The Ordway new era., 1917-05-04

ment and to show us something new
is quite imposSible,' he said.
Naturally | was not disposed to
lnger neither was inclined to dis
play my samples, but the alert Herr
Direktor had seen that / had some,
and more out of politeness than any
thing else expressed n desire to see
them. 1t was plain that he was at
once interested, and before long he
had six or seven of his technical as
sociates summoned to the office, and
they too were impressed.
"The Herr DirektOr dismissed them,
and when the room was cleared, turned
to me eagerly and said: Mr.. Williams,
name your price. I did not believe
vegetables could ever be dried to look
like your samples AS our patents
were then pending in the German pat
ent office l was not prepared to come
| to terms, but I left that establishment
satisfied that we Yankees had forged
long way ahead in very difficult art
and realized that we had the solution
of n veXing economic problem-the
utilization and the preservation for
subsequent consumption of millions Of
otherwise go to waste.
"How well we have succeeded in re-
tanning the natural flavor of fresh
vegetables is evidenced by the testi-
mony of a New York housekeeper, n
friend of mine. Merely to satisfy her
curiosity I sent her n package of our
dried spinach. The next time I saw
her she said: why, Mr.. Williams, that
spinach was actually fresher than the
green stuff that I buy at my grocer's.
Naturally, because that spinach was
dried inside of eight hours from the
time it was picked, while the provision
store was selling spinach anywhere
from week to ten days old.
1--WE treated the vegetable when it
was succulent and fresh and full fla
vored The store article had been de-
teriorating for days before 1t was
cooked Upon this subject we read
something from government report:
"'Only those that have been accus-
toned to eating green vegetables fresh
from the garden realize in what poor
condition are many of the vegetables
sold to the city buyer. Some varie-
ties. as green peas, are so delicate In
flavor that even few hours removal
from the vines brings about a change.
Indeed. the market gardener has been
obliged to develop the keeping quail
ties of vegetables and fruits at the
expense of flavor. If lightly packed
and transported only short distance
the deterioration in most vegetables
is not noticeable, but IL closely packed
for any length of time changes due
to the action of engines or ferments
normally present in the living tissue
takes place, with q consequent loss Of
flavor
Further, the same report calls at
tention TO n very common spectacle In
and about our markets: The huckster
in his off hours may often be seen
trimming off the wilted outside leaves
of celery, cabbage and lettuce, and
giving Il fresh surface to the stem, and
sometimes rinsing or sprinkling the
lettuce with water not infrequently
far from clean. The beets which are
left over, after losing little by little
their tops, are sold by measure to who
ever will buy
"The department of agriculture is
the authority for the statement that
not less than 5Osper cent of the fruits
and vegetables grown in the United
States never reach the consumer. OF
course, large part of this is vast
ed or thrown away or destroyed be-
cause the price does not warrant the
farmer in shipping them
"Why shouldn't these products be SO
conserved that they would keep In
definitely and be welcome upon any
table? 1t is possible by our drying
process to preserve these fruits and
vegetables in forms that are bound to
be boon to the housewife and a conf
fort to the family purse. Our dried
products, for instance, can be sold at
a lower price than the normal retail
market price for green stuffs, and we
should only find fresh vegetables for
midable competitors when there is an
| overabundance."