“Dr. Apple” by Ruth Abernethy
A Sculpture of Charlie Eaves (1908 – 2006)
A tribute portrait to honour a scientist whose research at the Kentville Agricultural Centre extended the storage life of apples and other fruit.
To be unveiled by the Mayor of Kentville, David Corkum
Friday May 29, 2015 at 3:30 pm at the park opposite the entrance to the Kentville Agricultural Centre, Main Street (Hwy #1)
Charles Eaves was a pioneer in exposing apples to high CO2 levels to reduce their metabolism and prolong their life - a storage method adopted globally.
Charles Eaves Canadian Pioneer of Controlled Atmosphere Storage of Apples and other Fruit
Charles Eaves (1908 – 2006) was a Canadian scientist who extended the storage of apples by controlling levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide. He built the first Controlled Atmosphere (CA) storage in the Western Hemisphere in 1939 at Port Williams in Nova Scotia. After World War II his research at the Kentville Experimental Farm established storage methods that were adopted worldwide. He later advanced fruit storage in Turkey and Brazil for the United Nations and in 2000 was awarded a honourary doctorate by the Nova Scotia Agricultural Collage and Dalhousie University.
The Life of Charles Eaves
Early Life Charles
Eaves
Charles graduated from school at age 14, was
born
in
Liverpool,
England on February 21, 1908. His mother, Amy Elizabeth (Potts), died at his birth. His father, Frank Albert Eaves, a marine engineer specializing in propeller design, died following a workplace injury shortly thereafter. Charles’ guardians placed the sickly 2 year old in the country with the family of a gentle basket weaver. During the First World War, at age 8, he was sent to boarding school - a move he found difficult. However, there he discovered a fondness for music, poetry and theatre - and roles in school plays made classes bearable.
but unable to find work his guardians insisted he go ‘on the dole’. This instilled a life-long empathy for others in need. Later, as a junior shipping clerk, he entered a Canadian Pacific Steamship office where a striking poster beckoned “Public School Boys Wanted - to learn farming in Canada”. In March 1926, after a rough Atlantic crossing, 18 year old Charles entered MacDonald College of McGill University, where he fell in love with Canadian optimism! He learned numerous farming methods and completed the 2 year Diploma course in 1928. To earn money to continue his college education, Charles joined the last major harvest excursion to Western Canada. There he witnessed one of the first, laboursaving, combine harvesters in action.
Scientific Career Eaves completed his BSc. in Agricultural Science at McGill in 1932 with summer employment at the Ottawa Experimental Farm. In 1933 the IODE awarded him a one year scholarship to study plant nutrition and produce storage at Cambridge University in England. Upon his return to Canada he reunited with Margot Vernon Smith from Ottawa and they married in 1934. Accepting a Charles, age 18, on the S. S. Montcalm leaving Liverpool, England on March 15, 1926 and arriving in St. John, New Brunswick, eight days later
temporary position at the Experimental Farm in Kentville, Eaves was made responsible for
produce storage. After earning his MSc from McGill in 1937, he returned to work full time at the Experimental Farm in Kentville. In
1939
Eaves
established
the
first
atmospherically controlled fruit and vegetable storage facility in the Western Hemisphere. However, later that year, with the Second World War imminent and with his daughter Elizabeth a year old, Eaves enlisted in the Canadian Army. He saw his newborn son Allen briefly before shipping overseas in 1941. Throughout the Italian campaign and the liberation of The Netherlands, Eaves was admired, stalwart and lucky. In 1945 following the War, he worked initially at the Ottawa Experimental Farm, but returned to Kentville and his beloved apples in 1948. There he enjoyed a long distinguished research career, but also remained active in the militia, serving as Colonel of the West Nova Scotia Regiment (1957–60).
Eugene Chipman, a life-long friend and research colleague, presenting a gift to Charles Eaves upon his retirement in 1973.
Retirement Mandatory
retirement
in
1973
resulted
in Eaves working for the United Nation’s Food and Agricultural Organization and travelling to establish post-harvest physiology laboratories in Yalova Turkey (1972-73) and Salvador, Brazil (1973-74). He then returned to Upper Canard and for another 25 years was an active volunteer for many educational and community causes. On October 25, 2000 he received an Honorary Doctorate from Dalhousie University and the Nova Scotia Agricultural College. Eaves died at age 98 on July 2, 2006 and was buried in St. John’s churchyard near Upper Canard.
