Mountain Home bulletin. (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1888-1889, 1888-08-25
THE cAMMgo.oooos TRADE.
A IsAustry That Has drown 10 Vast Pre-.
portions In This Country.

An industry In this country which
has grown to enormous proportions is
that OF preserving food products bv
canning and boiling In 1877 NJ.
Appert, a distinguished French chem.
ist found that organic substances re-
manned fresh an indefinite time by be.
ing kept from contact with the air.
Comparatively little use was made Of
this invention for many years except
by sailors. About the year 1885. how
ever. a small local trade sprang up in
this country in canned oysters and
tomatoes The discovery OF gold in
California gave an impetus to the
trade. but the first great expansion Of
1t was during the civil war. Since
that time the canncd.goods trade las
advanced by leaps and bounds until
atpresent there is a capital of$l1. OOO.-
900 invested here in fruit and vegcta.
bic canning alone. giving empl oy,nent
to 80 900 persons. who earn yearly
S3 900 900. and turn out of goods 800.
400. QUO. leaving a net profit of about
~ per cent to the investors.
During the war advantage was taken
by the Union Commissarat Depart.
ment of the economy in bulk and the
ease in transportation Of camel goods
Canned meat was found us .fnl for
ratioas in freed marches; canned
milk was valuable substitute for
fresh milk in the hospitals when the
latter could not be had. and the health
OF the army was largely maintained
by canned fruit and vegetables.
At the end of the war those engaged
In the manufac ure of these goods
turned their attention to supplying
the Z ,ropean markets with salmon
and lobster. The lobster export trade
had started ten years previously in the
New Z gland States. Soon after the
Canadians began tho salmon packing
indus ~. but did not meet with sue
cess. Bmt the utilization of tho
enormous run OF salmon up the
Columbia and other rivers on the Pa.
cfic coast put new life into the in
austry. Some idea of how much tho
trale has grown may DO gathered
from the fact that while in 1886 the
pack Of salmon was only 4 900 cases,
during the past four years it has aver.
agel 8 800. 600.
The next great era in the trade was
che compression of corned beet Chi
cago. being great cattle center. at
once embarked heavily in this enter
prise. Foreign governments largely
recognized tho value Of this system Of
preserving beet They ordered larg,
quantities of it for consumption by
their war forces Much of this was
stored as reserve in case Of war. but
rs the supply was exhausted it has
been continually renewed. to the profit
of the American.
The success Of the Americans In
canning goods provoked III, Z 4glish
and French people to emulation.
U ,able to compete with the United
Safes in what had been already done.
they turned their attention to the can.
ming of delicacies This trade was
developed to very large extent in
Europe, and extended to this country.
But the Importation of these goods
has fallen off in recent years. as this
country has gone into the manufacture
of this class of goods, and produces a
much cheaper article. not at al in
fcrior to the imported.
The development of the canned
goods industry has been great but the
variety OF articles treated in this way
has been even greater b ginning as
as it did with ships beef, it has ex.
tended until it embraces nearly all
the desirable food products Of the
animal and vegetable Kingdoms.
Lieutenant Greedy. after his famous
Arctic expedition. said that canned
apples, peaches, pears. rhubarb. green
peas, green corn. onions. potatoes
and tomatoes were all subjected to the
temperature Of sixty degrees below
10. They were solid for many
months at time, the second summer
they thawed. and the following winter
they were froztn solid again. When
these articles we're eaten they pre-
sen'ed the same appearance IS though
freshly canned. amt their flavor wa.
as good when the last can was opened
as during the first month.
Canned goods have proved a grea
boon to the housakeeper. Il cities. a
any rate. the goods preserved ar,
cheaper than If bought in the fresl
condition. This arises from the fact
that they are always packed where tn,
material is cheapest AID most abund
ant A great economy is exercised
loo. by the wholesale preparation o
meat and fish.
The popular idea that canned goo L
are injurious to health is mistake
Tin, which forms the coating OF tn
thin iron plates of which the cans arr
made, Is not acted on at all by AM
ordinary acids or by the gases Of de-
composition. Certain firms in this
city have followed up every case o
alleged poisoning from canned goods
without finding a single one OF then
authentic. The ordinary precaution
Of taste and smell as applied to fresl
goods are sufficient protection
against danger in similar goods whel
canned. and. judging by the progress
Of tho pas. decade in this method o
food preservation. 1t seems likely t.
have still larger future before it :
~ y Sun.
Scatter ashes along the rows Of tn
Young strawberry plants as soon n