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the 
standard  containers  in  different  parts  of  the  car  was  much  more  nearly 
equalized. 

Temperature  readings  were  made  at  Grand  Rapids,  at  Saginaw 
(two  readings),  and  finally  at  Bay  City  68  hours  after  the  original 
reading  at  Cobden.  The  drop  in  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  two 
types  of  packages  during  the  first  48  hours  is  shown  graphically  in 
Fig.  13. 


90 


42 


FIG.  13. — COOLING  OF  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN  VENTILATED 

PACKAGES  IN  CAR  F,  PRECOOLED  BUT  Nor  REICED 

This  car  was  precooled  and  billed  thru  to  Bay  City,  Michigan,  without 
reicing.  It  was  in  transit  for  68  hours.  The  temperatures  during  the  first  48 
hours  of  the  68  in  which  the  car  was  in  transit  are  shown  here.  Temperatures 
of  fruit  in  different  parts  of  the  car  and  in  the  two  types  of  packages  tended 
to  become  equalized  as  the  end  of  the  journey  approached.  Eighty-hole  liners 
were  used  in  both  types  of  packages. 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


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532 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


Temperatures  at  Destination. — When  the  car  arrived  at  its  destina- 
tion, the  bunkers  were  nearly  half  full  of  ice,  and  there  was  no  apparent 
difference  in  the  amount  of  ice  in  the  two  bunkers.  The  temperature 
of  the  fruit  in  the  top  layer  of  packages  was  nearly  uniform  thruout 
the  length  of  the  car,  including  both  types  of  packages.  The  tempera- 
ture of  the  fruit  in  the  lower  layer  of  packages  was,  for  each  type  of 
package  distinctly  lower  than  that  in  the  top  layer.  The  average 
temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  was  only  slightly 
lower  (1^/2  degrees)  than  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  containers. 

Condition  of  Fruit  at  Destination. — Within  a  few  minutes  after  the 
temperature  reading  in  Bay  City,  the  car  was  opened  and  about  one- 
third  of  the  peaches  were  unloaded.  The  peaches  were  firm  and  in  good 
market  condition  at  this  time  with  the  exception  of  a  very  small  per- 
centage that  showed  rot.  The  fruits  from  one  package  of  each  type 
of  container  taken  from  corresponding  positions  in  the  car  were 


TABLE  7. — DEFECTIVE  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN  VENTILATED  CONTAINERS 
ON  ARRIVAL  IN  MARKET  AT  BAY  CITY,  MICHIGAN:  CAR  F 


Kind  of  package 

Number  of 
fruit  in 
package 

Brown  rot 

Bruised  peaches 

Standard  tub  bushel 

178 
198 

No. 
3 

1 

perct. 
1.68 

.50 

No. 
6 

4 

perct. 
3.37 

2.02 

Ventilated  (Leigh)  tub  

counted  out  and  very  carefully  examined.  Of  the  178  peaches  in  the 
standard  container  3  showed  brown  rot  and  6  showed  shipping  bruises. 
Of  the  198  peaches  in  the  ventilated  package  only  1  showed  brown  rot 
while  4  showed  shipping  bruises  (Table  7).  Altho  the  percentage  of 
damaged  peaches  was  small,  there  appeared  to  be  some  advantage  in 
favor  of  the  fruit  shipped  in  the  ventilated  packages. 

Ventilated  Packages  and  Liners  vs.  Standard  Packages  and  Liners 

Car  G  was  loaded  with  Elberta  peaches  at  Ozark,  Illinois,  on 
August  20,  1937,  and  precooled  with  the  fan  type  of  precooling  equip- 
ment. One  half  of  the  car  was  loaded  with  peaches  packed  in  venti- 
lated tub  bushels  and  the  other  half  with  peaches  packed  in  standard 
tub  bushels.  The  new  type  of  ventilated  liner  was  used  in  the  venti- 
lated containers,  and  the  old  type  of  liner  (with  much  less  ventilation) 
was  used  in  the  standard  containers. 