Charles receiving an Honorary Doctorate Degree at the Nova Scotia Agricultural College of Dalhousie University, on October 25, 2000
Research Contributions of Charles Eaves
Early Mentors
and slow the ripening process. On arrival in
Charles Eaves transferred from the Central Agricultural Research Centre in Ottawa to Kentville, Nova Scotia in 1934 to develop cool temperature apple storage. He had studied plant nutrition and storage research in Ottawa under Dr. W. Macoun and Dr. M. Davis, and had recently returned from the Low Temperature Research Station in Cambridge, England where Dr. F. Kidd and Dr. C. West were studying the physiology of fruit in controlled-atmosphere (CA) storage.
From Cool to Controlled Atmosphere In
Kentville,
Eaves
quickly
established
research trials in cool temperature storage. Over 3 million barrels of apples were exported annually to England, but without pre-cooling spoilage was a major concern. Eaves developed the concept of rapidly
England, the apples had retained their quality and commanded a premium price.
First CA Storage In 1939, under Eaves’ direction, the first CA storage facility in the Western Hemisphere was constructed in Port Williams. Following the Second World War, Eaves returned to Kentville to continue his innovative work in atmospheric storage. By the 1950s, common practice had apples stored in refrigerated rooms lined with gas-impermeable aluminum foil sealed with Vaseline. Recommended storage conditions were 3.5 degrees centigrade, 7% carbon dioxide and 14% oxygen in which apples could be kept in good condition for 6 months. However, controlling carbon dioxide levels meant using expensive caustic soda, a skin and eye irritant.
cooling picked apples, then storing them in a controlled atmosphere. In 1936, George Chase, a forward thinking apple grower and shipper, asked Eaves to accompany a 200 foot refrigerated Danish banana boat leaving Port Williams for England with 1200 barrels of apples. Eaves recorded temperature and carbon dioxide in the barrels each day of a stormy 13 day passage. Eaves knew that cooling and elevated carbon dioxide levels would reduce the metabolic rate of the apples
Charles in an apple warehouse with senior technician and major scientific contributor, Harold Lightfoot
Charles in his laboratory with technician Mel MacKenzie Š Art Lightfoot
Unexpected Breakthrough
CA Storage to Plant Nutrition
In 1951, to study reduced carbon dioxide
During the next 20 years, Eaves focused
levels further, Eaves designed a storage
his research on how CA storage and plant
room with a floor of iron sheeting, covered
nutrition, affects the quality of stored fruit, in
with mylar and topped by 5 cm of cement
particular, demonstrating the benefits of using
to prevent damage. Surprisingly, a few days
very low oxygen (<1%) concentrations. Eavesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;
after the room was filled with apples and
ideas on CA storage were used to improve
sealed, carbon dioxide failed to accumulate.
the
Eaves and his technician, Harold Lightfoot,
blueberries and vegetables. His pioneering
were delighted and quickly concluded that
work on CA storage was acknowledged at
the cement had absorbed the carbon dioxide!
the 1970 International Horticultural Congress
A switch to using bagged, hydrated lime as
in Tel Aviv, Israel, where he was invited to give
the most effective means to lower carbon
the keynote post-harvest lecture.
dioxide was soon adopted worldwide and is still practiced.
shipping
of
bananas,
strawberries,
The Windson & Annapolis Railway later called the Dominion Atlantic Railway, was completed in 1869, and opened up access to international markets
Harvesting the apple crop near Kentville, 1911
Fruit Production in the Annapolis Valley
A Climate for Apples The temperate micro-climate of the Annapolis Valley has warm days and cool nights. It’s sheltered from cold winds blowing off the Bay of Fundy by the 260 meter high North Mountain. Along the Valley’s south border are even higher granite ridges called the South Mountain. This protective geography repels fog, and provides more hours of sunshine in the Valley than elsewhere in Nova Scotia. The fertile Annapolis Valley stretches 130 km from Digby to the Minas Basin, and is drained on the West by the Annapolis River and on the East by the Cornwallis, Canard and Habitant
tracks. Lucrative apple harvests early in the 1900’s prompted the planting of more orchards and these trees began to produce fruit in the 1920’s and 1930’s. The apple industry kept Nova Scotia more prosperous than other areas of Canada during the Depression of the 1930’s. In 1934 nearly 3 million barrels of apples were shipped from Nova Scotia to the United Kingdom, and sold for $4 million. This represented 40% of Canadian apple exports. Following the Second World War, new fruit producing areas in Canada and abroad, started to claim a greater share of the global market.
