The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-06-23
FRUIT PRESERVED IN DORAx.
prIsing Results - Family BOrax
Chests.

Chests.
From the San Francisco Examiner.
Frank NJ Smith. the borax king, be-
lieves that he has solved the problem OF
preserving fresh fruit so It can be put on
the eastern market in a satisfactory con>
dition. For some time he has been ex-
perimening with borax, and finds
the ingredients of that salt adapted for
precluding vegetable decomposition.
The discovery Is the result Of a sugges-
ton made to Mr.. Smith one day while
lunching with a friend. The gentlemen
were discussing the success that had at
tended the experiment of boraXing fresh
meat, when Mr.. Smith was asked why he
had never tried preserving fruit in the
same way. He said it had never occurre +,
to him, but that afternoon he gave the
subject so much thought that as soon as
he returned to his home In East Oakland
he packed several pounds OF cherries in
a box of powdered borax. This box was
placed in the cellar and alongside of il
he put a large glass dish filled with the
same kind of fruit. Then he awaited de-
velopments. The next day he visited tho
cellar and found the cherries in the dish
were beginning 10 turn. In three days
they were so decomposed that It was nee.
essary to throw them away. In order to
make a good test, he determined not to
ulSlNID the DdCKtu cherries LOT tnfGG
weeks At the termination of that time
the box was opened and the fruit was
found as fresh and in as good a condi-
ton as when first placed there
Mr.. Smith was amazed, and he was
delighted over the result, and determined
to experiment on a larger scale. He had
a quantity of cherries packed in a barrel
of boraX and sent to Chicago by slow
freight. Last week he received a tele-
gram saying the fruit had arrived In per-
feet condition and was bringing surprls-
ingly high prices. Since then a number
of barrels of cherries have been packed
in borax, and are now ready for shipment
east.
As fast as the different varieties of fruit
ripen experiments will be made by Frank
c. Ravens at Rose Crest villa, his place
at Vernon flights, Oakland. The expert
ments will be on an extensive scale. As
the experiments on the different fruits
prove successful barrels of the fruit will
be packed and sent to the east and Eu-
rope. Whenever an experiment is pro-
nounced successful it will be published
for the benefit Of growers and commits
sion men who may wish to preserve their
stock.
There is no patent on this discovery"
said Mr.. Smith yesterday; 1T is free to ALL
/ regard IT of the utmost value in the work.
ing out Of the problem of domestic econ
and over again. and think Of the amount
of unnecessary domestic waste that will be
avoided by preserving fruit this way. Pri-
Vate families, as well as hotels and restau-
rants, can have their borax bins at small
expense in which they can constantly keep
an assortment Of fresh fruit The expert
ment Is as yet in its infancy, and am loath
to claim too much for it, but from the
tests we have made 1t is reasonable to be-
lieve the system Of boraX preserving will
play an important part in the commercial
world.
There is another question involved In
this discovery that Is quite as valuable in
it's way as the waste question, and that Is
the ability II affords to produce fruits out
Of their natural season. Cherries in the au-
tumn and figs at Christmas. How would
that be? There is money in furnishing
fruits out of season for any one who wants
to take up that line Of business. No, have
not yet considered the possibility of GO
ing into the business myself, but am con-
fdent 1t would be a lucrative one. l have
not yet gone that far with my plans, but
may put up a warehouse for that purpose
near the borax refinery in Alameda. The
cost of shipping fruit by slow freight IS
small and don't see why farmers should
not pack their own crops and sell from
their own places.
81 have not yet experimepted with ber-
rieS, but am inclined 10 tnlnk they would
not be a success. They are so soft and the
Juice is too near the surface. Neither have
/ experimental with vegetables. although
l believe they would stand the borax and
keep perfectly. The possibilities of this
mode Of preserving are marvellous. After
this season we will know pretty thoroughly
what there is in It. oregon. Nevada, and
California abound in borax, and why
shouldn't people who have small deposits
Of this salt on their places use it for pre-
serving their cropsP'