304 CALIFORNIA VEGETABLES 



being too remote from the railroad for shipping to the San Fran- 

 cisco market, he was forced, as a last resort, to pack the vegetable, 

 and by strict attention to every detail he soon built such a reputa- 

 tion for his canned beans that his yearly output is easily disposed 

 of at a good profit. The points of quality in a string bean for can- 

 ning, are green color, tenderness, and it must be as nearly as possi- 

 ble stringless, or, at any rate, a variety that can be easily handled, 

 leaving no strings on them, when ordinary care is used. Recently 

 the business established by Mr. Wambold has been greatly expanded 

 and others have engaged largely in it, including a considerable cor- 

 poration organized to operate in Lake county. 



Peas. The desirable points in this vegetable from a canner's 

 point of view are that they shall be small, green, sweet, and tender. 

 There are a great many varieties which have been handled success- 

 fully in this state, as stated in the chapter on the Pea, such as 

 Premium Gem, Alaska. This vegetable is so dependent on atmos- 

 pheric moisture that a crop cannot be counted upon every year in 

 the interior; for lack of rains at the time when the plant needed 

 moisture, and apparently irrigation does not solve the difficulty, as 

 the pea seems to need a somewhat moist atmosphere. There has 

 been recently in operation a large pea growing interest in eastern 

 Stanislaus county, operating successfully. 



Tomatoes. The fruit must be of red color, firm, few seeds, and 

 smooth skin, that is, not wrinkled. A medium size answers the 

 purpose better than the extremely large varieties. The tomato is 

 canned largely as indicated in Chapter I, and the culture of the plant 

 is fully discussed in Chapter XXXIII. 



Corn. California makes no record in canning corn. The 

 special corn canneries of the eastern states have manufacturing ad- 

 vantages on their side and the eastern corn grower has also ad- 

 vantages. California has a longer green-corn season, as shown in 

 the chapter on that subject, but that counts more for the table than 

 the cannery. 



DRYING VEGETABLES. 



Very fine samples of dried vegetables have been shown from 

 time to time in California, and the output of a considerable product 

 in this line is clearly feasible if it could command a welcome in the 

 markets. This fact has not yet been demonstrated. The rush to 

 Alaskan gold fields in the summer of 1897 created a demand for 

 considerable quantities of dried vegetables, chiefly potatoes, and 



