MISCELLANEOUS. 189 



would seem to precladethe desirability of its preservation. 

 Mr. Masousays: 



" The fruit is first carefully assorted in respect to size e.nd 

 uniform degrees of ripeness. Pears, pine-apples, and 

 quinces are pared, citrons are cut in quarters and soaked 

 in s'-a-water, abd the pits of apricots, cherries aud 

 peaches are i-arefullj'' removed. The storie must be re- 

 moved witb as little injury as possible to the form and so- 

 lidity of the fruit. 



" Thus prepared, the fruit is immersed in boiling water, 

 which quickly peneti'ates the pulp, dissolving and diluting 

 the juice, which is thereby nearly eliminated, whun the 

 fruit is subsequently taken from the water and drained, 

 leaiving only the solid portion of the pulp intact. 



" The process of "blanching" must also be done with exact 

 nicety. If immersed too long, the pulp is either over- 

 >.ooked or is left too dry and woody. If taken out too 

 soon, the juices ]eft in the pulp prevent perfect absorption 

 of the sugar afterward, and by eventual!}^ causing fermen- 

 tation ilestroy the yalne of the product. In this, as in 

 other stages of the process, the only gaide is experience. 



"After being thus scalded, some fruits, apricots, for ex- 

 ample, are agsin assorted into two or three classes, accord- 

 ing to the degree of softness that has been produced, for 

 the reason that if kept together they would take up the 

 sugar differently, some losing their form entirely, while 

 others would remain sufficiently impregnated. Fur these 

 different grades sugar ajrrups of different degrees of densi- 

 ty are required, the softer the fruit the stronger the syrup 

 required for its preservation. 



"For the same reason each of these different varieties of 

 fruit requires a syrup of corresponding strength. 



"Pears, citrous and pine-apples, which remain bard and 



