AMERICAN INSTITUTE. 367 



wax, or a wax made by melting together beeswax and resin 

 in almost any proportion, and you have the vessel really air-tight. 

 The little air left over the fruit if the vessel be not full, as it 

 should be, is of no account. A cubic inch of air weighs only 

 one-third of a grain, and but a small part of this is oxygen — not 

 enough to do any harm to the fruit. The effort constantly made 

 to shut out all air in sealing up fruit is labor lost to a great ex- 

 tent. Get the fruit rightly cooked, and otherwise rightly pre- 

 pared, then put it up cold taking time to close it well afterwards 

 with wax, and it is safe. Common stoneware jars, if of good 

 material, and having wide mouthed covers set into the top, are 

 convenient, safe, and cheapest. When the prepared fruit is put 

 in, pour over the dry cover a layer of melted wax, and the v/ork 

 is done. 



Mr. Judd said he had 25 or 30 quarts of tomatoes which he 

 wished to put up in the best manner for him to use. How much 

 or how little should he cook them 1 Should sugar be added 1 

 A good old lady of his acquaintance, who put up most excellent 

 preserves, added a little salt and some sugar to tomatoes. Would 

 experienced gentlemen present give some information, some of 

 the particulars for preserving these tomatoes 7 



The Chairman detailed his practice. He used wide mo ithed 

 bottles as well as cans. He had formerly cooked tomatoes, but 

 he was trying some this year with simply removing the skins by 

 scalding in hot water. He did not recommend sugar or salt for 

 tomatoes. He got the cork cutters to fit his bottles of different 

 sizes, and after putting in the tomatoes cooked or uncooked, he set 

 the bottles in cold water, and heated it to a boiling, when he 

 thrust in the corks which had been made soft by the hot water, 

 and drove them down even with the top of the neck, and after- 

 wards sealed them over. Last fall he had put one half of Spit- 

 zenberg apples with his quinces, on account of the scarcity of the 

 latter fruit — and found the mixture superior to either fruit alone. 



Mr. Judd inquired if any one present had succeeded in keeping 

 uncooked tomatoes. No one replied except the Chairman, who 

 is now making his first experiment. 



Mr. Judd thought the use of soldered cans would be dangerous 

 on account of the poison of the lead in the solder. 



The chairman thought not, and exhibited a can that bursted in 

 the operation, to show that if there really would be any danger 

 of fruit in connection with solder, it did not come in contact with 

 it in these cans. 