Rivers.
Growth of an Industry Apples are a primary crop, but pears, berries and market gardens thrive, and vineyards now support an award winning wine industry. Early orchards grew more than 200 (English) varieties of apples for local markets. Railway service in the 1860’s expanded the industry exponentially. By 1880, over 40,000 barrels of apples were shipped annually to the United Kingdom, and this had increased to nearly 600,000 barrels by 1910. Kings County boasted 70% of the 2.5 million trees in 40,000 acres of orchards by 1910, and 150 apple warehouses had sprung up along the railway
The motorcade of Queen Annapolis the 15th, winds it way through a Kings County, Nova Scotia apple orchard in 1947. © (Register/Advertiser photo courtesy of Kings County Museum archives)
Demonstration of Barrel Making at Ross Farm by Christopher Reeve Š Ross Farm Museum (https://www.flickr.com/photos/rossfarmmuseum)
Barrel Making in Nova Scotia
The Need for Barrels Barrels were traditionally built in Nova Scotia for fish, potatoes and apple cider. Benjamin Meister had grown up around the fish barrel industry in Lunenburg. He imagined a lighter, simpler barrel to hold apples and he had Daniel Oâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;Neil, a cooper in New Ross, build the first apple barrel in Nova Scotia in 1863. The idea of packing apples snugly into standard containers for shipping created a burgeoning barrel industry that eventually employed hundreds of people. It coincided with the arrival of the Dominion Atlantic Railway through the Annapolis Valley in the 1860â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.
Disposable Packaging Apple barrels had to be light and strong, but they were seen as disposable packaging. They were made of spruce and fir lumber as these softwoods had little commercial value. A particular yellow birch tree was used for barrel hoops as these were less expensive than making metal bands to hold barrels together. Barrels have shaped slats called staves. These thin boards have beveled edges and are cut wider in the middle and narrower at each end. They are placed into a press that bends the staves together. Then birch strands are wrapped around and nailed securely. A good cooper could assemble over 50 barrels
a day. In 1919 Nova Scotia produced 1.6 million barrels. One barrel is equal to three bushels, as a measure of volume. Barrels were inspected and measured at the middle to meet export standards.
Seasonal Considerations Barrel-making timber was harvested during the winter months. Yellow birch saplings were gathered in spring while the trees were dormant. Saplings were cut into seven foot lengths, split lengthwise and soaked to make the strands pliant before wrapping the barrels. Assembly of barrels with moist, fresh cut lumber began in August, after summer hay was harvested. Barrels were made on demand, and were provided for apple packers as needed until the end of the fall harvest.
Role of New Ross New Ross, midway between the Annapolis Valley and the South Shore, was a barrel making centre. Port Williams had a large cooperage and smaller firms built barrels throughout the Valley. Wooden barrels were phased out in the 1950â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and replaced by wooden boxes for ease of handling and better use of storage space during shipping. (See: http://rossfarm.novascotia.ca)
Kentville Agricultural Centre
Original Buildings First proposed in 1895 by the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association, the Kentville Agricultural Centre was established in 1911. The 250 acres was designated for the study of plant species, specifically apple and pear production in the Annapolis Valley. In 1912 the Red Dairy Barn and Blair House (the directorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s residence with office and guest rooms) were
By 1923 the Centre encompassed 471 acres of land, some of which is now within Kentville town limits. Fungicide and pesticide studies began in 1918, and plant pathology studies started in 1924. A chemistry lab, added in 1937, expanded to include entomology (insect studies) in 1951. Beef and dairy farming practices were part of the farm operation until the 1970â&#x20AC;&#x2122;s.
built from timber cut from the farm property.
Main façade of the Atlantic Food and Horticulture Centre
Expanded Facilities In 1981, the nine original buildings were replaced with the new Atlantic Food and Horticulture Research Centre, and highefficiency greenhouses were added to expand the farm’s scientific capacity. Research is focused on horticulture, functional foods, and post-harvest processing of horticultural products. The Centre also supports research in
agri-environmental
identification
of
science
beneficial
and
the
management
Blair House Museum, the Directors residence, built in 1912
practices in intensively farmed land.
