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About Medford mail tribune. (Medford, Or.) 1909-1989 | View Entire Issue (July 5, 1931)
MEDFOED Mail Tmbune ond Section ur Page Second Section Four Pages iof. nm 0N.VALL Sixth Year MEDFORD. OREG ON. SUNDAY. JULY .5. 19.11 . ' v ,fri vnn A ri iRannm utrm EY MAN T 1RKET HELD IMPORTANT FACT0R193Q BARRETT nt report 1b baaed investigations carried ork and other eastern the past two years, igutions wero nuthor inccd by exowors and the Rogue River val- thelr- official repre ie Medford Winter ttee, Inc., the person is: D. R. Wood, presi rd Carpenter, Harry j. C. Barnes, W. P. ?e B. Bean, and J. 13. .ork had to do large )lems relating to the transportation and pears. It was in no ceting survey, nor was t to promote the sale te author, throughout lions, adhered strict ics of research, e of the data were sc observations of com ments, a considerable information was ob controlled experiments at harvest time and irried on through the storage periods, is made to give a full d report at this time. tables are largely id only a summary of en. nd shippers of pears in a highly competl- rears on the market to compete not only selves, but they must bid for favor against roducts that are now red to tho consumer ome and attractive establishing standards tr pears, therefore, It to take Into account Is of quality already other fruit industries, uallty and appearance the market needs be apparent, evjen q ..the. ier.lt cannot be do ilts such as the apple, ind ;the grapefruit are lelivered to the con- cdmpardtlvely better nd better eating qual pears. Lack of quality attractiveness are still cles to tho successful ;tribution of pears, not necessarily to the wers and shippers of ess diligent in their to the fact that pears serious problems of : r a n s p ortation and do other fruits, ite purchaser, how ot take this into ac dfrcs the product and with other products, e basis of value ro- the difficulties he handling of pears 5ine by minor changes nt methods, by moro e of the equipment 1. and by application ! already in existence, r hand, some of the peclally those occas amportatlon and by gc diseases, are fun character. Tho solu may renulre years of rethcr with close co all agencies Involved 3 expenditure of con is of money, irent that tho price uetlon Is not always a quality in pears. Fac ian quality often af prices and because heet shows ft high ro s not always follow pper has delivered a lot of pears to his xnmiTlcs of this have i during the past two lc pears which brot 1 prices in .lanunry y often scalded and tal loss before thoy consumer n Is still being done industry I.y the sale t has been kept its co life, and that has ilatible and unfit for imptlon. Among stor ies, it is recognized avo a rather definite life. When they are : In cold storage, they n properly upon ro- flesh remains hard, lids" or turns brown, wn mny develop, and r receives a worthless i may bo true of fruit hard and green and lormal appearance at removal from cold I PEAR QUALITY Storaeo Life ' I ' Just how long pears can be held in cold storage depends upon several factors. The treatment at harvest time, tho inherent keeping quality of tho fruit, and the con ditions prevailing during transit, all affect the length of life of pears. As a result of eeveral years of observation and experi mentation, however, It is now pos. si be to establish in a general way, tho limits for the various sorts. With proper handling,. Med ford Bartlett pears upon arrival in the East can be hold in cold storage for 30 days and still yield a satisfactory product. Bosc can be held until the Christmas holi days, Cornice until January 15th or February 1st, Anjou until the last of March and possibly " until April 15th, in the case of excep tional fruit. Winter Nells can be held until April 30th, and in some cases , as lato as the mlddlo of May. It should bo emphasized here, however, that under the methods of handling now in vogue, only a small portion of tho pear crop can be held to the foregoing dates. Sales of pears that were held beyond their normal storage lUo were common during the past sea son. In New York, for example, several cars of Bartlett pears were sold at auction as - late -as- No vember 7th, and one car was sold on November 17th. A car of Bosc was sold on April 4th, and a car of Flemish Beauty was sold "3n April 9th. In Chicago, a car of Bartlett was sold on December 5th, and several cars of Bosc wero aold between April 15th and April 25th. Needless to say none of this fruit reached the consumer in an edible condition. The situation created by late sales of Bartlett was serious to say tho least. At the time when Bosc and other fall varieties should havo been on the market, tho fruit