April 1907.] 



237 



Edible Products, 



procuring the fruit for experiments. The plums, cherries, grapes and pears were 

 purchased at a local fruit shop, and the gooseberries and bananas were obtained 

 from a street vendor. In each case a certain portion of the fruit was treated with 

 formalin ; this was placed alongside an untreated portion on a plate of glass ; the 

 two were covered with a bell-jar, and exposed to the ordinary temperature of the 

 laboratory. 



The following table shows the number of days that treated fruit remained 

 perfectly sound and free from mildew, after the untreated check fruit had become 

 covered with mould and quite unfit for use : — 



The following table shows the kinds of fruit used last year for testing the 

 preservative properties of formalin, and indicates the number of days during which 

 treated fruit remained perfectly sound, after the check or untreated fruit had 

 become unfit for use. The first column of figures refers to last year's experiments, 

 the second column to this year's corroborative experiments :— 



Cherries ... ... 7 days ... ... 8 days. 



Gooseberries ... ... 7 „ ... ... 6 ,, 



Grapes ... ... 4 ,, ... ... 6 ,, 



Pears ... ... 10 ,, ... ... 9 ,, 



Strawberries ... ... 4 ,, ... ... 5 „ 



It is important to remember that all the kinds of fruit experimented upon 

 were quite ripe and had been exposed for sale, and were consequently exposed to 

 infection, and that in some instances they were more or less bruised. With fruit 

 carefully gathered and treated at once, the duration in a saleable condition might 

 be anticipated to extend over a longer period than is indicated by these tables. 



In the case of apples that are just pitted with disease, treatment with 

 formalin proves of service. Apple rot, caused by the f ungus called Gloeosporium 

 fructigenum, Berk., is very destructive to ripe fruit, on which it first appears 

 as minute scattered spots on the skin ; these spots rapidly extend and form large, 

 brown sunken patches ; within a very short time this fungus reduces the fruit 

 to a brown, rotten mass. A dozen apples showing the first stage of this disease 

 were immersed for a quarter of an hour in a solution of formalin of the strength 

 given above, and afterwards dried. This was done during the last week in August ; 

 the spread of the diseased spots was completely arrested, and the apples are still— end 

 of November — in good condition. A dozen similarly-affected apples, collected at the 

 same time but not treated with formalin, were completely rotten by the end of 

 September. 



By employing the method of treatment described, pitted or slightly diseased 

 apples can be kept in a condition fit for use for several weeks longer than when no 

 treatment is applied. This is a point of some importance both to grower and fruit 

 dealer. In the case of cottagers, and others who store a certain quantity of apples 

 for winter use, it would well repay the very small cost and trouble incurred to treat 

 apples previous to storing. The method is simple ; put ten gallons of water (prefer- 

 ably rain water) into a cask or a zinc bath ; add three pints of formalin : mix 

 thoroughly ; then immerse as many apples, contained in a net or loosely-woven sack, 

 as the water will cover. The fruit, after remaining in the solution for ten minutes, 

 the sack being partly lifted up two or three times to ensure every part of its contents 

 coming in contact with the liquid, should be removed from the sack and placed on a 

 layer of straw, hay, or some suitable substance to drain and dry. It is not necessary 



Plums 

 Bananas 



9 days 



10 



5 

 I 



