FBU1T AND VEGETABLE PRESERVING. 293 



undamaged fruits are suitable. The fruits are, in the 

 cooking stages, treated as for bottling or canning. Then 

 saturated in cold syrup and dried to crystalisation stage, as 

 with peels. Peels, gingers, &c., that contain oils, earthy, 

 or other flavourings that have to be got rid of, are first 

 soaked in salt and water from 10 to 30 hours to get rid of 

 the undesirable flavour. The fruit is then washed to clear 

 off as much as possible of the salt. Then "cooked" in fresh 

 water, strained, and dried. It may be necesssary to change 

 the water in cooking several times to extract all the salt. 

 Then drain the fruit and put it into a first syrup. The 

 action of this syrup is to displace the water in the fruit 

 The time for first saturation depends upon the nature of the 

 fruit, from two hours to six days. But in any case the syrup 

 has to be changed as soon as signs of fermentation appear. 

 A second syrup is then substituted for the first, and after 

 another saturation, a third syrup displaces the second, and 

 a fourth or fifth when neceessary, by which time the fruit, 

 peel, cumquats, ginger, or other material should be saturated 

 with sugar. The finishing syrup, No. 5, is boiling hot when 

 the fruit is put into it, the time for amalgamating the two 

 depending again upon the nature of the fruit. When 

 saturated, the fruit is taken out and dried, rapidly or slowly 

 according to whether it is to be glazed or crystallised. For 

 the latter purpose sugar may be sifted upon the fruit as 

 much as will stick. For peels, cumquats, figs, ginger, &c., 

 the finishing syrup is allowed to crystalise. 



Syrup. A key to success for most of the canned and 

 crystalised fruits, indeed for fruit preserving generally, and 

 jam-making as well, is got in the treatment of the sugar or 

 syrup. Only the whitest cane sugar is suitable. Beet sugar 

 is risky. No. 1 syrup is made by dissolving in boiling 

 water 1 part of sugar in 3 parts of water 3lb. of sugar 

 in 1 gallon of water is a standard syrup for canned fruits. 

 No. 2, 1 to 2 ; No. 3, 1 to 1 ; No. 4, 2 of sugar to 1 of 

 water ; No. 5, the strongest syrup made, is 3 of sugar to 1 

 of water. The sugar is heated before amalgamating, where 

 practicable. The nearer it is to the temperature of boiling 

 water the better. As soon as the sugar is absorbed, the 

 syrup is ready. It is then quite clear, there is no loss of 