stands were still Jnm med with Bartlett pears. These, for the "most part, were of poor quality an dundoubtcdly did much to turn people away from pears. DlMtiibulors Blameless Tho largo distributors have rec ognized that pears held too long are a menace to the Industry and these distributors aro not re.spon eiblo for tho situation that pro vails. Tho New York Tear com mittee, during the past two sea sons, planned Us program of sales so that cars of pears in their pos session would go to the trade in proper time. Their plans were up set, however, by the fact that pome shippers held the fruit too long, and that some buyers who had purchased on an f. o. b. basis, held pears without regards for their natural keeping quality. Heavy Tonnugo Factor In considering the length of time that enrh variety of penrs should bo held. It is necessary to consldor tho matter of sale and distribution. If tho entire pear crop could bo consumed within a few weeks of harvest time, the problem of delivering a satisfac tory product to tho consumer would be greatly facilitated. With tho largo tonnnge that Is now be ing offered, however, and that will bo offered in tho future, it Is obvious that each variety must b kept on the market as long as tho fruit can be maintained I" a satisfactory condition. On!y in this manner can tho crop be dis poned of without serious copes Hons of tho market. It Is highly essential, therefore, that tho crop be handled In such a manner s will lnsuro maximum storage life for a considerable tonnage of each variety. In this connection it should be emphasized, also, that no one va riety can hold -the market to it self for any length of timo. While it is deslrahlo that each variety should 'predominate during it" season, it would be unwlso to ex clude all other varieties from the market for the timo being. Retail em, as a rule, like to offer more than one kind iu their customers. Some customers will buy Anjou and other clear-skinned pears, but will not buy russet sorts such as Bosc and Winter Nolls. Some dealers want several varieties to add color and diversity to their displays. Aside from this, there is ulwaya a considerable portion of the stock, that, because of condi tion, must be moved regardless of season. Winter Nells pears, which have been abused at harvest timo, aro often ripe long before Anjou that have been properly handled. Then, too, some districts are na turally earlier than others. The season for Bosc pears from the IMacervillo district of California, for example, is several weeks ahead of that for Medford and tho northern districts. Work by the Oregon 'Experi ment station and by tho United States department of agriculture has thoroughly established the fact that temperaturo after pick ing is the most Important single factor relating to tho keeping of pears. This work has shown .that at temperatures around 70 de grees F., pears ripen approximate ly 10 times as rapidly as they do at 30 to 32 degrees F. Under or dinary circumstances, then, pears picked and left in the orchard or packing houso deterlorato as much in one day as they do in ten days of cold storage. Tests with Bosc pears have shown- that a delay of seven days at 65 de grees F., was responsible for a reduction of 60 days in the pos sible cold storage life of the fruit. Once started, the ripening process in pears cannot bo effec tively checked no matter what after-treatment is given. This be ing true, pears may bo seriously damaged if held even for short periods at temperatures above 30 to 32 degrees F. s .As'ithe..peax-.crop, is..now- hand ed, delays after picking and un favorable temperaturo conditions during transit are common. In some cases, tho fruit remains in the orchard two or three days after picking and often lays around two or three days more before it is packed. During warm weather, temperatures "of 38 to 48 degrees F., and even higher, are often encountered in transit, and fruit intended for storage may arrive In tho oast with the top boxes showing color and giv ing indication that tho ripening process is already well under way. It should be emphasized, In this connection, that pears at tached to tho treo ripen at a much lower rate than pears pick ed and allowed to stand In the orchard. In case pears cannot he placed under refrigeration imme diately, they should bo allowed to hang on the trees. It Is a seri ous mistake for growers to as sume that their crop Is safe as soon as the fruit has been placed In boxes. Prccon! i nc A Ids It 1ms been clearly shown that the practice of precoollng imme diately after picking prolongs the life of pears. In facC precoollng seems to bo almost indispensable In tho case of pears intended for the "long route" on the market. Precoollng, however, Is a