THE WAR GARDEN VICTORIOUS 157 



of the habits and customs which were in vogue in the 

 earlier days may now be taken up again with profit. 

 Among these is the drying of vegetables and fruits. 

 Thanks to the careful study and research which have 

 been given to this subject, the work can now be per- 

 formed with greater ease and with more certainty of 

 success than was possible in the past. 



Canning is the method which the average American 

 housewife uses in laying by a store of garden products 

 for winter consumption. A great impetus was given to 

 this process by the Civil War; and now it seems as if 

 another war were to be responsible for the introduction 

 to the world, on a large scale, of another food conserva- 

 tion process, namely that of drying. As the possibili- 

 ties, advantages and details of operation of this process 

 become better known, it will take a larger and larger 

 place both in the home and as a commercial proposition. 



Important factors to be taken into consideration by 

 the victory gardener in connection with food drying, 

 are the saving in containers and in pantry-space. Al- 

 most any sort of a receptacle can be employed for the 

 storage of dried food. Baking-powder cans and similar 

 covered tins, pasteboard boxes having tight-fitting 

 covers, strong paper bags, and patented paraffin-paper 

 boxes which may be bought in quantities at slight ex- 

 pense, make excellent containers for this class of pre- 

 served food. They are not heavy and so do not require 

 especially strong shelves. Besides they do not occupy 

 much space— a thing which in many homes is at a 

 premium. 



