The San Francisco call., 1909-05-05
WILL TEST
SULPHURfD FRUITS
Professor WicksOn Predicts VIC
tory of State Growers Over
DR.. Wiley and His Ideas

BERKELEY. May 4.-The contro-
versy over the use of sulphur which
was referred to referee board by
former President Roosevelt after
clash last year between the fruit grow
ers and the university department OF
agriculture on the one hand and DIR.
Wiley. head of the bureau of chemistry
of the United States department of ag-
riculture on the other. will be fought
out here this summer when the board
meets to Investigate the use of sulphur
in drying and curing fruits.
WILEY,S PLAN DEFEATED
Prof. E. ]. Wickson, head of the de-
partment of agriculture of the univer-
sity. and director of the United States
experiment station on the campus, who
is also editor of the Pacific Rural
Press, a magazine devoted to the farm
ing interests, has taken up the cudgels
in behalf of the fruit growers against
DR.. Wiley, and in the last issue of the
magazine described his recent attempt
thus:
There has been sulphurous atmos-
phere in the fruit drying valleys ever
since the report came that our wide
awake friend DR.. Wiley had secured
some sort of rider on an approprla-
tion bill declaring that he should not
be interfered with in the exercise OF
his sweet will in regard to California
fruit drying. He seems to have IN the
back part OF his thinker the idea that
the referee board of former President
Roosevelt might be thrown out as an
unconstitutional body and therefore not
to be hearkened unto. Now comes a
dispatch from Washington which indl-
Gates that our delegation has not been
asleep at the post. The statement is
that the referee board of the depart
ment of agriculture, the duty of which
is to investigate the wholeSomenesS or
foods and articles used in foods, is a
legally constituted body, and that there
was ample authority to appoint 1t. The
decision was by Attorney General
Wfckersham. The decision means that
the boards work on the wholesome
ness of sulphur, a saccharine and cop
per salts, will be continued, and we
may therefore expect that the board
will come TO California to personally
investigate our practices this summer.
as we have fondly hoped 1t would do.
The valley atmosphere has had more
ozone in it since the news came
TAYLOR STUDYING PROBLEM
Prof. Alonzo L. Taylor. head of the
depa rtment of medicine of the unfver-
sity, is a member of the referee board,
and is now studying the problems of
fruit drying in Europe. He will return
here this summer with other members
of the board after it's meeting in New
York and make a further study or the
local conditions.
Secretary James Wilson of the de-
partment OF agriculture may also come
TO the coast at that time. He was here
a year ago and after looking into the
problem agreed that the fruit growers
rights should be protected and sug-
gested that the decision of the referee
board be final.
SALT METHOD DECLARED FAULTY
Professor Wickson said this after
noon that 25 years of fruit drying in
California had proved that Dr. Wiley
was in error when he said that salt
was better than sulphur for fruit dry
ing Professor Wickson said:
Drying and curing fruits with sui
pnur has been used in California for
the last 25 years and its practicability
has been demonstrated in every way.
The salt and steam drying advocated
by Dr. Wiley is entirely impracticable.
We have experimental with salt and
know what We are talking about. Dr.
Wiley has his own ideas about the
drying of fruits and will not be con-
vinced by reason.
SULPHUR AN IDEAL DRYER
Sulphur drying prevents contamina-
ton of the fruit without harm being
done in any way. 1T is an ideal dryer,
as has been demonstrated in this state,
1t preserves the natural color of the
fruit and. unlike salt, which DR.. Wiley
advocates, which does not dry, IT does
not take up the moisture.
Il am a firm believer that the meth
DDS now used in this state for the dry
ing of fruits by sulphur are the best
obtainable, no matter what opinion
others may have. 1t has been demon
strated by time and results. No harm
IS done and when the referee board
visits California this summer it will
agree with my ideas, which are those
,F . far. af,,r~ ,F