costly practice and there aro times when tho matter of economics enters In. Aside from the matter of keep abllity, precoollng when applied to pears has other advantages. Pcirs thnt have beon prpcoolr-d HINNING TEMPERA! CTORAGE AFFECTS EPINGQUALITY are usually free from wilt upon arrival at eastorn terminals and ripen In a more uniform manner than those that have not been precooled. Cool Weather Prolongs Ijlfo of Pears Data collected from experimen tal lots and from commercial shipments during tho past two years, show that part of the trouble resulting from transit during hot weather can be avoid ed by storing tho fruit for a month or so at tho point of ori gin, and, shipping in late October or early November when iowor temperatures prevail. Pears ship ped at this time of the year often travel nt practically storage tem peratures, and the difference in temperaturo between the tops and bottoms of cars aro hardly appar ent. While this method of hand ling might not be practical for the entire crop, It at least offers possibility for lots of fruit Intend ed for long keeping. ' Observations of tho past two seasons Indicate that pears held at 30 to 31 degrees F., keep bet ter than those held ot 32 degrees F., or higher. Tho core tempera tures of poars in storago are usually m degrees higher tlian that of tho storngo room itself. Pears do not freeze unless tub Jected lo temperatures below 2S degrees F., for ,1 considerable period of time, and at 30 to 31 degrees F., they are safe so long as the refrigeration is properly distributed within the rooms. In tho case of plants using the direct expansion system of refri geration, fans In the rooms aro necessary to insure ait movement. This Is doslrablo since both cold and warm air pockets aro apt to be formed unless the air is kept constantly In motion. Relative humidities of at least 78 percent are necessary to pro vent wilting of pears In storage Pears in cold storage should bo stacked In a manner that permits air circulation around eech box. Space should be left between each stack, and, whenever possible, each tier should bo cleated. Amplo space should bo left between tho top tiers and 'tho ceiling of tho rooms. The matter of Improving tho grado and pack of pears is, to o large extent, a grower problem. It is known among all horticul turists, that pear trees as com pared to other fruit trees produco a relatively largo percentage of Inferior fruits. At the same time, the pear Industry has practically no by-products to utilize Buch fruit, and as a consequence nearly all. of the fruit that sticks to tho trees in spring ultimately finds Its way into the fancy extra fancy grades. With tho increased competition that pears must face in the future, It appears certain that pear grow ers will havo to adopt a system of thinning that will Insure, not only more deslrablo sizes, but. that will eliminate, to a large ex tent, tho misshapen and imperfect specimens. When properly done, thinning results In no lecroaso of tonnage and adds practically noth ing to the cost of productlcn. Cer tainly It costs no moro to clip off the Imperfect specimens in spring, than It does to pick them by hand In tho fall and pay tho cost of running them over wash ing machines and packing tables. Growers and shippers aro gen erally nwaro of tho fact that pears often fnll tr keep upon nrrlval at IECOMMENOED PICKING PRESSURES FOR I ROGUE RIVER VALLEY PEARS (sTieclmenta unpared) Pressure Tests Oregon Tester Lbs. 33 to 2fi 23 to 20 COUNT THE YELLOW BOXES Real Proof That Country People Read the MAIL TRIBUNE I PACK AND SALE AIDSH GRADE Eastern terminals. Anjou and Winter Nelis, in particular, often ripen and rIvo evidence of break down long before their normal season is over. During tho season ot 1929-30, for example, at least 50 percent of tho Anjou pears held In Now York City were ripe and had to bo moved In Jonuary regardless of market conditions. The situation was considerably Improved during the season of 1930-31, but even in this case, many pears pave evidence of pre maturo ripening. Many reasons havo been ad vanced for the falluro of pears to keep upon arrival in tho east. It has ben claimed, for example, that, in some years, pears lack in tnhoront keeping quality. Experi mentation over a period of years, however, has shown that pears when properly handled, keep well regardless of season and that In herent keeping quality is only of secondary importance. Tho claim that eastorn storage plants are responsible for tho situation, likewise, is not sub stantial if all tho facts are taken into account. When a storage con corn maintains satisfactory tem peratures, satisfactory humidities, together with some circulation or the air In tho rooms, It can hardly be blamed for