The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1892-09-17

desirable objects that human skill is
compelled to confess itself baffled.
Ii we wish to show how fruit tastes
in It's fresh state we must pursue one
method; if we wish to show how is
looks, we must adopt quite another.
One or the other object must be sac
riticed, or we shall fail in both.
There is, however. one substance,
which comes very near being an ex-
ception to this rule, and which more
perfectly combines all the qualities
needed in "preserving fluid" than
any which science has yet discovered
and that is
GLYCERINE.
A preserving material which has
found great favor of late, and which,
were it less expensive, would no
doubt come into general use. In
California, where it has had a pretty
extended trial, it is looked upon with
great favor. All things considered,
it is beyond doubt the most perfect
preserving fluid yet discovered. 1t
is a sweet-tasting, harmless liquid,
itself an excellent article of food,
with little tendency to change the
color, shape, texture or flavor Of
fruits. One great difficulty in the
way of it's common use, aside from
the expense, is the fact that in prac
tice it must be so diluted that the
density of the fruit juices and the pre-
serving liquid shall be the same. DR..
Hilgard, director of the California
experiment station, who has given
much attention to the matter, has
issued an admirable bulletin on the
subject Of "Preservative Fluids fer
Fruits" and from this the following
table is quoted, giving the soluble
matters in fruit juices, and for which
corresponding proportion of gly.
cerine should be used. 1t does not,
however, include our Florida fruits,
and, unfortunately, so far ss I am
aware, no one has investigated the
subject, for most of them and the
density of their juices can only be a
matter of conjecture. In my judg-
ment about ten per cent. of glycerine
or, say, nine parts of freshly-boiled
soft water and one part of glycerine,
would be about the right proportion
for most of our tropical and semi
tropical fruits. The following is the
table referred to:
Apples and pears, about IL per
cent.
Plums, prunes, apricots, peaches,
about 10 per cent.
Cherries, about IL per cent.
Most berries, 8 per cent.
Currants, 10 per cent.
Grapes in California, l8 to 80 per
cent; average "a per cent.
If it is desired only to preserve
the shape, color and appearance Of
fruits, i. e., for exhibition, and not
for food purposes, the range of anti
septic materials is much larger.
Among the most available are sali-
cylic acid, sulphurous acid and it's
| compounds boracic acid and com
pounds, and probably best of all
bichloride of mercury, or corrosive
sublimate.
OF sALICYLIC ACID.
DR.. Hilgard thus remarks:
"a solution ofone ounce of salicylic
| acid to five gallons of water to which
as much glycerine has been added as
corresponds to the density of the
fruit juice constitutes a preservative
fluid which has been used with very
satisfactory results"
In practice the great difficulty is in
dissolving the salicylic acid. Boil
ing water however dissolves it readi
ly in the proportions indicated. No
iron vessel should under any circum-
stances be used in preparing the
solution but new granite ware or q
porcelain lined kettle.
Boracid acid has some good quail
ties as an antiseptic and will do we'll
for a short time. 1t arrests decay but
tends to soften the texture and
change the color OF the skins OF most
fruits. 1t should be used in a
saturated solution, about FIVE ounces
to the gallon of water. Fruits thus
preserved are however unfit for food.
Sulphurous acid, the vapor pro-
duced by burning sulphur has been
long in use and is not without its
merits. Fruit colors are however
rapidly destroyed by it, but when
this is not Objectionable, few better
antiseptic fluids can be found. In
the form of "bisulphite of soda" it is
often sold for use in canning fruits.
Its value for this purpose is more
than questionable, however, and save
in exceptional cases it is not to be
1