Loading  was  started  at  12  m.  and  was  completed  at  2:45  p.  m.  The 


1939]  PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES  533 

car  had  been  fully  iced  before  it  was  received  at  the  siding,  but  more 
ice  was  added  at  12:30  p.  m.  to  completely  fill  the  bunkers.  The  car 
was  closed  at  2:50  p.  m.  and  the  precooling  equipment  was  put  into 
operation  at  2:52.  At  3:30  p.  m.  the  ice  bunkers  were  opened  and  200 
pounds  of  salt  was  placed  over  the  ice  and  chopped  in.  Precooling  was 
continued  until  7:50,  a  total  period  of  5  hours.  The  equipment  was 
removed  and  the  car  sealed  at  8  p.  m. 

This  car  was  billed  out  under  standard  refrigeration  for  Buffalo, 
New  York.  Temperature  readings  were  made  at  Bluford  and  Neoga, 
Illinois;  at  Frankfort,  Indiana;  Bellevue,  Ohio;  and  finally  at  the  Food 
Terminal  in  Buffalo,  New  York. 

Reicing  took  place  at  Bluford,  Frankfort,  and  Bellevue.  The 
elapsed  time  from  the  start  of  precooling  until  delivery  of  the  car  at 
its  destination  was  63  hours. 

Drop  in  Temperatures  During  Precooling. — At  the  time  precooling 
started,  the  average  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  tubs  was 
3.3  degrees  higher  than  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  tubs.  At  the 
end  of  the  5-hour  precooling  period  the  average  temperature  of  the 
fruit  in  the  ventilated  tubs  was  12.3  degrees  lower  than  that  of  the 
fruit  in  the  standard  tubs.  In  the  bottom  layer  cooling  was  more  rapid 
in  the  package  near  the  bunker  than  in  that  toward  the  center  of  the 
car  in  both  types  of  package.  In  the  top  layer  cooling  was  about  equally 
rapid  in  the  standard  containers  in  both  positions,  but  was  more  rapid 
in  the  ventilated  package  toward  the  center  of  the  car  (Table  8). 

Temperatures  in  Transit  and  at  Destination. — When  the  reading 
was  made  at  Bluford  21 1/2  hours  after  the  loading  had  been  completed, 
the  difference  in  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  two  types  of  packages 
was  less  marked  than  at  the  close  of  the  precooling  period.  At  this 
time  the  average  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages 
was  52.5°  F.,  while  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  packages  was  56.7° 
F.  The  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  both  types  of  packages  continued 
to  decline  until  the  car  was  delivered  at  its  destination,  when  the  aver- 
age temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  was  44.0°  F. 
and  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  packages  was  46.0°  F. 

The  progress  of  cooling  of  the  fruit  in  each  type  of  package  during 
the  first  48  hours  is  graphically  presented  in  Fig.  14. 

Condition  of  Fruit  at  Destination. — The  peaches  were  inspected 
upon  arrival  by  two  inspectors,  one  a  representative  of  the  consignee 
and  the  other  a  representative  of  the  railway  company.  Fifty  peaches 
were  taken  out  of  each  basket  inspected.  All  inspected  baskets  were 
from  the  top  layer  in  the  car.  Results  of  the  inspection  are  shown  in 


534 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


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1939] 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


535 


Table  9.  Both  inspectors  stated  that  the  fruit  seemed  to  be  in  a  little 
better  condition  in  the  ventilated  packages.  The  amount  of  brown  rot 
or  of  "decay"  was  too  small  to  warrant  any  definite  comparisons  on 
these  points.  Likewise,  there  was  little  difference  in  the  percentage  of 
"soft"  peaches  in  the  two  types  of  packages. 


