PROCEEDINGS OF THE WINTER MEETING. 23 



by in some way excluding atmospheric influences. After three or four 

 years of experimenting, perfect success crowned his efforts, and he pub- 

 lished the methods in the Rochester papers, the Genesee Farmer, or the 

 Rural New Yorker, one or both. He took out no patents, but earnestly 

 urged others to try the new process instead of drying. 



The first fruit cans I ever saw were brought from Rochester by Mr. 

 Atwood of Kent county, Mich., in 1850, and the following winter I had 

 the pleasure of seeing a can opened and of tasting of pretty good fresh 

 peaches in January, a miracle then. At that time the process was to fill 

 the tin cans with the prepared fruit and a little water, immerse in kettles 

 or boilers of cold water three fourths their depth, heat to boiling, and 

 continue twenty minutes ; then remove from the fire, place on the covers 

 and seal by filling the deep channel in which the rims of the covers 

 rested with melted wax. Often, as the cans cooled, the half cooled wax 

 would be forced by atmospheric pressure in among the fruit, making it 

 necessary to keep a constant watch and to replace it. In 1858 the first 

 glass cans were brought to Grand Rapids, but the sealing process was 

 the same. About 1865 or '6G the melted wax sealing gave way to rubber 

 bands and screw caps for both tin and glass cans; and observing house 

 wives soon found it far more convenient to cook the fruit in bulk, and 

 with dipper and fruit funnel fill the cans with the hot fruit, the cans, if 

 of glass, standing in hot water or being wrapped with a thick cloth 

 saturated with cold water. But little change in methods has taken place 

 in the last twenty years, but the practice has become so universal that 

 now there is hardly a man, woman, or child in any civilized country of 

 the world whose food, pleasure, and health have not been greatly 

 improved by the canning process. 



Last fall I was at a small factory at Fairport, N. Y., and was told that 

 they made 85,000 tin fruit cans every day. I did not remind them of 

 the fate of Ananias, but for fear of learning bad habits came quickly 

 away. 



When I think of the great canning industries in most of our states, 

 and of the greatly increased consumption and consequent cultivation 

 of fruits — when I compare the present household methods with those 

 of fifty years ago, the better general health, and the greatly increased 

 longevity, I feel that much of the improvement is due to the labors of 

 that humble Quaker, and that high by the side of the names of Fulton, 

 of Morse, of Howe, of Edison, should be written the names of William R. 

 Smith and his estimable wife. 



Not one person in a thousand of those who are now benefited by the 

 canning process, knows even the name of the inventor. Do not we as 

 growers and lovers of fruit, does not our country as being greatly bene- 

 fited, does not the world, owe a monument to the memory of William 

 R. Smith? 



DISCUSSION — THE CANNERY AT HART, 



Mr. Rice: When Mr. Slayton commenced his description of that scene, 

 I imagined it was western New York. In regard to William R. Smith, 

 I wish to add to the tribute, not to him, but to his wife. That was as 

 much due to Mrs. Smith as it was to him. I worked for him when I was 



