his research was trying to figure out how to extend the shelf life of different fruits such as apples and pears. When he returned to New York he adapted CA to work for local apple varieties, focusing on how to make McIntosh's apples last longer. In his laboratory in a barn near the university, he made different experiments by placing apples in sealed rooms at different temperatures and with various mixtures of oxygen and carbon dioxide to see how the fruit would respond. As a result of Smock's work, the first CA rooms in the U.S. were built in New York in the 1950s, causing the apple consumption season to extend to springtime nationwide. See also Modified atmosphere Modified atmosphere/modified humidity packaging Shelf life References Agriculture Atmosphere de:Controlled Atmosphere