40 


42 


FIG.  14. — COOLING  OF  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN  VENTILATED 

PACKAGES  IN  CAR  G  DURING  FIRST  48  HOURS 

This  car  was  followed  thru  to  Buffalo,  New  York,  which  was  reached  in 
63  hours.  Undoubtedly  the  new  type  of  liner  was  an  important  factor  in  the 
extremely  rapid  refrigeration  of  the  fruit  which  took  place  in  the  ventilated 
packages  during  the  precooling  period.  An  18-hole  liner  was  used  with  the 
standard  packages. 


TABLE  9. — DEFECTIVE  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN  VENTILATED  CONTAINERS 
ON  ARRIVAL  IN  MARKET  AT  BUFFALO,  NEW  YORK:  CAR  G 


Kind  of  package 
and  position 

Brown  rot 

"Decay" 

Soft  peaches 

Standard  tub 
4th  from  end  

No. 
1 
None 
None 

1 

None 
None 
None 
None 
None 

pent. 
.66 

None 

No. 
None 
None 
None 
None 

None 
None 
2 
None 
2 

perct. 
None 

1.00 

No. 
2 
None 
2 
4 

1 

5 
None 
None 
6 

perct. 
2.66 

3.00 

At  Quarter-length  

Near  middle  of  car.  .    .  . 

All  3  baskets  

Ventilated  tub 
3d  from  end  

At  quarter-length  

Near  bunker  

Near  middle  of  car  . 

All  4  baskets  

536  BULLETIN  No.  455  [May, 

Standard  vs.  Ventilated  Round-Bottom  Baskets 
With  Ventilated  Liners 

Car  H,  loaded  with  Elberta  peaches  at  a  siding  near  Irvington, 
Illinois,  on  August  27,  1937,  was  followed  thru  to  its  destination  in 
Burlington,  Vermont.  Half  the  car  was  loaded  with  peaches  packed  in 
standard  round-bottom  bushel  baskets  and  half  with  peaches  packed 
in  ventilated  round-bottom  baskets.  The  new  type  of  ventilated  liner 
was  used  in  both  types  of  packages.  The  bunkers  were  completely 
full  of  ice  when  loading  of  the  car  started  at  2:30  p.  m.  The  first 
reading  was  made  at  5  p.  m.  after  the  thermometers  had  been  in  place 
about  half  an  hour.  The  car  was  switched  from  the  loading  track  to  the 
Centralia  ice  yard,  and  arrived  at  the  ice  track  at  9:45  p.  m.  A  tempera- 
ture reading  was  made  just  before  the  car  was  opened  at  10  p.  m.  to 
install  the  precooling  equipment,  which  was  of  the  fan  type.  Ice  was 
added  at  10: 15  p.  m.,  in  the  amount  of  3,200  pounds,  to  fill  the  bunkers  ; 
and  200  pounds  of  salt  was  placed  on  top  of  the  ice. 

The  precooler  was  started  into  operation  at  10:30  p.  m.  and  was 
continued  in  operation  until  4:30  a.  m.,  a  period  of  6  hours,  during 
which  readings  were  made  once  an  hour. 

Average  Temperature  Reduction  Previous  to  Shipment.- — During 
the  5  hours  after  the  first  temperature  reading  was  made  and  before  the 
salt  was  put  in  or  the  fans  were  started,  the  average  drop  in  tempera- 
ture of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  baskets  was  6.3  degrees  while  that  of 
the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  baskets  was  9.3  degrees  even  tho  the  tempera- 
ture in  the  ventilated  baskets  at  the  start  was  5.9  degrees  lower  than 
in  the  standard  baskets.  During  the  6  hours  the  precooler  was  in 
operation  the  average  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  baskets 
was  reduced  13.7  degrees  and  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  baskets 
16.1  degrees. 

During  the  11  hours  after  loading  and  previous  to  shipping,  the 
average  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  baskets  was  reduced 
20  degrees  and  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  baskets  25.5  degrees, 
thus  increasing  the  difference  in  temperature  between  the  two  lots  to 
11.4  degrees,  and  leaving  the  average  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the 
standard  baskets  at  65.2°  F.  and  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated 
packages  at  53.8°  F.  at  the  close  of  the  precooling  period  (Table  10). 