tho falluro of fruit to keep. There havo been indi vidual cases in past seasons when improper storage did contribute to premature ripening, but, It can not be said that thin is the general cause of the difficulty. Picking at the wrong timo may influence tho situation, but It Is itvtmdclvahle 1h,t this faUor alone is responsible for tho trouble. Apparently two factors aro largely responsible for tho pro mature ripening of pears at east ern, tej-mltutlsh XI) -UoLoyja in. get ting the fruit under refrigeration at harvest time; and (2) unfavor able transit conditions. To determine tho condition of Bosc pears as they aro being sold to consumers in Now York City, surveys of retail establishments were made at intervals of about 10 days throughout the fall mnntliu nf ln9fl Tlindn Included about 80 establishments such as fancy-fruit stands, out-door stands subway stands, push-carts, pub lic markets, and grocery stores, located In various parts of tho city. Bosc Did Not Ttlpon In Cold Tho data collected In tho nhovo manner showed that during Octo ber and early November, whilo tho prevailing temperatures wero fairly high, about 90 percent of the Bosc pears offered for sale wero ripe and in good condition for eating. After November 10th, however, when the weather be came coot, most of tho Bosc pears offered for salo wero hard an. Immature. Tho figures show that over 91 percent of tho Bosc sold during this period were prac tically Inedible. A few establish ments snch as the fruit stands in tho subway e!atlons, where" the trmperaturo is always fairly high, offered ripe Boso pears through out th pennon. A Tow funny-fruit Dependable Abstract Service When it comeH to all matters pertaining to ti les, we are equipped to serve you well. For 2(5 years we have been com piling authoritative title records enabling us to j t offer the finest possiblo service. Title Insurance Jackson County Abstract Co. PR LEWIS MANY: ORGANIZED EFFORT NEEDED TO REIVE OBSTACLES dealers, who conditioned tho fruit, also, offered good Bono pears during most of the time, but these constitute only . a small percent age of tho retail trade of New York City. Tho situation was somewhat better in 1930. Weather condi tions during the late fnll months wero moro favorablo for ripening and a considerable number of cars wero conditioned. Even in this case, however, tho situation was far from satisfactory. These observations emphasize, In a practical way, the romiUs of experimental evidence- to tho ef fect that Bosc pears requlro fair ly high ripening temperatures. They will not ripen in cold stor ago or ot low prevailing tempera tures. It Is truo that this variety often takos on color nt low tem peratures, but tho color chango in such cases Is not accompnniod by mellowness or increased Juici ness. It .Is only when ripening temperatures of 55 to 65 degrees P., aro supplied tnnfc celnr nnd actual maturity dovolop simulta neously. Johlwrs and Retailors Not -Prepared Obviously tho jobbers and ro tallers of New York and other eastorn cities aro not in position to condition Bosc pears. Practic ally none of theso operators havo storage space, and what llttlo space they do havo is usually subject to out-of-door tempera tures and Is, therefore, uusulted for the purpose. Then, too, this Bpaeels generally used for the .storago of other products and heating Is out of tho question. It must bo remembered, also, that an unusually largo number of Individuals aro engaged In the jobbing and retail trade, and oven if spaco for ripening was avail able "wonldi- bo- a tromondous task to teach this vast army tho proper methods of conditioning Bosc pears. CoiiNiiiuors Not lllpcncrs The possibility of educating tho consumer to ripen Bosc pears be fore they aro eaten offers some promise, but It must bo admit ted that many obstacles He in tho way of this program. When the average city consumer takes fruit homo, ho generally expects to use It Immediately and when ho buys apples, grapes, bananas, and other fruits, ho usually finds them ready to eat at tho timo of puachnse. Spaco is at a premium In tho supply of foodstuffs can be kept supply of food sturrs can bo kopt on hand. Then, too, conditions in tho average city homo or apart ment aro not Ideal for tho ripen ing of Bosc pears. Food stuffs as a rulo, aro kept In ico boxes or under mechanical refrigeration nnd Bnn ppnrs will not ripnn un der these conditions. A program of education urging consumers to keep Hose pears In their living rooms until ready to eat might accomplish results, but It must bo admitted that tills would bo a tremendous task. Banana Uiitonlng Bonis Not Avnihihlo Tho possibility of conditioning Bosc pears in tho ripening rooms now used for bananas was given attention in tho courso