May  1899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
4:n 
up  the  moisture  of  the  vegetables,  so  much  so  that  at  the  further  end 
an  exhaust  fan  with  a  high  number  of  revolutions  is  re(|uired  to  extract 
the  moisture-laden  air  and  expel  it  through  an  upcast  shaft. 
The  amount  of  moisture  extracted  from  vegetables  differs  largely  in 
various  kinds,  Onions  being  reduced  to  about  one-tenth  of  their  original 
weight,  and  other  vegetables  to  a  less  extent.  The  time  and  the  degree 
of  heat  required  by  each  also  largely  differ,  and  in  the  knowledge  of  this 
lies  much  of  the  success  of  the  process.  When  the  vegetables  leave  the 
canal  the  slices  are  crisp  as  biscuit,  and  a  slight  reabsorption  of  atmo¬ 
spheric  moisture  must  take  place  before  they  are  ready  for  compressing 
and  packing.  Tor  this  purpose  they  are  spread  on  a  wooden  floor,  and 
here  again  experience  is  needful  in  order  to  seize  the  proper  moment.  It 
is  claimed  that  all  the  natural  and  essential  qualities  of  the  vegetables  are 
retained  without  any  diminution  by  this  process. 
Having  described  the  most  important  part  first,  wo  will  now  rapidly 
follow  the  process  of  preparation.  Down  the  middle  of  the  room  are 
tables  at  which  the  girls  stand,  each  with  two  baskets  on  the  floor,  one 
on  either  side.  On  the  table  or  beneath  it  are  the  various  small  machines 
for  peeling  or  slicing,  most  of  them  very  ingenious.  The  idea  of  peeling 
Potatoes  in  a  lathe  strikes  most  people  as  ludicrous,  but  it  is  true. 
Larger  machines  lor  washing  Potatoes,  Carrots,  Onions,  and  other  kinds 
by  rotatory  action,  and  slicing  them,  stand  round  the  walls,  while  a 
notable  Pea-shelling  and  sorting  machine  of  largo  dimensions  makes  a 
sort  of  centre.  Steam-heated  plunging  tanks  occupy  one  corner,  i  nd 
large  butts  of  cold  water  another.  The  machinery  in  the  conserving  room 
is  of  the  newest  description,  but  being  commonly  used  in  this  country 
needs  no  description.  It  may  be  ;vell  to  state  here  that  the  vegetables 
prepared  at  Payne  are  absolutely  free  from  chemicals,  and  have  passed 
the  Government  analyst  as  perfectly  pure. 
The  principal  feature  of  successfully  evaporating  vegetables  is  to 
wholly  extract  the  water  without  burning  or  drying  up  the  fibres  and 
tissues  that  are  in  them,  otherwise  the  vegetables  will  not  thoroughly 
re-hydrate  again  or  reassiime  almost  their  normal  size,  while  no  matter 
how  pro])erly  and  carefully  they  are  cooked  they  will  he  harsh  and 
flavourless,  and  lose  their  natural  aroma  and  colour.  When  properly 
evaporated  each  vegetable  should  retain  its  own  peculiar  aroma,  essential 
oil,  strength,  goodness,  colour,  and  flavour. 
Almost  every  kind  of  vegetable  and  herb  is  capable  of  being  preserved 
by  an  evaporating  process,  and  if  cars  be  taken  to  get  rid  of  the  moisture 
contained  in  them  they  will  keep  for  an  indefinite  period  in  any  climate, 
so  long  as  they  are  kept  covered  in  a  tin  box,  so  as  to  prevent  their 
absorbing  the  moisture  contained  in  the  air.  Radishes,  Lettuce,  Water¬ 
cress,  and  such  like  crisp  vegetables  cannot  be  done  successfully,  because 
it  is  impossible  by  re-hydrating  to  get  back  their  natural  crispness,  which 
is  their  leading  characteristic. 
