Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1888-06-14
PRESERVING FOODlNCANS
An Industry That Has Grown to Vast
Proportions in This Country
Since The War.
The Food of The Future, How Will 1t
Be Prepared?

An industry in this country which has
grown to enormous proportions is that
of preserving food products by canning
and bottling, says the New York Sun
In 1907 III. Appert, distinguished French
chemist, found that organic substances
remained fresh an indefinite time BY
being kept from contact with the air
Comparatively little use was made of this
invention for mauy years except by
| sailors. About tbs year 1885, however, a
small local trade sprang up in this coun-
| try in canned oysters and tomatoes. The
discovery of gold in California 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 capital of $11,000,-
900 invested here in fruit and vegetable
canning alone, giving employment to
$4,000 persons, who earn yearly S3000,-
600, and turn out of goods $20,0O0,00O,
leaving a net profit of about 20 per cent.
to the investors.
During the war advantage was taken
by the union commissar 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 vaiu-
able substitute for fresh milk in the hos
pitfalls 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 var those engaged in
the manufacture of these goods turned
their attention TO supplying the Euro
pean markets with salmon and lobster.
The lobster export trade had started ten
years previously in the New England
states. Soon after the Canadians began
the saImon-packing industry, but did
not meet with success. But thu utiIiz-
alton of the enormous run of salmon up
the Columbia and other rivers on the
Pacific coast put new life into the indus
try. Some idea of how much the trade
has grown may be gathered from the fact
that, while 10 1900 the pack Of salmon was
only 1000 cases, during the past four
years it has averaged 100000.
The next great era in trade was the
compression Of corned beef. Chicago,
being a great cattle center, at once en-
barked heavily in this Enterprise. Foreign
governments at once recognized the
value of this system Of preserving beef.
They ordered large quantities of it for
consumption by their war forces. Much
of this was stored as a reserve in case of
war, but as the supply was exhausted it
has been continually renewed to the profit
of the American.
The success 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 canning of delicacies.
This trade was developed to a very large
extent in Europe, and extended to this
country. Bit the importation of these
goods has fallen off in recent years, as
this country has gone into the manufac-
ture of this class of goods. and produces
a much cheaper article, not at all inferior
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. Beginning as it did with
ships beef, it has extended until it en-
braces nearly all the desirable food pro-
ducts of the animal and vegetable king
doms. Lieut.. Greedy, after his famous
Arctic expedition said that canned apples,
peaches, pears, rhubarb, green peas, green
corn, onions, potatoes and tomatoes we're
all subjected I'd the temperature of 60
degrees below zero. They were solid for
many months at time, the second sum
mer they thaWed, and the following win
ter they were frozen solid again. When
these articles were eaten they presented
the same appearance as though freshly
canned, and their flavor was as good as
when the last can was opened
as during the first month.
Canned goods have proved a great boon
to the householder. 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 ard 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 the health is mistake.
Tin, which forms the coating of the thin
iron plates of which the cans are made, is
not acted on at ell by any ordinary acids
or by the gases of decomposition. Ger
tain firms in this city have followed up
every case of alleged posing from can,
ned goods without finding single one
of them authentic. The ordinary pre-
cautions 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.