CANNING AND DRYING VEGETABLES AND FRUITS

The value of these foods both for the nation's health and for saving
staples applies just as much in winter as in summer. In war-time,
a winter supply, either stored, dried, or canned, takes on special
significance because of their substitute value if the supply of
staples runs critically low.

The canning industry, because it makes vegetables obtainable at all
times and places, has been of great importance in the health and
development of the country. Smith, in his "Commercial Geography," says
that "canning, more than any other invention since the introduction
of steam, has made possible the building up of towns and communities
beyond the bounds of varied production." A century or two ago, sailors
after a voyage of a year or two, almost always came home with scurvy.
Recently Nansen and his men drifted in the Arctic ice for years and
remained in good health, because of their supply of canned vegetables,
fruits, and meats.

The Government has not been slow in appreciating the need of canned
vegetables for the Army and Navy. It has commandeered about 25 per
cent of the canned beans, 12 per cent of the corn, and 18 per cent of
the tomatoes of the 1917 pack. Large amounts will be needed this year
also. Much of the 1918-19 supply for our troops in France is to be
canned in France, by arrangement with the French Government, thus
saving valuable shipping space.

Drying, or dehydrating, has long been known for beans, peas, and corn,