138 THE CULTIVATION OF THE 



I think he obtained his process from the heirs of a 

 Mr. Smith, who had, in his life-time, been largely 

 engaged in preserving and pickling various fruits and 

 vegetables. From that date until the present the busi- 

 ness has grown enormously, and some of our enterprising 

 peninsula firms have trade-marks, which are worth a 

 handsome fortune to their possessors. Glass and tin are 

 both used for the package, but tin, in nine cases in ten, is 

 the material employed. It appears to me to be a 

 perfectly safe and healthy can. The contents are 

 hermetically-sealed, all solder is placed on the exterior, 

 and on the exterior only, in well regulated establish- 

 ments, and there can be no poisonous substance 

 developed where there is no oxydation. Where the can 

 is air-tight there can be no oxydation, and if the can is 

 not air-tight the contents spoil, and are thus rendered 

 unfit for food. The question is often asked, how long can 

 an article of food remain with safety in a tin receptacle, 

 hermetically-sealed, and be safely used for food. I 

 answer, one hundred years, if the can will remain intact 

 that long. There can be no change in the contents 

 without air entering the can, and when air enters the 

 can, decomposition takes place, and this we soon find out 

 by its physical properties, and would no more eat it 

 than we would eat any other spoiled food. Food-sup- 

 plies, hermetically-sealed, take no account of time. One 

 hundred years to them, is no more than one hundred 