The  time  required  for  the  drying  process  is  from  two  hours  and  a  half 
to  four  hours,  starting  from  a  gradual  heat  up  to  4.'}°  to  75°  Celsius,  such 
heats  varying  according  to  the  vegeiable  dealt  with.  It  is  inadvisable,  as 
also  almost  impossible,  to  lay  down  a  fixed  rule  as  to  the  temperature 
required,  as  the  condition  of  the  vegetable,  whether  a  wet  or  dry  season, 
its  growth,  and  even  the  soil  upon  which  grown,  have  to  be  taken  into 
consideration. 
The  process  of  evai)Oration  does  not  in  any  way  alter  the  condition  of 
the  vegetable  so  treated  either  in  making  it  fresher  or  staler.  Fresh 
vegetables  will  come  out  from  the  process  fresh,  and  stale  vegetables 
cannot  be  altered,  but  will  come  out  stale.  The  best  time  to  put  the 
vegetables  through  the  process  is  when  they  are  at  their  full  growth  and 
their  nutritive  (jualities  at  the  highest  point.  Vegetables  grown  on 
sewage  farms  or  on  very  highly  manured  market  gardens  are  not  the  best 
for  the  factory,  as  in  both  cases  they  contain  a  much  higher  percentage 
of  water  than  those  grown  on  less  quickly  forcing  soil,  and  it  is  an 
open  question  as  to  whether  they  would  have  such  good  keeping  qualities 
when  grown  on  the  former  as  on  the  latter.  At  the  same  time  it  is 
important  to  avoid  using  vegetables  that  are  grown  on  poor  soil,  which 
consequently  are  a  long  time  growing,  and  must  be  necessarily  coarse  and 
spongy,  in  the  case  of  roots  and  such  like,  and  stringy  and  tough  in  the 
case  of  Cabbage. 
133'  fbe  evaporation  process,  all  classes  of  vegetables  as  the}’  come  in 
season  may  be  preserved  and  used  for  culinary  purposes,  irrespective 
of  seasons,  so  that  Carrots,  Turnips,  Parsnips,  and  Onions,  these  forming 
perhaps  the  most  useful,  may  be  obtained  all  the  year  round  in  their  full 
nutritious  condition  and  at  reasonable  prices.  Under  the  old  order  of 
things  during  the  months  from  April  to  September  it  is  very  difficult  and 
expensive  to  obtain  such  from  natural  sources. 
When  needed  for  use  evaporated  vegetables  require  soaking  in  water 
for  from  two  to  six  hours,  according  to  the  sort.  After  soaking  they  may 
•!)e  cooked  in  the  same  way  as  ordinary  fresh  vegetables  of  a  similar 
nature.  Vegetables  required  for  soups  need  not  bo  soaked  so  long  as 
those  for  the  vegetable  dish.  13y  adopting  a  sound  and  proper  process  of 
evaporation,  and  by  taking  great  care  for  the  cleanliness  of  all  the 
surroundings  and  quickness  in  dealing  with  the  produce  from  the  first 
commencement  of  tlie  process,  which  is  the  peeling,  to  the  last,  which  is 
the  pressing  and  packing,  the  colour  of  each  vegetable  and  its  own 
natural  aroma  and  qualities  may  be  retained  without  the  use  of  any 
colouring  matter  or  chemicals. 
For  army,  navy,  and  colonial  use,  where  vegetables  are  scarce  or 
impossible  to  obtain,  evaporated  vegetables  form  a  splendid  substitute  for 
the  original  article,  and  beyond  ((uestion  hold  their  own  far  beyond  any 
tinned  substitute,  both  in  flavour  and  quality,  while  they  are  certainly 
much  cheaper  comparing  solids  with  solids,  and  very  much  easier  to 
handle.  By  hydraulic  pressure,  which  in  no  way  injures  them  or 
militates  against  their  value,  it  is  possible  to  confine  a  large  quantity  of 
evaporated  vegetables  in  a  very  small  compass,  which  very  materially 
lessens  the  cost  of  transport  both  by  land  and  sea. 
