FLORIDA. 



FOOD-PRESERVATION. 



315 



2. The exemption is from the debts of the head of 

 the family, the owner of the homestead. It accrues 

 to the heirs of the party having taken or enjoyed the 

 benefit of it. Where such owner dies, leaving surviv- 

 ing him a widow and children, the right of the widow, 

 if the estate is an intestate estate, is restricted to 

 dower, and the benefit of the exemption as to the re- 

 mainder of the estate in the homestead, after allowing 

 dower, enures to the benefit of the children. 



3. Ii the estate is a testate estate and the devise to 

 the widow is inconsistent with dower, then the widow 

 is put to her election between the will and dower, 

 and, if she does not elect dower within one year alter 

 the probate of the will, she is confined to the will, in 

 which event the benefit of exemption as to the entire 

 homestead enures to the children, as the homestead 

 is not the subject of a testamentary disposition by the 

 head of the family. 



4. Where, in case of the wife surviving the hus- 

 band, he dying testate, leaving her executrix with 

 power of sale under the will, she executes a mortgage 

 of the homestead under an order of court, the chil- 

 dren surviving, not being parties to such proceeding, 

 are not bound by it. 



5. To all proceedings affecting the homestead upon 

 the death of the head of the family, his heirs are ne- 

 cessary parties. 



CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION. The question 

 of calling a Constitutional Convention is a prom- 

 inent one before the people of the State. It 

 seems to be generally conceded that one should 

 be called, but upon the manner of calling it 

 there are differences, some contending for the 

 immediate submission of the question to the 

 people, while others argue for the more dila- 

 tory course marked out by the Constitution. 

 On this subject the Governor says : 



The last Legislature passed a resolution looking to 

 the calling of a Constitutional Convention for an entire 

 revision of the organic law of the State. That the 

 Constitution needs revision in many important par- 

 ticulars is, I believe, conceded by all. Indeed, in all 

 its departments, legislative, executive, and judicial, 

 important changes are required in the interest of econ- 

 omy, and to more properly conform it to the require- 

 ments of the people and the true principles of repub- 

 lican government. 



ELECTION RETURNS. In November Congress- 

 men, half of the Senate, and the entire Assem- 

 bly, were elected. The new congressional dis- 

 tricts consist of the following counties : 1. Cal- 

 houn, Escambia, Franklin, G-adsden, Hernando, 

 Hillsborough, Holmes, Jackson, Jefferson, La- 

 fayette, Leon, Levy, Liberty, Manatee, Monroe, 

 Polk, Santa Rosa* Taylor, Wakulla, Walton, 

 Washington ; 2. Alachua, Baker, Bradford, 

 Brevard, Clay, Columbia, Dade, Duval, Ham- 

 ilton, Madison, Marion, Nassau, Orange, Put- 

 nam, St. Johns, Sumter, Suwanee, and Volusia. 



In the First District, R. H. M. Davidson, 

 Democrat, received 11,246 votes; Emory F. 

 Skinner, Republican, 7,029 ; D. L. McKinnon, 

 Independent, 3,547 ; Democratic plurality, 4,- 

 217; Democratic majority, 6,701. In the Sec- 

 ond District, the vote was : for Horatio Bisbee, 

 Jr., Republican, 13,069 ; Jesse J. Finley, Demo- 

 crat, 12,813 ; Republican majority, 256. The 

 Legislature has 6 Republicans, 17 Democrats, 

 and 9 Independents in the Senate, and 27 Re- 

 publicans, 34 Democrats, and 15 Independents 

 in the House. 



YELLOW FEVER. An epidemic of yellow 

 fever existed in Pensacola during the autumn, 

 but it did not assume serious proportions as on 

 some former occasions. (See EPIDEMICS.) 



FOOD -PRESERVATION. The problem, 

 of protecting meat from septic contamination, 

 without alteration of the flavor and culinary 

 qualities, is an important one with reference 

 to the great waste of food in the ordinary ways 

 of supplying communities. But its economical 

 importance is so much greater, and the pros- 

 pect of reward surer, since gre^at nations have 

 come to depend largely on supplies brought 

 from across the seas, that chemical inventors 

 have applied themselves in earnest to its solu- 

 tion. Refrigeration is a costly method of ar- 

 resting putrescent decay, and one subject to 

 accidents; but no better method of keeping 

 dressed meat has been known, and vast quan- 

 tities have been transported over the ocean 

 in expensive cooling compartments. Carbolic 

 acid and other substances used in antiseptic 

 surgery can not be employed, as they would 

 destroy meat for food. Boracic acid is the 

 only chemical antiseptic which is tasteless and 

 innocuous. It has come into use extensively 

 for the preservation of milk, and as the basis 

 of most of the antiseptic preparations sold. To 

 give it the sufficient degree of solubility, bi- 

 borate of soda and other substances not en- 

 tirely innocent are added. 



It has been found that boracic acid is not 

 an antiseptic by itself, bat acquires that quality 

 by combination with some elements in the sub- 

 stances to preserve which it is used. The char- 

 acter and conditions of the union are undeter- 

 mined, and its action as a preservative is some- 

 what uncertain. Professor Barff has sought for 

 a compound with original antiseptic properties, 

 and has discovered it in boroglyceride, a com- 

 pound of glycerine and anhydrous boric acid, 

 with the formula C 3 H B BO 3 . The water of the 

 glycerine is expelled and replaced by the acid, 

 forming a new compound which is chemically 

 analogous to a fat, being a combination of the 

 base glyceril, or C 3 H 6 , with an acid. It is a 

 hard and brittle mass at ordinary temperatures, 

 but acquires a semi-fluid consistency when 

 heated, and is then freely soluble in warm 

 water. It is employed in solutions of one part 

 of boroglyceride to from twenty to sixty parts 

 of water, according to the requirements to be 

 met. The solutions are almost tasteless, and 

 substances treated with them acquire no foreign 

 flavor. Their antiseptic efficacy is remarkable. 

 Meat, oysters, poultry, etc., after immersion in 

 the liquid, will keep for months without any 

 trace of decomposition. Milk and soup are 

 preserved by admixture. The finer gustatory 

 flavor of meat is not retained long in perfec- 

 tion, being probably dependent on volatile ele- 

 ments. A gallon of the solution, in which many 

 pieces of meat can be successively immersed, 

 costs fifteen or twenty cents. 



The antiseptic which is considered the best 

 is boracic acid, which alters neither the taste, 



