Perth Amboy evening news., 1923-07-16

all the chemical constituents of a
fruit juice might seem the next prob
lem for the laboratory workers to
tackle, but chemists explain hat this
is not likely, as SO complicated a
product would be too expensive to be
practical.
Apple ice cream and apple soda
are not the Governments only addi-
lions to the American summer menu.
Cassina ice cream is also regarded as
a successful experiment by the Blu
real of Chemistry.
An American Grown Tea
Cassina is a bush used for hedges
and windbreaks in the South. The
leaves have long been gathered by
negroes to brew cassina tea. Sever
al years ago the Government made a
study of this plant with a view to de-
termining its value for beverage pur-
poses. A method of curing the leaves
was evolved and patented in the
name of the public.
The South American species of
| c~assina, known as Yerba Mate, is
extensively used on the southern con-
tinent, and cassina is said to have
been liked by the Indians and to
have been drunk in large quantities
In the South during the Civil War,
especially by the Confederate Army,
as a substitute for tea.
Cassina grows and thrives on poor,
sandy soils along the southeastern
and gulf. coasts, and the tea can be
produced and handled for marketing
cheaply and easily. Ordinary tea
leaves must be stripped from the
branches, but the Government has
developed a method of steaming las
sina branches so that the leaves drop
off. This mechanical handling is an
important phase of production so far
as expense goes. One main reason
why ordinary tea can not be pro-
duced in this country is that it must
be picked by hand and labor in this
country is too expensive to be used
for this sort of work.
In spite of all these points in its
favor, cassina tea has lot so far been
popularized in this country. Five
thousand pounds of the tea leaves
were cured last summer in the Gov
ernment's experimental factory in
South Carolina. Some of this was
used for experimental purposes, but
this output represents a start in in
teresting the people in the drink. The
Government chemists are rather an
xious to see cassina gain recognition,
They say that it is a 100 per cent
American beverage. Mr.. Sale of the
Bureau of Chemistry takes up a bot
tie of the clear, brownish beverage
just out of the Bureaus ice box. and
points out that it is entirely a natural
product-color. flavor, foam, etc, are
all natural.
Mr.. Sale says the Americans have
a tendency to cling to three standard
hot drinks-tea, coffee, and cocoa
and it is difficult to interest a house
wife in buying a package of leaves
from which to concoct an unknown
beverage. At soda fountains anC
lunch rooms 1t is easier to Introduce
a novelty, because only five or tel
cents is invested by a customer.
New cold drinks are introduced t,
the public much more frequentl.
than hot drinks, and some attain re
markable success. With this il
mind, the Bureau OF Chemistry work
ed out a recipe for making a COLI
beverage from cassina as we'll as tn,
hot tea. A formula for cassina ic,
cream has also been evolved.
This ice cream has a vanilla-lik,
flavor. During the Shriners' Con
vention in Washington a quantity o
the cassina ice cream was made b,
a local firm in cooperation with tn.
Government chemists, and was sol,
in a downtown booth. It is reported
that the new variety of all-Americal
ice cream sold successfully, and tn
Shriners registered satisfaction Will
consuming It.