DEHYDHATION OP FBXJITS AND VEGETABLES. 33 



Mr. Faiechild. I have not gone into those figures, Senator, and 

 it would be a question of statistics which could be easily determined. 

 The area is capable of vast extension. 



Senator Eansdell. Sweet potatoes do not require any fertilizer, 

 either. 



Senator Smith of Georgia. Seven hundred bushels from 1 acre 

 can be produced. 



Senator RansdeUj. That is hardly an average. You do not be- 

 lieve Georgia would do that on the average? 



Senator Smfth of Georgia. No; I did not believe it until they 

 brought me a half dozen high-class witnesses who saw it done. 



Senator Noebis. I would believe it, too, if they would bring, me 

 some of the potatoes. 



Senator Smith of Georgia. That section also will produce great 

 quantities of Irish potatoes, but they have never been able to save 

 them. 



Mr. Fahjchild. The waste is gigantic. 



I would like to put into the record a letter which I received from 

 the Eoyal Horticultural Society of Great Britain, dated January 11. 

 I have kept in touch with this society for years, and I wrote to the 

 secretary, Mr. Wilks, some time ago, asking him for any experience 

 which he had in England which would be of assistance to us here, 

 and I would like to read this portion of his letter : 



Then another policy I would like to commend to you would be the setting up 

 in your country of pviblic storehouses, properly organized and equipped, with 

 the conditions which the various vegetables require, and including drying and 

 canning apparatus. We are now trying to give some attention to this matter in 

 England, and for two reasons : The first is that the enormous number of small 

 growers which our food campaign has brought into existence have, most of 

 them, surplus crops which go to waste for want of proper collection and distri- 

 bution; and the second is that were it known by these small producers that 

 there would be an organized receiving and distributing station for their surplus 

 it would stimulate to an even greater extent their efforts and their cropping. 



Senator Eansdell. I am curious to ask some of you gentlemen 

 whether these same processes can be applied to meats and fish. 



Mr. HoEST. I can answer that. They can. 



Senator Eansdell. That is very important. The ptomaine poison- 

 ing we suffer from so frequently comes from canned meats and fish. 



Mr. HoEST. Yes, sir. 



Senator Eansdell. Or does it come from canned vegetables ? 



Mr. HoEsT. It comes from the canning process. 



Senator Eansdell. Of fish and oysters— you can not dry oysters, 

 can you ? 



Mr. HoEST. Yes, sir; we do dry oysters. I have samples of dried 



oysters here. 



Senator Eansdell. Let me get clear on that matter about the 

 ptomaine poisoning, because we hear every now and then of persons 

 suffering terribly and dying. Is that eliminated in the process of 



drying ? 

 Mr. HoEST. Dr. Alsberg could probably better answer that than I 



Dr Alsbeeg. Ptomaine poisoning is due to the growth on any food- 

 stuff of certain bacteria, which produce toxic substances. It is 



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