Los Angeles herald., 1910-09-18
CANNING FRUIT


with each other anG congratulating
themselves, as the case may be, over
the luck they have had in canning
fruit.
When one uses the term luck" in
regard to his work, it means that he
Is unacquanted with the philosophy
underlying his industry. AS soon as
one understands the principles upon
which his work is based, the element
of chance is, of course, eliminated. In
the early days of navigation the ship
master who could sail his vessel from
a European port to Massachusetts bay
had extremely good "luck." But when
the latitude and the longitude of the
bay were determined and when the
sailor had a chronometer and tran
sit instrument, by means of which he
could determine his position, all the
element of chance or luck was removed
and it became simply matter of good
seamanship to reach the desired haven.
So in any other departments of life
the element of chance is removed, in
proportion as we become acquainted
with the facts covering the matter In
question.
Canning fruit is simply a question of
bacteriology. When the person doing
the work is a good bacteriologist she
may or may not meet with success.
Fresh fruit and vegetables, as well as
fresh meat, may be ruined either by
bacteria, by molds or by natural fer
ments which are within the sub
stances. The process of canning Is
device by means of which all of the
molds and bacteria are killed and eff
fectually kept from the substances
canned The same heating which de-
stroys these living organisms also de-
stroys the inherent ferments which
otherwise might bring about their de-
struction. All changes or decay OF
organic matter result either from bac-
terra or molds. Both bacteria and
molds produce reproductive cells
known as spores. AS a general thing
spores are very much harder to kill
than are the bacteria and molds
themselves. So it often happens that
a degree of heat which would be quite
fatal to the fully developed organism
is not sufficient to kill the reproductive
cells. 1t is especially true that some
of the bacteria which commonly i've
on corn have spores which are partlc-
uarly resistant to heat. Perhaps one
of the best means at the command of
the ordinary housekeeper for the steri-
lization of canned fruit is to place the
lars or cans filled with the vegetables
or fruit in a large boiler containing
two or thre inches of water. If glass
Jars are used a wire screen may prop
erly be pldceu uIuef lhSIh, ShNo ~
ducing the liability of breakage. Place
the boiler, tightly covered. on the stove
and keep the water boiling for one
hour: then closely cover the jars with
caps which have been boiled for at
least one hour in water, and most fruit
thus treated will keep indefinitely II
corn or beans are being canned, 1t VIII
he wise to boil them at least three sue
cessiye days The philosophy of this is
that the spores which were not killed
on the first day germinate and thus
become easier to kill on the second day.
AS there is always a possibility tnat
some spores may not have terminated
on the second day, it is advisable TO
repeat the boiling on the third DAY;
NV this means one is almost certain to
destroy all forms of life which may
he nresented. While fruit which has
undergone any kind OF fermentation III
the can may be unwholesome, II is not
as a general thing positively poison
Gus. But where beans and peas, as
we'll as meat, have not been thorougn-
lv sterilized, poisonous substances, pto-
maines) ma ydevelop. Some or these
NAV simply produce disagreeaple
svmntoms in the person eating them'
while others may result in the deatn
of the Individual who partakes. owing
to this danger, one cannot be two care
ful in the technique, nor can one scru-
tinize too carefully fruit and Vege-
tables which others have prepared.
G. A. WHITING.
Pacific College of Osteopathy, Los