, 1888-05-25
PRESERVING soop IN CANS.
Vast Proportions of the Industry-The
Housekeeper's Boon.

Vast Proportions of the Industry-The
Housekeeper's Boon.
An industry in this country which has
grown to enormous proportions is that OF
preserving food products by canning and
bottling. In 1907 M. Appert, a distin-
guished French chemist, found that or
ganic substances remained fresh an in
definite time by being kept from contact
with the air. Comparatively little use
vas made of this invention for many
years, except by sailors. About the year
1895, however, a smaIl local trade sprang
up in this country in canned oysters and
tomatoes. The discovery of gold in Cal
ifornia gave an impetus to the trade,
but the first great expansion of it was
during the civil war. Since that time
the canned goods trade has advanced by
leaps and bounds until at present there Is
a capital of 81, 600, 900 invested here In
fruit and vegetable canning alone, Civ
ing employment t o 80, 900 persons, who
earn yearly So, 900, 900, and turn out of
goods $50, 900, 900, leaving a net profit of
about 90 per cent. to the investors.
During the wal advantage was taken
by the Union commissariat department
of the economy in bulk and the ease in
transportation of canned goods. Canned
meat was found useful for rations In
forced marches; canned milk was a val
liable 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
1t the end of the war those engaged
in the manufacture of theee goods turned
their attention to supplying the European
markets with salmon and lobster. h
lobster export trade had started ten years
previously in the New England states.
Soo after the Canadians began the sal
mon packing industry, but did not meet
with success. But the utilization of the
enormous run of salmon up the Columbia
and other rivers on the Pacific coast put
new life into the industry. Some idea OF
how much the rad has grown may be
gathered from the fact that, while in
1866 the pack of salmon was only 1000
cases, during the past four years it has
averaged 8, 800, 900.
The next great era in the trade was
the compression of corned beef. Chi
cago, being a great cattle center, at once
embarked heavily in this enterprise.
Foreign governments largely recognized
the value of this system of preserving
beef. They ordered large quantities Of
it for consumption by their wal forces.
Much of this was stored as a reserve in
case of war, but as the supply was ex-
hausted it has beer continually renewed,
to the profit of the American.
The uccess of the Americans in can
ming goods provoked the English and
French people to emulation. Unable to
compete with the United States in what
had been already done, they turned their
attention TO the ca.ning of delicacies.
This trade was developed TO a very large
extent in Europe, and extended to this
country. But the importation of these
goods has fallen off in recent years, ms
this country has gone into the manufac-
ture of this class of goods, and produces
n much cheaper article, not at all inferior
TO the imported.
The development of tho canned goods
industry has been great, but the variety
of articles treated in this way has been
even greater. Beginning as it did with
ships beef, it has extended until it en-
braces nearly all the desirable products of
the animal and vegetable kingdom.
Lieut., Greedy, after his famous arctic
expedition. said that canned apples,
peaches, pears, rhubarb, green peas,
green corn, onions, potatoes and tomatoes
were oil subjected to the temperature of
GO dogs. below zero. They were solid for
many months at a time, the second sum-
mer they thawed, and the following
winter they were frozen solid again.
When these articles were eaten they pre-
sented the same appearance as though
freshly canned, and their flavor was as
good when the last can was opened as
during the first month.
Canned goods have proved a great boon
to the housekeeper. In cities, at any
rate, the goods preserved are cheaper
than If bought in the fresh condition.
This arises from the fact that they are
always packed where the material Is
cheapest and most abundant. A great
economy is exercised, too, by the whole
sale preparation of meat and fish.
The popular idea that canned goods
are injurious TO health is a mistake. Tin,
which forms the coating of the thin iron
plates of which the cans are made, is not
acted on at all by any ordinary acids or
by the gnses. of decomposition. Certain
firms in this city have followed up every
case of alleged poisoning from canned
goods without finding q single one of
them authentic. The ordinary precau-
tons of taste and smell as applied to
fresh goods are a sufficient protection
against danger in similar goods when
canned, and, Judging by the progress OF
the past decade in this method Of food
preservation, it seems likely to have a
still larger future before it.-New York
Sun.