Nov. 1, 1902.] 
THE TROPICAL AGRICULTURIST. 
317 
a small cost. Au efBoaciona method is to scatter a few 
crystals widely apart. A single pinch of permangauate 
has killed all the germs in a 1,000-gallon tank. 
" Tl)e item is .so obviously ridiculous upon its face 
that it would hardly seem wortli while to make any 
attempt to refute iti statement.^. Nevertheless, io 
has been so widely read that definite experiment- 
ation seems necessary to set the matter at rest. 
The unknown autlior's ignorance of the life history 
of mosquitoes in the opening sentence need not 
necessarily imply that he would not know a good 
remedy if he found one. Careful experiments 
were undertaken bj the writer in July, 1898, with 
various strengths of permanganate of potash in 
water containing mosquito larva; from one to six 
days old. It was found that small amounts of the 
chemical had no effect whatever upon the larvfe, 
which were, however, killed by using amounts so 
large that, instead of using a "handful to a 10- 
acre swamp," at least a wagon load would have to 
be used to accomplish any result. Moreover, after 
the use of this large amount and after the larvtB 
Avere killed, the same water, twenty-four hours 
later, sustained freshly-hatched mosquito larvte 
perfectly, so that even were a person to go to the 
prohibitive expense of killing mosquito larvas in 
the swamp with permangnate of potash, the same 
task would have to be done over again two days 
later. The same conclusion was subsequently 
reached, after careful experiment, by Dr Lederle, 
of the New York health office, and by the Italians 
Celli and Casagrandi." 
HOME-MADE JAMS IN INDIA. 
[Bj a Mem-Sahib.) 
Reading an article in a late Home paper on 
the subject of " Preservatives in Food," I saw 
in it these words : " Mr Blackwell, though he 
does not put preservatives in jam, allowed that 
it would be useful to do so, and the chemist to 
Messrs. Keiller said that the makers who use 
preservatives have a great pull over the rest." 
Preservatives or not, it seems to me only too 
true that of late years all tinned jams have de- 
teriorated so far as keeping qualities go, for now- 
adays a tin often ferments and has to be thrown 
away after being open for less than a week, and 
I have even opened a tin in which fermentation 
had already started. This, from my own experi- 
ence, I attribute largely to the use of beet sugar, 
with which all markets are now flooded, thauks 
to the bounties of foreign Governments, and to 
our own policy of letting the products of our 
Colonies slide without any help, when their trades 
are killed by such unfair foreign competition. 
I have been out .here many years now, more 
than I care to think about, and have always been 
keen on my own jam-making, iiaviiig been brought 
up in an old-fashioned way, and having been 
taught to be proud of making my own preserves 
■when one can rely on the materials being whac 
they profess to be, the sugar being cane, and 
no preservatives used, except the good old-fashioned 
ones of care and good boiling. I allow it takes 
time and trouble to see to tilings oneself, but 
out here most of us Mem-Sahibs have time and 
enough to spare, and we surely may still take 
pride in such tilings. For years one has 
known that the staple of most tinned jann 
is anything but the fruit of which tlie name on tlie 
label leads one to imagine one is eating ; carrots, 
(viToips, pumpkins, etc, are all rejuititioned, au4 
quite lately I was fold by a man in the trade that 
common figs are largely used in strawberry jam, 
to give the nece.ssaiy seediness. In every trade 
lecipe glucose, which is I believe a product of coal, 
etc., figures largely to give .stickiness and sweet- 
ness, with tiie use of less .sugar, and less wastage 
from long boiling. These tilings are ail doubtlela 
good in tiieir way, and one would not complain 
were they sold under their true colours, but I, 
myself, very much prefer to know what I am 
eating, and as my products seem appreciated by 
my guests, to judge by the consumption of them, 
perhaps some of my treasured recipes may be 
useful to others. 
Of fruit in this country we have ample store, 
and ridiculously cheap, as compared to Home 
prices cane sugar can easily be got by buying direct 
from one of the big cane mills, and servants are 
willing ; so on tlie score of economy, too, home- 
made jams are to be recommended ; but to ensure 
success, strict personal supervision is necessary, un- 
less one is hicky enough to have a servant one can 
implicitly trust. I tind there are two items speci- 
ally in which they want looking after : they loill 
put too much water to the frui^,, because " Missis 
only liking plenty jam coming," quite ignoring 
tlie fact that the water has to be boiled away or 
the jam will go mouldy or ferment ; the other is 
that they have not the ghost of an idea what 
" .simmer " means. If left to them the jam will 
boil furiously whilst the maty is energetio 
enough to blow up the fire, but energy and fire 
soon die down, and then the jam goes almost cold. 
Either a good oil stove or "Primus" is far the 
best for this work, as then you can regulate the 
heat to the exact amount required. Bearing 
these two facts in mind, and also that the fruit 
must be sound, ripe and dry, and the sugar cane, 
I pass on to some recipes. 
First comes Cape Gooseberry Jam, which I con- 
sider the king of Jams, bar none. Take the fruit 
outof thehalls ; wipe carefnliy to free from dust, 
rejecting all green ones. AVeigh ; prick each two 
or tiiree times with a silver fork, and put all into 
a preserving pan of which tiie bottom is just 
covered with water ; tliis prevents the fruit from 
catching, which it is very apt to do. Set aside gib 
of sugar for every lb of fruit. Let the fruit come 
slowly to a boil alone, stirring it carefully and 
gently with a wooden spoon. When it boils slack 
it off'; add half the sugar and let it come 
gently to a boil again ; slack it ofi" again ; 
add the rest of the sugar, and the juice 
of two or three limes for each lb of fruit. 
This depends on individual taste. Simmer 
slowly, stirring all the time till the juice sets on a 
plate, If you care to boil it longer it will jelly, 
and you can turn out the jar as a pretty golden 
shape, when cold. 
The juice, strained from skinsand seeds, weighed 
and onequal quantity of sugar allowed boiled to 
a jelly makes a delightful preserve for children, 
with whom seeds in jam do not as a rule agree. 
Guavt, .Jelly. Pare and core any number of ripe 
guavas. Those with pink flesh make a prettier 
coloured jelly tlian the white, but the flivour 
is identical. Put in a preserving pan with 
enough cold filtered water just to cover the fruit 
completely, I advice you to see it put over 
yourself or the servants will put in far too much. 
Stew gently with the cover on the pan, for 
about 6 hours, or until the fruit is almost dissol- 
ved. Here again, if left to liinjself, Rs*m^ 
