Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1918-09-24

ed to cooperate with individuals, firms or
porations owning operating plants for drying or
dehydration of vegetables, fruits and other per
ishabes edible products determine the best
means and processes of dehydration and to dissem-
mate information to the value and suitability
OF such products as human food. IhlS last
clause refers to us. dear reader. The government
is prepared spend several. thousand dollars
teaching us to recognize the value of dried food.
In this same bill, moreover. the secretary Of
agriculture is authorized, if such desperate ex-
pedient should prove necessary. 10 build govern
ment factories for the dehydratiOn of vegetables
and fruits for the army and the navy, and use the
money received from the sale of the goods as
revolving fund with which operate them.
According the bureau of chemistry of the
department of agriculture. which has been carry
ing investigation of various drying processes,
the drying of vegetables is really great oppor-
tunity for the ca1neries. which already have most
of the machinery required for the process. As in
canning, the principal work 10 drying vegetables
is their preparation The cost of installing and
operating a dryer is comparatively small, but the
installation OF peeeTS slcers and StranerS is not
not simple in these days OF steel scarcity. The
canHers, also. having factories in the center of
large vegetable and fruit the logical
persons to undertake this work.
Drying food Il commercial scale has been
attempted. from time time for the last half
century, but it has never been able to survive the
competition of the During the Boer war sew
eral dehydration plants were. established in this
country to supply dried vegetables to the British
army but when the was over they apparently
died a natural death. In recent years, Germany
persevered with its Investigations of drying proc
potatoes, for cattle feed. A few small Ger
man concerns also established quite market for
dried vegetables in Alaska but this later'tahen
by American firms which carried a larger Sc
lection of dried goods. American sporting con-
also supplied dried fruits and vegetables to
that horde of American sportsmen which 1Ter|
year pours out of business centers and gets
back to nature. But common grocery store
product, the dried vegetable is new.
Only recently has it issued from the chemical
laboratory a successful product guaranteed to
maintain its flavor against the ravages OF time
and moisture. DIR. Gore of the bureau of chemis-
try, who is expert drying processes, ha@ a
large cupboard in his Office filled with rows of
glass jars containing dried vegetables that died
quick death and miserable death. Instead of be-
ing bright and brittle, they dark and limp.
This due, DR.. Gore explained, to the fact that
they had not been dried properly, too much mois-
very low content, he says DR.. Gore is
constantly drying products himself in his labora-
tory in the bureau of chemistry, with a view to
solving few problems that troubling the dry
ers. He has specimens of almost every kind of
vegetable-white potatoes, sweet potatoes, sweet
corn peas, beans, cabbage, turnips carrots, toma-
toes. string beans and even enions-that have been
dried in his laboratory and kept for months with
out showing signs of deterioration
He admits that there still many problems
to be worked out in preventing deterioration in
dried vegetables, which, he declares is greatly him
dering the drying industry. In the meantime they
must be handled somewhat in the fash
ion as apples-packed carefully and stored in =
cool place.