The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1922-12-28
LANSING
TO HAVE A
NEW PLANT
Truck Farmers to Meet Fri
day to Make Final
Arrangements
ESPECIAL TO TIE rIHEsI

LANSING, ILL.,. Dec 2s.-Within
another year Lansing will be on
the map as one OF the first places
In the United States 10 have a com
nlercial plant for the dehydration
OF fruits and vegetables. the very
latest method Of preserving these
products and preparing them for
economical transportation.
Lansing truck farmers will meet
tomorrow evening at the Village
Hall at 1880 o'clock to make the
hnal arrangements with represen-
tatives OF the American Food Pro-
ducts Co. The proposition has been
discussion in d quiet way for some
time.
President Alfred II. McComb OF
the American Food Products Co, is
now In Lansing and will be one OF
the speakers at tomorrow's meet
ing.
He is the man who perfected the
dchydration process and developed
the special machinery which is nee
essary to it's success.
Dehydration OF fruits and vegeta-
bles has been agitated for some
time. The L. S. Department of
Agriculture has spent thousands Of
dollars in bringing it's merits be-
fore the public. Its advantages
over canning are said TO be just as
great as canning was over the old
method Of drying.
Dehydration has the great ad-
vantage OF reducing the bulk OF
the fruit or vegetables. II Is said
that food products which would
require ten or fifteen cars in ship
ping. can be carried in one care IN
dehydrated. Dehydration in sim
moisture content. Drying does
that but dehydration does more. II
removes the moisture but leaves all
OF the original color and flavor in
the dried product.
At present the merits OF dehy-
drafted products are being presented
TO all OF the large hotels and ship
lines OF the country. These are
adopting the system and are being
catered TO first by the American
Food Products Co., because they
will buy In larger bulk. Much of
the products OF the small plants al
ready started are being shipped in
fve-gailon containers.
Mr.. McComb has a large case of
samples which have been dehydrat-
ed in the experimental plants. In
the lot are potatoes. apples. car
rots. spinach. parsley, onions, etc.
Some of the bottles also contain
vegetables which had been prepared
for the table after being dehy-
drafted. They were merely placed
in cold water which was raised
20 the boiling point. In the pro-
cess they absorbed water filled out
and looked for all the world as
though they had just come from
the cellar In their original state.
A soup mixture Is also put up. 1t
contains the dried ingredients Of
well known vegetable soup. A
fve-gallon can of this dried pro-
duct IL is said. will furnish sufn-
cient soup to run large hotel sew
erai days.
The plant proposed for Lansing
will be able to handle 5000 tons
OF fruit and vegetables annually
when in full operation. II will
have the very latest types OF ma
chinery. embodying many improve
ments over the equipment OF the
small plants now in operation in
other parts OF the country. 1t will
be by far the largest in the United
States and will furnish a. nearby
market for practically all OF the
surplus truck farm products OF the
territory adjacent to the Calumet
region.