The Lakeland evening telegram. (Lakeland, Fla.) 1911-1922, 1914-12-02
Report of Canning
Club Work In
Polk County

Inc following report was made at
the Tri-County Institute at Barlow,
Nov. q by Miss Verda Thompson,
Polk County Canning Club agent.
Her subject being, The Organiza-
ton of Canning Club Work in Polk
County" Miss Thompson said:
81 was appointed as agent for the
Girls Canning Clubs of Polk county
May Is, 1914. Since the work was
started so late, the canning season
was upon us before We were ready.
mean by this that no one in the
county could handle Gamers and
cans on so short notice and that we
had to depend on DeSoto and Hills
borough countless for these neces-
sary materials. But between May
Is and June 80 there were canned,
by club girls, and others interested
in the work, 6794 cans of tomatoes,
corn, and beans, "a pints of pickles,
chow-chow: relish and tomato pre-
serves.
When 1 made this report to the
County Board of Education they
We're far-sighted enough to know
that it would mean much, materially,
speaking, to the county if the many
bushels of delicious guavas that
have heretofore gone to waste
could be saved. They at once ord
cred Gamers, cans, and jelly glasses
to start the work. Upon the arri-
val of this apparatus | Immediately
began to enlist the interest and
services of those who had this de-
lectable fruit to help in the inau-
guration of canning it. Owing to
the fact that physicians think the
seeds OF the guava detrimental to
the health of those who partake, we
removed them before canning
awhile | cannot give definite figures
I in regard to the amount of fruit
saved we know that the 1900 quart
cans and four Gamers ordered by
the School Board We're used for this
purpose. Estimating these cans at
the market price of soc each, in
connection with the amount saved
by others, aggregates saving of
more than $500 in the county for
guavas alone. In this connection
let me state that through the in
fluence of Miss Harris, assistant
State Agent for club work, Miss Ola
Powell, Domestic Science teacher in
the Department of Agriculture of
Washington, d. c. was sent to Polk
county to experiment in the varied
ways of putting up and preserving
this fruit. After working in the
guava groves week she had de-
vised thirteen different methods of
lmaking this fruit more palatable.
AS result of this work, Miss
Powell will issue a Guava Bulletin
early in the spring giving in detail
| tHcSc IeCtlpes. Win Tie use VI tHIS
bulletin we hope to accomplish much
more next season.
The contest for the canning club
and corn club work was held at
Lakeland, Nov. 20. Owing to the
fact that the club was started late,
only those whose fathers had plants
already growing could enter the
planting contest and thus compete
for the best prizes and while there
were number who were deprived
of entering for these prizes there
were few who entered for canning
only, this being made possible by a
special arrangement made by Miss
Harris. Among those who deserve
special commentator was the work
of Miss Floy Brown, of Homeland,
who had on exhibit 100 different
products in glass, and 1000 cans in
tin left at home. This exhibit was
SO comprehensive and SO much adj
mired by every one that firm of
progressive real estate men in this
county purchased the entire collec-
tion and have arranged it in their