780 EXPERIMENT STATION RECORD. 



ored. Dipping in cold water alone resulted in a slightly brighter colored product 

 than no treatment, l>ut the product was much darker than that from the salt treat- 

 ment. Practically the same results were secured with sliced potatoes, the 1 and 2 

 per cent solutions giving a white and perfectly bleached product. 



Apples and potatoes thus treated were put away in paper sacks and left in a damp 

 building for some months. "The dried apples absorbed much moisture and had to 

 be taken to a dry building, while the potatoes did not have a tendency to absorb 

 moisture and remained dry and brittle." After 10 months' exposure to air and light 

 the apples began to darken in color, though the potatoes kept their original bright- 

 ness. It is believed that the potatoes would stand any climatic condition as they do 

 not seem to absorb moisture, mold, or ferment. When the potatoes were soaked in 

 cold water for 8 to 10 hours they resembled freshly sliced raw potatoes and cooked 

 very nearly as well as when fresh. 



An experiment in making Saratoga chips by cooking the dried potatoes without 

 previously soaking them resulted in a failure. When the dried potatoes were first 

 soaked for 8 to 10 hours and then cooked in hot lard a very good quality of Saratoga 

 chips was produced. It is believed that potatoes thus preserved, while more bulky, 

 make a much more appetizing food than the ground product. 



Canning and evaporating fruit and vegetables, II. W. Lawrence and B. C. 

 Aston (Ann. Rpt. Dept. Agr. New Zealand, 1904, pp. 284-291, pis. 2). — An account is 

 given of the present status of the canning and evaporating industry in New Zealand, 

 with the results of analyses of a number of samples of sulphured pulp, showing the 

 percentage of sulphur dioxid contained in them. 



Investigations were made to ascertain the best method of disengaging the sulphur 

 dioxid from the pulp when required for jam making and other purposes. It was 

 found that when the sulphured pulp was brought to a boil in a wide-mouthed vessel 

 and then kept constantly stirred for 20 to .25 minutes the sulphur was practically all 

 evolved. Sugar was then added and boiling continued for 20 minutes longer. 



The jam made by this method was of an excellent bright color and when cold very 

 stiff and firm. Further experiments showed that when sugar was added to the pulp 

 before boiling and the mixture of pulp and sugar boiled together the sulphur was 

 very difficult ta drive off and even after boiling under these conditions for an hour 

 or more a considerable amount of sulphur was still present. The prolonged boiling 

 with the sugar caused the color of the jam to deteriorate considerably. In prepar- 

 ing fruit, therefore, for shipment to England it is believed that a moderate excess of 

 sulphur may be used, as this is easy to get rid of on boiling. 



Report of the viticultural expert, M. Bunno (Agr. (la:. New South Wales, 15 

 (1904), No. 11, }>p. 1042-1047)- — In the state vineyard at Howlong it was found that 

 the majority of grafted vines gave a much heavier crop than those on their own roots. 



The nitrate content of different parts of the grape, M. Metelka (Ztschr. 

 Landw. Versuchsw. Oesterr., 7 (1904), No. 10, pp. 725-730). — A series of observations is 

 reported which show that all of the green parts of the grape contain nitrates at all 

 stages of growth. The stems anil the skins of the berries contain considerably more 

 nitrate than the juice, which in perfectly ripe berries is almost entirely free from 

 nitrate. The must as usually prepared, namely, by pressing the berries with the 

 stems, always contains nitrate, but this nitrate usually disappears during fermenta- 

 tion and is not found in the wine. There are, however, perfectly pure natural wines 

 which contain appreciable amounts of nitrate. 



History of government tea culture in Java, J. A. van der Chi.ts ( Gescliledenis 

 van de Gouvemements Thee-Cultuur op Java. Batavia: Landsdrukkerij, 190::, pp. \III-\- 

 604). — This is an exhaustive account of the work done in the different provinces of 

 Java in tea culture since the government has been under the control of the Dutch. 

 Cultural methods, varieties, and tea production are discussed and statistics given of 

 , the industry. 



