May  1,  1896.] 
Supplement  to  the  “ Tropical  Agriculturi^it  ” 
803 
(1.)  Tliis,  considered  to  be  the  most  perfect 
method,  i.s  the  one  employed  exclusively  hy  the 
canning  factories.  The  fruit,  neatly  prepared,  is 
packed  as  closely  as  possible  into  the  glass  jars, 
whicli  are  lllled  with  a syrup  made  by  boiling 
sugar  and  water  together.  Place  the  jar  in  a 
kettle  or  boiler  of  tepid  water  on  a few  nails  or 
wooden  suck  with  holes  bored  through,  allowing 
the  water  to  come  up  within  an  inch  of  the  top 
of  the  jar.  Put  on  covers  lightly,  cover  the  kettle 
or  boiler  and  boil  till  fruit  is  done.  Have  some 
syrup  ready  on  the  stove  for  filling  up  the  jars. 
When  done,  remove  the  jar  from  the  water,  ])lace 
it  on  a folded  wet  towel,  fill  to  the  top  with  hot 
syrup,  wipe  off  the  neck  and  fix  cover  tightly  by 
rubber  and  screw  top  or  other  means.  Invert 
each  can  as  a test:  if  not  airtight  the  syrup  will 
ooze  nut.  If  still  hot,  remove  tlie  cover,  refill 
with  hot  syrup  and  re-seal.  But  if  it  luis  become 
cold  turn  out  the  syrup  and  I'etill  the  can  again. 
Fruit  that  is  cooled  in  the  jars  retains  not  only 
its  shape,  thus  looking  far  more  inviting,  but  also 
its  delicate  flavour. 
(2.)  The  second  plan  is  the  one  most  used  by 
the  housewife  in  America.  It  is  simply  to  boil 
tlie  fruit  in  a syrup  placed  in  a porcelain-lined 
stew-pan  or  kettle  until  sufficiently  cooked,  and 
pour  it  boiling  hot  into  the  cans,  stirring  about 
with  a spoon  to  let  the  air  bubbles  escape.  Tlie 
can  is  now  filled  with  hot  juice  or  syrup  and  the 
neck  wiped  with  a wet  towel  before  sealing  up  as 
before.  If  the  fruit  is  in  pieces,  they  should  be 
placed  in  the  jar  carefully  with  a fork  or  spoon, 
a little  syrup  put  in  first  to  temper  the  jar.  If 
there  is  fruit  remaining  in  the  pan  it  should  be 
carefully  drawn  to  one  side  of  the  stove  and  not 
allowed  to  overcook  while  the  filling  proce.ss  is 
going  on  ; frecpiently  fruit  is  spoiled  in  this  way. 
The  advantages  of  this  method  are  that  much 
more  fruit  can  be  put  into  each  jar  after  shrink- 
ing by  cooling  them  in  the  fresh  state.  A word 
of  caution  in  regard  to  filling  glass  jars  with  hot 
fruit  is- necessary.  The  jar,  while  being  filled, 
should  be  placed  on  a damp  cloth,  folded  so  as  to 
comjtletelj’  fill  the  hollow  in  the  bottom  of  the 
jar,  and  in  it  should  be  inserted  a common  table, 
knife  having  a metallic  handle,  or  a spoon,  as  an 
additional  precaution  against  the  sudden  expansion 
of  the  gla.<-s  and  consequent  breakage.  Of  course 
the  knife  is  removed  before  the  lid  is  finally  fixed 
on.  Again,  it  should  be  seen  that  the  cans  are 
thoroughly  scalded  out  with  hot  water  before 
using.  Too  much  emphasis  cannot  be  laid  on  this 
point.  In  the  case  of  both  methods  above 
described,  the  jars,  while  their  contents  are  hot, 
must  be  kept  out  of  the  reach  of  draughts  of  cold 
air,  as  otherwise  the  glass  will  contract  suddenly, 
with  the  result  that  many  will  be  broken. 
TIIF  NUTRITIVK  PROCESS  IN  PLANTS. 
I’rof.  J.  lleynolda  Crreen,  D.Sc.,  F.li.S. 
{Continued.^ 
The  places  where  these  permanent  reserves  are 
accumulated  are  more  numerous  than  we  are  apt 
to  suppose.  Seeds,  tubers,  roots  &c.  readily  occur- 
to  us  as  parts  of  the  ]dant  iu  which  we  may  find 
them.  In  the  short-lived  plants,  which  we  group 
together  roughly  as  herbaceous  in  their  habits, 
these  are  necessarily  the  most  important  reservoirs. 