Temperature  Reductions  in  Different  Layers. — During  the  first  5 
hours,  while  the  normal  cooling  effect  of  the  ice  in  the  bunkers  without 
forced  air  circulation  or  salt  was  operative,  the  fruit  in  the  lower  layer 
of  packages  cooled  more  rapidly  than  that  in  the  top  layer  of  the  same 
type  of  package.  As  soon  as  the  precooling  equipment  was  put  into 


1939] 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


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I  i 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


HOURS 

FIG.  15. — COOLING  OF  PEACHES  IN  TOP  AND  BOTTOM  LAYERS  OF 

PACKAGES  IN  CAR  H  DURING  FIRST  11  HOURS 

Cooling  was  much  accelerated  when  the  precooling  equipment  started  opera- 
tion 5  hours  after  loading.  Immediate  change  in  rate  of  cooling  of  fruit  in  the 
top  layer  of  packages  was  apparent.  The  new  type  of  80-hole  liner  was  used  in 
both  types  of  packages. 


operation,  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  top  layer  began  to  drop 
more  rapidly  than  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  lower  layer,  and  the  more 
rapid  cooling  of  the  top  layer  was  maintained  to  the  end  of  the  pre- 
cooling period  (Fig.  15).  This  illustrates  the  point  that  precooling  by 
forcing  a  blast  of  cold  air  over  the  top  of  the  load  of  fruit  reduces  the 
temperature  of  the  fruit  which  is  normally  the  hottest  and  least  affected 
by  the  normal  flow  of  cold  air  from  the  bottom  of  the  ice  bunkers. 
Thus  more  uniform  refrigeration  thruout  the  load  of  fruit  is  eventually 
effected. 

Treatment  of  Car  in  Transit. — The  precooling  equipment  was 
removed  and  the  car  sealed  at  4:45  a.  m.,  August  28.  At  5:30  a.  m. 
the  bunkers  were  again  filled  with  ice,  2,800  pounds  being  used.  The 
car  was  billed  out  under  standard  refrigeration  to  Burlington,  Vermont. 
It  was  reiced  at  Harvey,  Illinois;  Port  Huron,  Michigan;  and  St. 
Albans,  Vermont.  Temperature  readings  were  made  at  Champaign 
and  Harvey,  Illinois;  at  Port  Huron,  Michigan;  Mimico,  Ontario; 
and  upon  arrival  at  Burlington,  Vermont. 

Temperature  Reductions  in  Transit. — The  reading  in  Champaign 
was  made  28  hours  after  the  initial  reading  at  the  loading  point.  At 


PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES 


40 


FIG.  16. — COOLING  OF  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN  VENTILATED 

PACKAGES  IN  CAR  H  DURING  FIRST  48  HOURS 

Precooled  and  shipped  under  standard  refrigeration  to  Burlington,  Vermont, 
this  car  reached  its  destination  91 1/2  hours  after  the  initial  temperature  reading. 
The  fruit  arrived  in  firm  condition.  The  80-hole  ventilated  type  of  liner  was 
used  in  both  types  of  packages. 


this  time  the  average  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  baskets 
had  been  reduced  to  53.4°  F.  and  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated 
baskets  to  48.0°  F.  In  the  reading  at  Port  Huron  48  hours  after  the 
original  reading,  the  average  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard 
baskets  was  found  to  be  47.4°  F.  and  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated 
baskets  44.7°  F.  The  progress  of  cooling  of  the  fruit  during  the 
48-hour  period  is  graphically  presented  in  Fig.  16. 

The  difference  in  temperature  between  the  two  lots  of  fruit  became 
less  and  less  as  time  went  on  until  the  final  reading  at  its  destination, 
when  the  fruit  in  the  standard  baskets  had  attained  a  temperature 
lower  than  that  in  the  ventilated  baskets.  This  was  91 1/2  hours  after 
the  initial  reading. 