of theso investigations, it was found, how ever, that theso rooms aro now being uned to full capacity and that they aro generally unsulted for pears, in New York City, theso aro located In tho jobbing district, somo distance from tho piers, and trucking to and from them prior to tho auction sale Is Impossible under tho present regu lations nnd methods of handling fruit. Conditioning IUmuiih Should Bo On Main Jlouts of Travel It now appears that ripening or conditioning rooms for Boso pears In New York City should bo located on tho main linos nf trav el, between tho classification yards nnd tho pleiH. Tho largo cold storage plants on tho Jersey Ride of tho Hudson rivor, seem- to bo tho logical locations for such rooms. Not only enn spaco and proper ripening conditions be pro vided at theso places, but It is doslrablo that refrigeration spaco bo within easy reach of tho con ditioning rooms. Owing to market or other conditions it may bo necesHary, at times, to return tho fruit to cold storngo after It has gono through tho ripening pro cess. This would bo practically (ImpoHHibLo If tho conditioning rooms woro located on tho plors or at somo dlHtanco from tho cold storngo plants. BirricuUk'S Kneoimtered Many difficulties nro oncountor. cd when ono attempts to condi tion Bosc pears In cnrload lota at eastern terminals. Whilo somo headway has ben made, it must bo pointed out that many obstac les aro still In tho way and that much work remains . to bo done beforo tho conditioning process la finally reached. Tho first difficulty encountered is lack of sultablo epneo. When operations began In Now York t'lty, In i!2fl, there was no spaco that could bo given over to tho ripening of poars. At tho present time, however, spaco Is ava.'ablo In New York nnd elsewhere, tho storngo concerns having spent considerable sums of money In equipping rooms for tho purpose A Becond obHtnclo Is tho attl tudo of tho trado toward pears that have been conditioned At present thero Is a distinct pre judice n pa Inst pnnrs that, nro Ht'Q BOSC PEAR CONDITION DISCUSSED Ripening of Fruit Beforo Reaching Consumer Is Urged, With Changes in Present Methods Diffi culties Encountered. or that Hhow signs of softonlng. In tho cimo of Bosc, the trail dcalros color but It desires tho fruit to bo hard. This prejudlco must bo overcomo boforo condi tioned Hose pears will meet with, full approval. A chango of atti tude on this matter can como only after Uealors havo learned that Boso penrs properly conditioned still huvo en frying quality and that salcB aro greater whon tho consumer rcceivos a ponr that ia fit to cut. . Ijick of uniformity In tho stoclt is also a sorious obstaclo to con ditioning, In that somo of th fruit in a ear riponsiunrt takes on color, whilo tho remainder of the fruit stays grcon and hard. Sev eral factors probably contribute, to this condition. It is known, for example, that fruit In the top 't tho cars usunlly travels at a high., er temperaturo thnn that In tho bottom or other parts of tho car. Fruit from the top tiers, thoro fore, would ripen fastor In tha ripening room than that from tha lower tiers. Lack of uniformity In tho stock; may also result from tho fact; that fruit picked In tho mornlns whilo cool, may travel in tha Burnt) car with . warm fruit plckod , In tho artornooti". Dlfforcneo In temperaturo from this cause, ust ually porsist for somo timo in transit and naturally causo dl foroncos In tho timo of ripening at tho receiving end. Trouble from this cause, howovor, can bo elim inated to a considerable cxtont by prompt and efficient precool lng shortly nfter picking. Lack of uniformity may result from variations In tho treatment given aftor picking. It often iiap penR, for example, that fruit from several growers Is shipped In tiif" same car. Ono grower's fruit ma; havo stood around for several days boforo It is packed and ship ped, whilo anothor grower's fruit may have boon packed Immediate ly. Even within tho samo grower's lot thero may bo wldo vnrlatlon In maturity duo to tho treatmont given at harvest time. Whilo d if foroncos in maturity (Continued on Pago Four) NEW NASH JUST ANNOUNCED JUNE TWENTY-EIGnTIl tmmJk. hi .... n 1 1 il IMi.i n uunur- T mmmi Itil fc K K M B Mi M J The Latest in Luxury OUND-PROOFED BODY and Chassis LlJTBN TO TH8 Nash Paradb OP Progress anj Max Btndix, Ojjicial Bandmatttr of the Chicago 193) WoTlTiFair,andhiibanJ.CMtl-lo-coait,TutsdayErmmgioYeTNBCN!totk,g:m From $795 to $2 025 ... f. o. b. factory -Unusually low delivered prices, $ 10 16 to $2 3 5.0- MEAD MOTOR CO. U. S. Tester Lbs. 23 to 20 16 to 14 22 to 2C 18 to IS 19 to 15 14 to 12 ' 18 to 15 27 to 24 2S to 24 Cor. 8th & Bartlett Phone 090 24 to 19 19 to 16 28 to 24 12) E. Sixth fit. Phone 41
