HORTICULTURE. 699 



the liardiermesombryantliemums, the various yuccas, verbenas, canuas, 

 violets (if well shaded), hollyhocks, and tuberoses. 



Of the fruit trees tested, the most resistant of all is the pomegran- 

 ate. The comuion quiiice and i)ear are also hardy. The Japanese 

 species of quince sheds its bark and is not a success. Next in rank 

 after the pear in resistance is the plum. On strong alkali soils no fruit 

 trees excepting pomegranates and mulberries can be safely planted. 

 The quince and pear should be limited to low or medium grades of 

 alkali. Trees, while sometimes growing fairly well in alkali soils, may 

 produce worthless fruits, but both mulberry and pomegranate fruits, 

 when grown in strong soil, are of good quality. 



Gaseous fermentation in the canning industry, II. L. Russell 

 {Wisconsin iSta. Ept. 1805^ pi). ;2;27-231). — The author's attention was 

 called to a more or less serious trouble caused by the after fermenta- 

 tion of canned goods. The spoiled cans, technically known as " swells," 

 are filled with gas and absolutely worthless. 



A biological examination of the canned material, which in this case 

 was peas, showed that the spoiled goods were invariably in an advanced 

 stage of bacterial fermentation. Cultures made from the material 

 revealed the presence of 2 different species of bacteria, one of which 

 proved to be an organism capable of fermenting sugar solutions with 

 a copious evolution of gas. Experiments were made with this organism, 

 and it was demonstrated that it was largely the cause of the fermen- 

 tation. Having deternuned the cause of the trouble, an attempt was 

 made to discover means for its prevention. 



The various steps in canning peas are shelling, grading, blanching 

 by means of immersing in boiled water for 1 or 2 minutes, placing in 

 cans, filling cans with a solution of salt, to which sugar is added where 

 the amount is deficient in the peas, hermetically sealing the cans, and 

 cooking in a tightly closed steam cooker. In some varieties of peas 

 long-continued boiling results in splitting the skin, and the mealy 

 part renders the liquid contents turbid. In order to prevent this, 

 experiments were conducted in which the effect of sterilization by 

 means of greater steam pressure and higher temperature was tested. 

 This procedure was confidently believed to be fatal to bacterial life, 

 but its effect on the quality of the canned i^roduct was unknown. 



An experimental lot of a few cans was cooked under a steam pressure 

 of 18 lbs. at a temperature of over 250^ F. The cans were opened 

 after this process and the licpiid was found to be clear and the peas 

 intact. This experiment having demonstrated that the quality of the 

 peas was not affected, so far as could be determined at that time, it 

 was repeated on a much larger scale in order to test the keeping 

 quality of the product. The details of this second experiment are 

 given in the following table. 