Condition  of  Fruit  at  Destination. — One  hour  after  the  last  reading 
was  made,  the  car  was  opened  and  the  condition  of  the  peaches  noted. 
Fifty  peaches  were  taken  from  each  of  four  packages  examined. 
Inspection  of  these  samples  resulted  in  the  data  given  in  Table  11.  The 
amount  of  brown  rot  and  number  of  soft  peaches  were  too  small  in 
both  types  of  packages  to  warrant  any  comparison.  In  one  of  the 


540 


BULLETIN  No.  455 


[May, 


TABLE  11. — DEFECTIVE  PEACHES  IN  STANDARD  AND  IN  VENTILATED  CONTAINERS 
ON  ARRIVAL  IN  MARKET  AT  BURLINGTON,  VERMONT:  CAR  H 


Kind  of  package 

Brown  rot 

Bruised  peaches 

Soft  peaches 

Standard  basket 
Basket  1  

No. 
None 
None 
None 

None 
1 
1 

percl. 
None 

1.00 

No. 
2 
2 
4 

6 

1 
7 

perct. 
4.00 

7.00 

No. 
2 

2 
None 

percl. 
2.00 

None 

Basket  2  

Ventilated  basket 
Basket  3  

Basket  4  

ventilated  baskets  there  were  more  and  in  the  other  less  bruised 
peaches  than  in  either  of  the  standard  baskets.  The  peaches  in  general 
were  firmer  and  greener  in  the  ventilated  packages  than  in  the  standard 
packages. 

GENERAL  DISCUSSION  OF  RESULTS 

The  outstanding  feature  in  nearly  all  the  tests  just  reported  was 
the  much  more  rapid  reduction  in  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the 
ventilated  packages  than  in  the  standard  packages.  As  was  to  be 
expected,  the  initial  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  different  cars  and  in 
different  parts  of  the  same  car  had  a  decided  influence  upon  the  rate  of 
cooling,  which  varied  considerably  in  the  different  tests  and  in  differ- 
ent parts  of  a  load. 

When  the  fan  type  of  precooler  was  used,  there  was  usually  a 
greater  drop  in  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  top  layer  of  packages 
than  in  that  of  the  lower  layer,  during  the  time  the  precooler  was  in 
operation.  This  was  due  to  the  forcing  of  the  cold  air  directly  upon 
the  top  layer,  where,  under  normal  conditions  in  a  refrigerator  car 
temperatures  are  likely  to  be  highest.  When  the  portable  precooling 
plant  was  used,  there  usually  was  not  much  difference  in  the  average 
drop  in  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  top  and  bottom  layers,  but 
there  was  a  tendency  toward  a  greater  drop  near  the  center  of  the  car, 
especially  in  the  top  layer. 

Vagaries  in  rates  of  cooling  in  the  same  parts  of  different  cars  were 
doubtless  due  to  differences  in  the  adjustment  of  the  precooling  equip- 
ment and  in  details  of  operation.1* 

In  general,  more  thoro  precooling  could  have  been  attained  if  the 
equipment  had  been  operated  for  a  longer  time  on  each  car,  and  if  a 
lower  air  temperature  had  been  maintained  during  the  cooling  period 
than  was  maintained  in  most  of  the  cars  included  in  the  tests. 


1939]  PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES  541 

After  the  close  of  the  precooling  period  the  temperature  of  the 
fruit  continued  to  decline,  but  the  differences  between  the  temperatures 
in  the  different  types  of  packages  tended  to  diminish.  However,  the 
favorable  effect  of  the  more  rapid  early  cooling  of  the  fruit  in  the 
ventilated  packages  was  shown  in  the  firmer  condition  of  the  fruit 
upon  arrival  in  the  terminal  markets. 