But  it  is  different  with  trees  and  shrubs  which 
last  for  many  years,  and  which  do  not  form 
fleshy  receptacles.  We  have  in  these,  stout  stems 
or  trunks,  with  numerous  branches;  large  woody 
roots  which  continue  to  grow  year  after  year, 
keeping  pace  with  the  parts  above  ground.  Though 
the  primary  use  of  these  members  is  not  to  store 
food  products,  yet  they  have  work  of  this  kind  to 
do.  A tree  which  has  a trunk  and  a root  which 
is  growing  in  thickness  is  in  need  of  a constant 
rather  than  an  intermittant  supply  of  food  mate- 
rial placed  near  the  actively  growing  regions.  The 
growth  in  thickness  of  such  a trunk  or  root  is 
brought  about  by  the  activity  of  a layer  of  deli- 
cate living  cells,  wdiich  are  constantly  dividine  to 
produce  new^  w-ood  and  new  bast,  and  wdiich  appear 
as  a ring  of  what  is  called  merisniatic  or  dividing 
tissue,  on  the  exterior  of  the  woody  ma.ss.  The  new 
cells  so  formed  need  a constant  supjily  of  nutri- 
tive material,  at  the  expense  of  which  they  deve- 
lope  the  peculiar  features  of  wood  and  bast  res- 
pectively. The  merisniatic  tissue  itself  Avhich  is 
called  the  cambium  layer,  is  in  great  need  of  food 
or  it  is  perforce  obliged  to  cease  dividing,  and 
so  the  grow'th  in  thickness  of  the  tree  is  stopped. 
Cell  division  is  indeed  the  result'of  cell-growth. 
When  such  a cell  has  reached  its  full  .size,  it  divides 
into  two,  each  of  which  grow's  to  its  appropriate 
adult  dimensions  ; some  divide  again  like  the  ones 
from  which  they  sprang;  others  become  trans- 
formed into  wood  or  bast  cells.  In  either  case  an 
immediate  supply  of  food  is  needed,  and  from  the 
condition  of  things  this  supply  must  be  near  at 
hand.  We  must  therefore  expect  a number  of 
places  near  the  cambium  in  wdiich  these  materials 
may  be  laid  dowui.  We  find  them  accompanying 
the  cambium — either  in  the  form  of  sheaths  sur- 
rounding the  whole  ring  of  the  new  tissue  or  in 
the  spaces  called  medullary  rays,  w hich  are  formed 
between  the  mas.^es  of  wood,  these  rays  beincr 
composed  of  cells  wdiich  differ  in  shape  from  the 
trypical  forms  of  wood  and  bast  cells. 
In  stems  of  smaller  girth,  which  have  not 
developed  much  wood,  we  find  stores  of  food 
material  laid  up  in  the  region  just  uuderneath 
the  surface,  which  constitutes  what  is  called 
the  cortex,  and  wdiich  gives  jilace  later  on  to 
the  complex  formation  wdiicii  is  familiar  to  us 
under  the  name  of  bark. 
In  studying  these  reserve  materials,  we  have 
thus  first  to  consider  how  they  are  originally 
formed  from  the  simple  substances  wdiich  the  plant 
absorbs  from  the  air  and  from  the  soil,  and  then 
to  asceitain  how  they  are  transported  to  the  reser- 
voirs in  which  w'e  find  them,  and  how  they  assume 
the  definite  shapes  iu  wdiich  they  present  them- 
selves. 
The  foliage  leaf  may  be  regarded  as  the  chief 
laboratory  of  the  plant,  the  place  where,  in  the 
first  instance,  the  chemical  changes  take  place 
which  lead  ultimately  to  the  construction  of  its 
organic  substance.  This  organ  is  a winged  expan- 
sion of  an  outgrowth  from  the  stem,  and  is  speci- 
ally adapted  to  expose  as  much  surface  as  possi- 
ble to  air  and  light.  The  midrib  of  the  leaf  is  the 
continuation  of  its  stalk  or  petiole,  and  takes  no 
share  in  the  constructive  processes,  serving  only 
as  the  path  by  which  fluids  are  conducted  to  it 
from  the  stem,  and  in  turn  are  sent  down  from  it 
into  the  axis  of  the  plant.  The  strujture  of  the 
wing  or  flattened  portion  is  the  most  important 
part  from  our  ])-esent  point  of  view.  The  uppef 