Landscaping The first Superintendent, Dr. W. S. Blair was also an enthusiastic landscape and ornamental horticulturist who made the Centre’s entrance into a park featuring rhododendrons and azaleas. His work was carried on by Dr. D. L. Craig who developed new cultivars of award winning rhododendrons as well as introducing hardy cultivars of grapes such as ‘L’Acadie’ and ‘Marechal Foch’ which helped establish Nova Scotia’s wine industry.
The Main Barn built in 1912
(See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Atlantic_Food_and_Horticulture_Research_Centre)
Dates of Interest 1713
The Treaty of Utrecht makes Nova Scotia part of the British Empire
1755
The Acadians are expelled from Nova Scotia (but allowed to return in 1763)
1760
The New England Planters start arriving in the Annapolis Valley
1783
The American War of Independence is concluded
1815
Troops settle in New Ross following the War of 1812 (see Ross Farm Museum for barrel making)
1826
Horton’s Corner renamed Kentville
1830
Mud Creek renamed Wolfville
1838
Acadia University founded
1858
Intercolonial Railway linking Halifax to Windsor completed
1863
Nova Scotia Fruit Growers Association founded
1867
Canadian Confederation agreed upon - based on a trans-continental railway
1869
Windsor and Annapolis Railway completed (see T.T Vernon Smith sculpture by Ruth Abernethy in Wolfville)
1911
Kentville Experimental Farm founded
1939
First Controlled Atmosphere (CA) apple storage facility in the Western Hemisphere, designed by Charles Eaves and built in Port Williams for apple grower and exporter, George Chase
Donation of “Dr. Apple” to the Town of Kentville “Dr. Apple” by Ruth Abernethy was commissioned by Allen Eaves to commemorate his father’s role as a scientific pioneer in exposing apples and other fruit to high CO2 levels to reduce their metabolism and prolonged their life, a storage method adopted globally. Allen Eaves grew up in Upper Canard where he learned the value of science from his father, Charles Eaves, a horticultural scientist working at the Kentville Agricultural Research Station. This drove his interest in using science to solve problems. He studied biology at Acadia, medicine at Dalhousie and biophysics at the University of Toronto. As a medical oncologist in Vancouver, Dr. Eaves wanted to exploit the new field of stem cell biology to better understand leukemia and its treatment with bone marrow transplantation. To do this, he founded the Terry Fox Laboratory for Hematology-Oncology Research in 1981 with his wife Dr. Connie Eaves, and then became Head of Clinical Hematology at the University of British Columbia where he built one of the first bone marrow transplant programs in Canada. A passionate believer in developing a strong academic-industrial complex in Canada to foster a knowledge-based economy, he founded STEMCELL Technologies Inc in 1993. As the largest biotech company in Canada, its innovative products were designed to help scientists doing research on cancer and other diseases, as well as exploit new cellular therapies such as regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, immunotherapy and genetic engineering.
Acknowledgments Dr. Bob Prange Dr. Mark Hodges Dawn Sutherland David Corkum Bev Gentleman Lindsay Young Fred Whynot Dorothy Walker Robbins Barry Hiltz Joan Lenihan Christopher Reeve Cathy and Marcus Knoespel Jim and Beth Wilson Charles A. Eaves
History of Controlled Atmosphere Storage History of Kentville Research Station Fruit Growers’ Association and Blair House Museum Mayor of Kentville Kentville Town Planner Community Development officer in Kentville Kentville Base installer for Sculpture Kentville Courthouse Museum (www.okcm.ca) Site Manager, Ross Farm Museum (rossfarm.novascotia.ca) Assistant Business Manager, Ross Farm Museum Barrel Maker, Ross Farm Museum Artcast Inc., Georgetown, Ontario (www.artcast.com) Castaway Foundry, Rockwood, Ontario A Lively Tale (1994) ISBN 0-9698996-0-2 (Acadia University Library)
The Making of “Dr. Apple” by Ruth Abernethy
www.ruthabernethy.com
Biography of Ruth Abernethy Ruth Abernethy was first introduced to Allen Eaves when he interviewed her husband for an engineering position at STEMCELL Technologies. Her business card said she was a sculptor, and this immediately summoned Allen’s long held dream of creating two sculptures – one, to celebrate his great grandfather who built the railway that helped Annapolis Valley apples access international © JR Ribee markets; the other, to celebrate his father whose research improved the storage of apples and extended their marketable lifetime. Ruth was immediately enthusiastic and there was no turning back!