COMMERCIAL  PRACTICES  IN  1938 

No  test  shipments  in  the  precooling  of  peaches  were  made  by  the 
Illinois  Experiment  Station  in  1938;  but  an  effort  was  made  to  ascer- 
tain to  what  extent  precooling  of  peaches  was  practiced  by  Illinois 
shippers  that  season,  and  also  the  extent  to  which  ventilated  packages 
were  used  in  marketing  the  peach  crop. 

Precooling. — Personal  contacts  with  peach  growers  during  the  1938 
crop  movement  and  consultation  with  operators  of  commercial  pre- 
cooling equipment  revealed  that  a  number  of  Illinois  growers  handling 
large  volumes  of  peaches  had  nearly  all  their  rail  shipments  precooled. 
The  charge  for  precooling  was  $12.50  to  $25  a  car. 

Equipment  for  precooling  had  been  further  improved  for  the  1938 
season ;  and  this,  together  with  the  experience  of  previous  years,  made 
more  efficient  precooling  possible.  Some  operators  of  precooling  equip- 
ment tried  to  get  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  down  to  40°  F.,  as 
recorded  by  a  thermometer  inserted  into  a  fruit  near  the  center  of  a 
basket  in  the  top  layer  of  baskets  near  the  car  door.  To  attain  this 
temperature,  precooling  practices  were  varied  to  meet  specific  condi- 
tions. For  example,  the  quantity  of  salt  was  varied  from  200  to  400 
pounds  to  the  car,  the  amount  depending  upon:  (1)  the  initial  tem- 
perature of  the  fruit,  (2)  the  outside  air  temperature,  (3)  the  amount 
of  ice  in  the  bunkers,  and  (4)  the  time  available  for  precooling  before 
the  fruit  train  would  arrive  to  pick  up  the  car. 

One  of  the  companies  operating  the  fan  type  of  precooler  pre- 
ferred to  have  at  least  8  hours  in  which  to  precool  a  car,  but  because 
of  late  loading  of  the  car  or  early  movement  of  the  train  on  which 
shipment  was  desired,  they  were  sometimes  obliged  to  do  the  work  in 
4  hours.  When  this  occurred,  more  salt  had  to  be  used,  and  even  then 
the  desired  temperature  was  not  always  attained.  In  fact,  unless  all 
conditions  were  favorable,  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  at  the  end  of 
the  precooling  period  was  more  likely  to  be  in  the  neighborhood  of 
50°  F.  than  40°  F.  In  the  report  to  the  shipper  the  precooling  com- 
pany recorded  the  initial  and  final  temperature  of  the  fruit,  the  amount 
of  salt  used,  and  the  length  of  time  the  precooler  was  operated. 


542  BULLETIN  No.  455  [May, 

Ventilated  Baskets. — The  use  of  ventilated  baskets  for  shipping 
peaches  had  become  an  even  more  common  practice  in  Illinois  in  1938 
than  the  precooling  of  rail  shipments  of  this  product.  An  incomplete 
survey  made  in  southern  Illinois  during  and  shortly  after  the  peach 
movement  showed  that  22  shippers  used  128,201  ventilated  bushel 
containers  in  the  marketing  of  their  peaches.  The  survey  covered  the 
operations  of  126  growers,  who  marketed  460,002  bushels  of  peaches 
in  1938.  Thus  the  ventilated  packages  used  represented  28  percent  of 
the  total  packages  used  by  the  growers  included  in  the  survey.  Three 
years  previous  the  only  Illinois  peaches  shipped  in  ventilated  packages 
were  those  included  in  the  tests  by  the  Experiment  Station.  The  cost 
of  ventilated  packages  and  the  new  type  of  liners  was  practically  the 
same  as  that  of  standard  packages  and  the  old  type  of  liners. 

SUMMARY 

Refrigeration  tests  with  eight  carloads  of  Illinois  peaches  in  1935 
and  1937  are  reported  herein.  The  effects  of  two  different  types  of 
packages — ventilated  and  standard — on  the  rapidity  with  which  the 
fruit  cooled  were  studied,  half  of  each  car  being  loaded  with  ventilated 
packages  of  fruit  and  half  with  standard  containers.  A  special  type  of 
ventilated  liner,  not  available  in  1935,  was  used  in  the  1937  tests. 

