The Washington herald., 1909-03-14
SHIPS WITHOUT ICE
Fruit and Eggs Transported
by Simple Methods.
SCOTCHMAN SOLVES PROBLEM
Fruit Placed in Tight Cases and
Sprinkied with SuEar-Eggs Treat
Fresh for Long PeriOd-FOrmuIH
for Preservative Used I'm England.

Simple methods are in use in parts Of
Great Britain to preserve fruit and eggs
for shipment without refrigeration. Prod
ucts are kept fresh for days at small
expense. These methods are described as
follows:
A correspondent in SJirlingshire writes
tha; he has recently conducted some sue
cessful experiments in packing fruit for
transit. without the aid Of refrigeration.
his method being simply 10 pluck the
fflit at height Of sun. TO avoid all adher-
ing dampness. and Immediately pack IN
prepared cases containing granulated SUI
gar. Care must be taken that the sugar
utilized for the purpose is also quite de-
void Of moisture. and the cases ,hOUld
be so constructed as 10 be as nearly as
possible impervious TO atmospheric va
pors-
Both the sugar and the cases. as may
be inferred. should be designed for and
admit constant reuse. Successful results.
il is said. will follow the adoption Of this
method. although the experiments have
been on such a small scale that fuller de-
tails Of relative cost and exact structure
Of case cannot be given.
Eggs Treated by a wash
The great fuctuation in the price OF
fresh eggs in Great Britain. ranging from
i cents per dozen in summer to 50 70 %
cents per dozen IN winter-and procured
with difficulty even then-gives popular
ity 10 the economical practice Of arti-
fcially preserving them during the cheap
season; the most successful method en-
ployed by the householder being as fol-
lows:
Mix together IN an earthen Jar nine
parts OF boiled water, which has been
thoroughly cooled. and one part Of glass
water. Glass water is obtained by fusing
two parts OF quartz sand with one Of So
dunn carbonate. adding One-tenth part Of
small coal Place the cooled cleaned eggs
into a jar and cover wen with the liquid.
continually adding sufficient liquid to
keep the eggs entirely covered as others
are added. Water glass can be pur-
chased in this country Of chemists, and
generally bears on the labels the exact
proportion 10 be used. varying from 20
10 per cent Eggs preserved IN this way
are less brittle In the shell than those
preserved in lime water. and viii some
times boil without cracking II a small
pin-point aperture is made in thera.
The proportions used for the lime pre-
servative in Scotland are twenty gallons
Of water, four OF lime. and one OF salt
Allow 10 stand for a few hours, then
pour II over the eggs in the same way as
the water glass.
Lime Must Be Added.
A little lime should be added from time
to time. during the period Of preserva-
ton, otherwise the solution will lose its
strength. The eggs preserved IN this way
become rough and brittle. and must be
handled carefully when taken out for use.
The popular method Of preserving eggs
by cold storage in the United States is
not at all general in this country, and il
is rather surprising that more has not
been done along these lines
When eggs are only required TO be pre-
served for two or three months they keen
very well packed in dry salt or bran. The
meat Of the egg may shrink and rattle
within the shell when shaken. but its ed
ibiiity IS not impaired. Coating the egg
with vasesine or butter Will also keen n
for q short time. or any application which
effectively seals the pores Of the shell and
excludes air will prolong the freshness of
eggs. II II Is even momentariIv sub
merged In boiling water. the albumen
thereby becomes sufficiently coagulated to
prevent the entrance Of air. In some of
the rural parts Of this country eggs for
home consumption are smutted over with
a mixture of sulphur and lampblacx. a
cheap and effective Dreservafiv