As  an  aid  to  agriculture,  which  is  still  the  largest  industry  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  the  evaporation  business  will  require  a  little  time  to  firmly  seat 
itielf,  but  as  to  its  ultimate  success,  an  object  lesson  may  be  learnt  from 
France,  Germany,  and  America,  the  two  former  for  vegetables  and  the  latter 
for  fruit.  France  was  the  originator  of  evaporated  vegetables,  which  were 
first  used  prominently  by  them  in  the  Crimean  war  in  the  feeding  of  their 
soldiers.  Since  the  Franco- I’russian  war,  Germany  has  made  very  great 
strides  in  their  manufacture,  so  that  now  in  that  country  and  in  France, 
factories  for  evajiorating  vegetables  may  be  reckoned  by  the  score. 
Dried  vegetables  may  be  seen  and  bought  in  most  of  the  grocers’ 
shops  on  the  Continent,  as  they  have  now  become  universally  used  by  the 
householders  of  the  great  cities  and  towns.  For  cheapness,  saving  of 
time  and  trouble  in  peeling  and  preparing,  for  doing  away  with  the 
FlU.  95. — ( )l)ONTO(!liO«HUM  OJIISPUM  UAY.MONI)  ClUtySIIAV. 
nuisance  of  the  jieelings  and  garbage  stored  in  or  near  the  house,  evaporated 
vegetables  should  be  extensively  used  in  London  and  all  great  centres  of 
people. 
The  gold  medal  and  diploma  of  honour  were  awarded  to  the  Ray  no 
vegetables  at  the  Universal  Food  and  Cookery  Kxhibition  held  at  the 
Imperial  Institute  in  March  last,  where  they  were  extensively  used  in  the 
practical  demonstrations. — {I'aper  read  by  Mil.  R.  GoFTON  Salmond 
at  the  Horticultural  Club.) 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOUIETY. 
The  Temple  Flower  Show,  May  31st,  June  1st  and  2Nr). 
For  the  twelfth  year  in  succession  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
will  hold  its  great  annual  flower  show  in  the  Inner  Temple  Gardens 
(by  the  kind  permisdon  of  the  Treasurer  and  Benchers)  on  May  31st, 
June  Ist  and  2nd.  Fvory  year  the  desire  of  growers  to  exhibit  increases, 
and  the  officials  of  the  Society  have  a  very  anxious  task  in  endeavouring 
to  do  justice  to  those  growers  who  regularly  support  the  fortnightly 
shows  of  the  Society  held  at  the  Drill  Hall,  and  yet  at  the  same  time  to 
encourage  others  also  to  come  forward.  The  space  is  absolutely  limited 
by  order  of  the  Temple  authorities  ;  no  more,  or  larger,  tents  may  be 
erected.  Hence  every  new  exhibitor  whose  entry  is  accepted  means 
curtailment  of  the  space  allotted  to  previous  supporters. 
A  catalogue  of  the  Show  is  given  gratis  to  every  visitor,  and  will 
contain  a  notice  of  new  and  rare  plants  entered  on  or  before  May  23rd  ; 
it  will  also  contain  a  programme  of  the  music  to  be  performed  each  day 
by  the  band  of  her  Majesty’s  Royal  Horse  Guards  (Blues).  The  Judges 
will  meet  at  the  Secretary’s  tent  at  10.30  A.M.  on  May  31st,  at  which 
hour  punctually  the  tents  will  be  cleared  of  all  exhibitors  and  their 
assistants.  The  Fruit,  Floral,  and  Orchid  Committees  will  assemble  at 
the  Secretary's  tent  at  11  A.M.  sharp,  and  the  Show  will  be  oi'cned  at 
12.30.  All  plants  for  certificate  must  be  entered  on  or  before  Friday^ 
May  26th  ;  address — The  Secretary,  R.H.S.,  117,  Victoria  Street,  S.W.  ; 
they  cannot  be  entered  under  any  circumstances  on  the  day  of  the  Show. 