Four  of  these  cars  were  observed  only  during  the  precooling  period, 
and  four  were  followed  thru  to  their  destinations.  In  the  latter  tests 
the  condition  of  the  fruit  was  observed  when  the  cars  were  unloaded. 

The  precooling  equipment  was  of  two  types.  One  consisted  of 
electric  fans  (with  accessories)  which  forced  cold  air  from  the  ice 
bunkers  thru  the  load  of  fruit.  With  this  type  of  cooler,  salt  was  added 
to  the  ice  in  the  bunkers  to  reduce  the  air  temperature.  The  other 
type  of  cooler  consisted  of  a  portable  refrigeration  plant  mounted  on  an 
auto-truck  chassis. 

The  results  of  the  1935  tests,  which  covered  only  the  precooling 
period,  may  be  summarized  as  follows: 

1.  The   temperature   of   the   fruit    in   the   ventilated   packages 
equipped  with  standard  liners  was  reduced  25.8  degrees  in  81/2  hours, 
while  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  packages  with  standard  liners 
was  reduced  only  18.4  degrees.   (Car  A) 

2.  The  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  ventilated  baskets  without  any 
liners  was  reduced  approximately  three  times  as  much  during  a  6-hour 
precooling  period  as  that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  baskets  equipped 
with  standard  liners.   (Car  B) 


1939]  PRECOOLING  ILLINOIS  PEACHES  543 

3.  In  a  car  precooled  with  a  portable  refrigeration  plant,  the 
temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  dropped  16.1  de- 
grees in  3f4  hours,  while  that  in  the  standard  packages  dropped  only 
11.9  degrees.  The  day  was  fairly  cool  and  the  temperature  of  the  fruit 
not  very  high  at  the  start.   Standard  liners  were  used  in  both  types  of 
package.  (Car  C) 

4.  In  a  car  loaded  on  a  hot  day,  when  the  outside  temperature 
was  94°  F.,  the  drop  in  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated 
packages  during  a  4^-hour  refrigeration  period  was  21.1   degrees, 
while  in  the  standard  containers  it  was  only  12.7  degrees.    The  pre- 
cooling  equipment  was  of  the  same  type  as  that  used  for  Car  C  just 
mentioned.   ( Car  D) 

The  results  of  the  1937  tests,  in  which  each  car  was  followed  thru 
to  the  terminal  market  and  temperature  readings  were  made  enroute, 
were  briefly  as  follows: 

1.  In  a  car  loaded  with  Red  Bird  peaches,  and  shipped  under 
standard  refrigeration  without  precooling,  the  temperature  of  the  fruit 
in  the  ventilated  packages  was  reduced  30.6  degrees  in  22  hours ;  while 
that  of  the  fruit  in  the  standard  packages  was  reduced  only   10.3 
degrees.    The  new  type  of  80-hole  liner  was  used  in  both  types  of 
packages.  (Car  E) 

2.  In  a  car  precooled  with  the  portable  truck  type  of  cooler,  the 
average  reduction  in  fruit  temperatures  in  3  hours  was  nearly  the 
same  in  both  the  ventilated  and  the  standard  containers,  both  of  which 
were  equipped  with  the  new  type  of  ventilated  liner.    However,  the 
amount  of  temperature  drop  in  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  in 
different  parts  of  the  car  was  much  less  varied  than  it  was  in  the 
standard  packages.    ( Car  F) 

3.  In  a  car  precooled  with  the  fan  type  of  precooling  equipment, 
the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in  ventilated  tub  bushels  equipped  with 
the  new  type  of  ventilated  liner  dropped  26.1  degrees  in  a  5-hour  pre- 
cooling period,  while  in  the  standard  tub  bushels  equipped  with  the 
standard  type  of  liner  the  drop  was  only  10.5  degrees.  (Car  G) 

