ANALYSIS OF CANNED GOODS 



In the laboratory of the Provincial Board of 

 Health for Ontario an examination was 

 made of the various canned vegetables, fruits 

 and jams put up in the province for the purpose 

 of finding out whether poisonous metals are 

 present, whether adulterants or preservatives 

 are used in their preparation and whether there 

 is any reason for the prevalent opinion that the 

 use of canned goods is injurious to health. The 

 results are given in the annual report recently 

 submitted to the legislature. 



Peas from four factories were examined. 

 Traces of copper were found in only one sam- 

 ple. Four showed traces of zinc. No adul- 

 terants were found, but starch was used in two 

 cases to thicken the menstruum, with what ob- 

 ject could not be determined, as the pasty mass 

 was not inviting in appearance and did not im- 

 prove the flavor. Three specimens contained 

 cane sugar, five dextrose and one common salt. 

 Sugar and salt improve the flavor of the peas. 

 One canner had evidently sprouted his peas, 

 making them very sweet and tender and in- 

 creasing the bulk so that only three-fourths as 

 many were required to fill a can. 



Four specimens of tomatoes from as many 

 canneries showed traces of copper and three 

 showed zinc, but not enough to be harmful. 

 Th/e juJice was very acid, but no tin was found 

 as expected. Evidently nothing but salt had 

 been added to the contents. 



Three cans of corn from three different can- 



neries showed an absence of poisonous metals, 

 except one, in which there were traces of zinc. 

 The cans were quite discolored, and one was so 

 rusted that particles of metal adhered to the 

 corn. 



All the canned raspberries were of poor ap- 

 pearance, especially the white varieties, which 

 had been treated with a purple dye. Three 

 showed traces of zinc and two of tin. All were 

 acid and had been preserved with cane sugar. 



Three specimens of strawlberries looked well 

 and were of fine flavor. No coloring had been 

 added. Traces of zinc were found in three and 

 tin in two. 



Two cans of plums looked well and were of 

 good flavor. Both showed traces of tin. They 

 were more acid than the raspberries or straw- 

 berries. Although enough specimens were not 

 examined to draw any general conclusions noth- 

 ing out of the way was found in any of the can- 

 ned fruits. 



The jams were all made up, a filler, probably 

 apple, having been used. Many cans, labelled 

 " true fruit," " absolutely pure," etc., contained 

 very little real fruit, the balance being filler, 

 coloring, flavoring and sugar. They were all 

 of the ten cents a jar variety. 



Salicylic acid as a preservative was not found, 

 nor gelatin which might be used for thickening. 

 Cane sugar was used throughout, though glu- 

 cose may have been added. The coloring mat- 

 ter was apparently of the aniline dye variety. 



Bulletins and Reports 



Bulletin No. 101 of the Maryland Agricultural 

 Experiment Station, gives the life histories and 

 remedies for common injurious insect pests of 

 that state. The woolly aphis, the round head- 

 ed borer, the San Jose scale and many others 

 are treated in full. Many illustrations show 

 the different stages of the insects and the work 

 they do. Several pages are also devoted to 

 beneficial insects and insecticides. 



A report of the forty-first annual meeting of 

 the Nova Scotia Fruit Growers' Association, a 

 copy of which has reached this office, contains 

 many instructive addresses and discussions. 



The seventeenth annual report of the Hatch 

 Experiment Station, of Massachusetts, contains 

 much that is of interest to fruit growers. Ex- 

 periments with apple pomace show that it is 

 practically equal to corn silage in feeding value 

 pound for pound. A series of experiments and 

 special studies in pruning is being carried on. 

 Peach trees left unpruned for nine years are 

 less thrifty than those pruned. Heading back, 

 summer pruning and pruning to renew frozen 

 trees are each being tested, and definite infor- 

 mation will be forthcoming in an early report. 

 In pruning to renew frozen trees the result so 

 far shows that a greater percentage of the 

 trees moderately pruned are in better condition 

 than those not pruned or those heavily pruned. 



Should Have a Certificate 



A FRUIT GROWER. 



While at the St. Louis exposition I noted that 

 Canada made a very fine display of fruits, On- 

 tario's apples for export winning in the first 

 class. Canada was only awarded one grand 

 prize for its installation and one grand prize 

 for the collective exhibit of fruits. Not the 

 least mention was made of the growers who 

 sent the fruits. This is not very encouraging. 

 The commissioners refused to make entries for 

 provinces, horticultural societies, or growers. 

 They said that it was a Dominion not a provin- 

 cial exhibition, and one even said, were he 

 pressed to act otherwise, he would resign his 

 position. 



Shall the fruit growers of Canada unite to 

 force the federal authorities to have their merit 

 recognized at future international exhibitions? 

 The subject should be discussed by fruit grow- 

 ers' associations. Our industry deserves as 

 much advertisement as others and even more, 

 considering all the difficulties caused by climate, 

 insects and diseases. Every state in the union 

 received hundreds of prizes. Entries had been 

 made for each fruit grower exhibiting fruits. 

 Compare our position with theirs. It is humiliat- 

 ing for us. It does not repay the trouble of the 

 careful selection of fruit sent to St. Louis. 



Like good wine The Horticulturist acquires I think a great deal of The Canadian Horti- 



quality with age.-(Auguste Dupuis, Villiage culturist and would not like to be without it.- 

 des Aulnaise, Que. (W. M. Turnbull, Gait. 



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