Sugar 
Drying 
Canned 
Goods 
70 HOUSEHOLD BACTERIOLOGY 
septic action is so slight that food treated with the 
minimum amount necessary for its preservation is not 
unwholesome for adults in normal health. But in any 
case food so treated should be plainly labeled with the 
name and amount of the added preservative.” 
Condensed milk keeps because most of the water 
has been taken out and a large percentage of sugar 
added. This results in a thick, pasty mass, enclosing 
very little air, in which the few germs which survive 
the heating that the milk undergoes cannot grow and 
work. Decomposition is thus retarded or prevented so 
long as the milk is not exposed to any fresh deposit of 
dust. The contents of an open can will soon show 
mold or give other evidence of spoiling and when di¬ 
luted to the consistency of ordinary milk will sour like 
fresh milk. 
Fifty years ago the country housewives dried their 
own apples, plums, raspberries and blueberries for 
winter use. This drying of uncooked fruits is simply 
an antiseptic measure and they must be kept dry or 
they will spoil. They must also be carefully cleaned 
before use. Some of the germs are killed by the dry¬ 
ing process, but others enter the spore stage and are 
ready fdr work when moisture is furnished. 
The present-day housekeeper owes much of the vari¬ 
ety in her food supply to the possible preservation of 
fruits and vegetables through sterilization. “Canned 
goods” are sterilized by means of steam or boiling. 
The same process, of course, cooks the food, thereby 