4.  In  a  car  in  which  precooling  equipment  was  not  installed  until 
5  hours  after  loading  was  completed,  the  temperature  of  the  fruit  in 
ventilated  baskets  equipped  with  the  new  type  of  ventilated  liner  was 
reduced  9.3  degrees  by  the  effect  of  the  ice  in  the  bunkers ;  while  in  the 
standard  baskets  with  the  same  type  of  liners  the  temperature  dropped 
only  6.3  degrees.    During  the  next  6  hours,  while  the  precooler  (fan 
type)  was  in  operation,  the  fruit  in  the  ventilated  packages  showed 


544  BULLETIN  No.  455 

a    further   temperature   drop   of    16.1    degrees   and   the    fruit    in   the 
standard  packages  a  drop  of  13.7  degrees.   (Car  H) 

5.  Variations  in  the  rate  at  which  the  peaches  in  the  different 
tests  cooled  (both  in  1935  and  in  1937)  were  attributable  partly  to 
differences  in  the  initial  temperature  of  the  fruit  and  partly  to  differ- 
ences in  the  operation  of  the  precooling  equipment. 

6.  The  peaches  in  both  types  of  containers  in  the  1937  tests 
carried  thru  to  their  destinations  in  excellent  market  condition,  tho  the 
fruit   in   the   ventilated   packages   was   usually   slightly   firmer.    The 
amount  of  brown   rot   and   other  decay  was  too  small  to   warrant 
comparison. 

That  precooling  of  rail  shipments  of  peaches  and  the  use  of  venti- 
lated containers  are  coming  into  favor  among  Illinois  growers  was 
indicated  in  contacts  made  with  126  growers  in  1938.  A  number  of 
those  handling  large  volumes  of  peaches  were  precooling  nearly  all  their 
rail  shipments;  and  ventilated  packages  were  used  for  marketing 
approximately  28  percent  of  the  Illinois  peach  crop,  according  to  an 
estimate  based  on  interviews  with  these  126  growers,  who  marketed 
nearly  half  a  million  bushels  of  peaches  in  1938. 

CONCLUSIONS 

1.  Precooling  is  worthy  of  adoption  as  a  general  practice  for  rail 
shipments  of  Illinois  peaches. 

2.  For  rapid  precooling,  the  fruit  should  be  packed  in  ventilated 
containers  equipped  with  the  new  type  of  ventilated  liners. 

3.  Even  for  rail  shipments  of  peaches  that  are  not  precooled,  the 
use  of  ventilated  packages  is  warranted  because  of  the  more  rapid 
refrigeration  which  these  packages  permit. 

LITERATURE  CITED 

1.  ALLEN,  F.  W.,  and  McKiNNON,  L.  R.   Precooling  investigations  with  deciduous 

fruits.    Calif.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  590.    1935. 

2.  BROOKS,  CHARLES,  and   COOLEY,  J.   S.    Temperature   relations  of   stone   fruit 

fungi.   Jour.  Agr.  Res.  22,  451-465.   1921. 

3.  LLOYD,  J.  W.  Precooling  in  relation  to  the  marketing  of  Illinois  fruits.   Trans. 

111.  State  Hort.  Soc.  69,  225-235.    1935. 

4.  -  and  NEWELL,  H.  M.    Observations  on  the  refrigeration  of  some 

Illinois  fruits  in  transit.   111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  334.    1929. 

5.  —  and  DECKER,  S.  W.   Factors  influencing  the  refrigeration  of  pack- 

ages of  peaches.   111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  418.   1935. 

6.  NEWELL,  H.  M.,  and  LLOYD,  J.  W.    Air  circulation  and  temperature  conditions 

in  refrigerated  carloads  of  fruit.    111.  Agr.  Exp.  Sta.  Bui.  381.    1932. 

6050— 6M— 16623 


JiSKTuRiMU 
445-457  1938-39 


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