12 
the time required for the heat to penetrate to the center of the can 
and thus shortens the length of the processing period. It also elimi- 
nates certain volatile constituents which are objectionable to the 
taste. However, when packing in glass, the flavor of the scalded 
material does not differ essentially from the unscalded, and con- 
sequently the principal advantage in this case is that a full pack 
may be obtained. Scalding does not make the coloring substances 
more stable chemically or any less subject to decomposition in the sub- 
sequent processing. 
Exposure to steam is preferable to scalding in water, other con- 
ditions being the same, as the steamed product is better flavored and 
more nutritious. 
These studies have indicated that not only is there no advantage 
in plunging the freshly scalded spinach into cold water, but that 
this is an expensive and wasteful practice. 
PEAS. 
The preliminary treatment of peas in preparation for canning is 
a subject worthy of careful study. The rapidity with which peas 
undergo transformations after harvesting and shelling which render 
them less desirable as food, has always been a serious problem to the 
canner. Modern harvesting and vining machinery and other me- 
chanical devices have reduced to a practical minimum the period be- 
tween the gathering of the peas and the canning operation, but the 
commercial canner is still handicapped by the fact that the peas 
are of different stages of maturity as they come from the viner and 
are all more or less contaminated with dust and the juices of the 
vines. Occasionally, also, the work is delayed so that the freshness 
of the peas is lost. On the other hand, the housewife who goes out 
to the garden and gathers the peas which are to be used immediately 
avoids some of these difficulties. She is able to select the peas when 
they are all in prime condition for canning, shelling by hand pre- 
vents the contamination from dust and vine juices, and prompt 
handling makes it possible to avoid the deterioration of flavor. 
Scalding the peas during the preliminary operation is practiced 
probably by all the commercial packers in this country, and many 
home canners consider it a necessary step in the preparation of the 
peas. Whether it is a necessary or desirable procedure in all cases 
is considered a doubtful matter by many. 
Feeling that the matter needed investigation, the following ex- 
periments were carried out : 
The peas were gathered by hand in the morning fresh from the 
field and, except in those instances noted later, were all in prime table 
condition. The variety was Early Alaska. Shelling was by hand 
and the tests were performed immediately, so that only a few hours 
elapsed between picking from the vines and placing the peas in the 
cans. Except in special cases, the peas were not graded. 
Determinations of the amount of shrinkage; of losses in nutrients; 
of the effect of scalding with steam, boiling water, and solutions of 
various chemicals upon color, texture, and flavor; of the relation of 
maturity to the quality of the product; of the effect of holding the 
shelled peas over night before canning; of the relation of scalding 
to clarity of the liquor; of the effect of chilling in cold water follow- 
