DEHYDRATION OF FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 9 



San Fkancisco, January 9, 1918. 

 E, Clkmens Houst Co., .SV/» Francisco. 



(Ikmxemen: We received jour letter, together with sample of your dried 

 vegetables. We tried them at yonr suggestion, and we want to say that we 

 ■found them very satisfactory; the flavor was full delicious, with no trouble 

 to i)repare. If they can be supplied at the same price as fresh vegetables, or 

 very near it, we should think they would be a wonderful addition to Army, 

 Navy, and any camps ; also, a great solution for the use of overproduction In 

 the country. One reads of boatloads of vegetables dumped in the bay for no 

 other reason than to keep up the prices. Why not dry them? They are not 

 offered to charity, I notice, when the markets are glutted. 



Thanking you tor your favor in bringing these vegetables to our notice, and 

 wishing you all success, 

 Yoin-s, very trul.v, 



California Home fok Girls, 

 Arxette Bi.ackbtjene, 



IJ.reciitirc Secretary. 



The .Stkatiokd Hotel, 



Chicago, .January 23, 1918. 



K. CLKiLENT HoiiST Co.. 



San Francisco, Cal. 

 Gentlejies : After having given your dry vegetaltles a thorough trial, I am 

 pleaseil to state to you that they are very satisfactory, and as soon as you have 

 them in quantities so that they will be put on the market, wjll you please send 

 me a price list, and I shall be glad to give you an order. 



I tind that the flavor is much fresher after they have been prepared than that 

 <if canned goods, and it is much easier to keep and to store. 

 Yours, respectfull,\', 



G. A. RissEE, Clief. 



lSh\ HoEST. The testimonials include practically all the highest- 

 class hotels, hospitals, and clubs in San Francisco. The recommenda- 

 tions and use of dried vegetables by the best San Francisco trade is 

 of particular importance, in that California always has fresh vege- 

 tables. 



So much for the question of qualitJ^ 



As to the subject of expense, of course the dried vegetable is not 

 going to be as cheap as the fresh vegetable, because there is the cost 

 of drying; that is, if you take the fresh vegetable in season and 

 dry it you have the additional expense of drying the product. But 

 when you take the vegetable out of season, then the dried product 

 will be cheaper than the fresh product and far cheaper than the 

 canned goods. For. example, a case of canned tomatoes that costs 

 roughly $4 — solid-packed tomatoes — ^two dozen tins, which weigh 

 2 pounds each, the gross weight of the case being 60 pounds, 

 and you have $4 for a case of tomatoes containing a total of not 

 over 15 cents original cost of tomatoes. In other words, you have 

 spent $3.85 to preserve 15 cents' worth of tomatoes. 



The same illustration holds good in a number of other products 

 to the same extent, and to a lesser extent in all vegetables that are 

 canned. The cost of dried vegetables is the cost of drying plus 

 the cost of the fresh vegetables; in other words, in round figures, 

 the cost of dried vegetables is less than double the original farm 

 price of fresh vegetables, while with canning it takes approximately 

 twenty times and often more than twenty times the cost of the fresh 

 vegetable to make the cost of the canned product. 



The Chairman. That is 2 against 20. 



Mr. HoRST. Those are round figures. The figures vary according 

 to different products. 