Work at the Trestle: Ruth’s Uncle, Murray Van Blarcom, was Stationmaster at the Wolfville train station until it’s closure in 1972, and her Aunt Ellen (Abernethy) and cousins Sandy, Debbie, Brian and Kirk, lived above the station. Murray’s railway career continued in Kentville until his retirement in 1977. Knowing a handful of facts on Vernon Smith’s accomplishments, and hearing of his professional journals long ago donated to archives, the heritage hunt was on. Museums, and provincial archives in Halifax were contacted, and handwritten texts were unearthed. Jay Underwood’s deft online research sourced an image from which to work plus a detailed obituary in the annual volume printed by the Canadian Association of Civil Engineers. Ruth’s cousin Brian Van Blarcom, Head of Economics at Acadia, offered introductions to a number of valued contributors. Unwavering support from Town of Wolfville staff put Vernon’s project in motion, with major roles being played by Bob Stead - recently retired as mayor, Jeff Cantwell - current mayor, and Gregg Morrison - former Wolfville town planner. This particular design was conceived to precisely capture ‘the moment’ where we witness this diligent engineer taking a huge breath, and recommitting to the task of putting the Windsor & Annapolis Railway back in operation after a large section of the track on the Grand Pre Dyke was destroyed by the Saxby Gale of 1869.
“Dr. Apple”: Ruth first traveled to Nova Scotia the summer she was 15, riding the Dayliner with her brother ‘up the Valley’ from the Digby ferry terminal. The Annapolis Valley is vital in her family memory; a ‘DeWolfe’s Apple’ box re-appeared every Christmas, full of holiday magic, and news of life in Nova Scotia was always exciting and exotic. Summer visits from the Nova Scotia cousins, who arrived by train, made memories to treasure.
First contacting Kentville Town Planner, Bev Gentleman, Ruth sought just the right public space for “Dr. Apple”. The gardens near Blair House Museum, on the Research Centre grounds, were considered. Despite their beauty, the portrait would be isolated and ‘Charlie’s’ work and wit would not be widely shared. Bev researched several locations but east end park, by the ‘Town of Kentville’ sign, had the lively combination of presentation and passersby that Ruth was hoping for. Research Centre Director, Susan Novosad was quick to support this project, and introduced Avril Vollenhoven. As Media Relations with Agriculture Canada, in Halifax, Avril’s liaison with Ottawa was invaluable. Requests for scientific review brought generous and detailed responses from Dr. Mark Hodges. Kentville Mayor, David Corkum, and Kentville Town Council were hugely supportive of this project from start to finish. Ruth researched the history of the apple industry in the Annapolis Valley. Her curiosity was aroused, not only by the railway’s role in expanding the industry internationally, but also by an early form of disposable packaging – the apple barrel! These unique barrels were largely made in the New Ross area where barrel-making became an enormous cottage industry. Demonstrations of the traditional craft can still be seen at Ross Farm Museum. Barrels were eventually replaced by apple boxes, which stacked beautifully, providing Ruth a surface on which to present interpretive text. The panels explain atmospheric fruit storage in detail; how Charles’ work unfolded, and the impact of his methodology. His biography sketches life in Kentville where he delighted in Canadian optimism! Other panels tell the history of the Research Centre, and the geographic science behind fruit production in the area. In English and in French, this information helps visitors and residents understand distinctive aspects of life in the Annapolis Valley.
Other Works: Ruth began work in professional summer theatre during high school and spent 20 years building props across Canada and in the U.S. Her carving skills were an introduction to the bronzing process through a project at the Stratford Festival (1997) and portrait invitations soon followed. Her avid interest in history ensures that each portrait is researched and accurately detailed. Commitment to capturing a ‘moment of encounter’ as well as a likeness, she imbues each character with a memorable presence. Prime Minister Mackenzie King, Al Waxman and John McCrae, author of Flanders Fields, are included on her commissions list. Canada’s famed pianist Glenn Gould was portrayed by Ruth at CBC Toronto in 1999, and a bronze portrait of his jazz counterpart Oscar Peterson, was unveiled by Queen Elizabeth, at Ottawa’s National Arts Centre, on Canada Day 2010.
www.ruthabernethy.com