UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA. AGRWUUURAL EXPERIMENT STATION. BULLKT1N NO. 2G. Examinations of Miscellaneous Vege- table Substances. ExamtiuUion of dried • Did non mljih >ir< d: — The of sulphuring dried fruits has raised the ques- tion whether or not this process could be con- sidered as in any manner injurious to the health of consumers. According to the more generally prevailing practice, the fruit is sub Apart from the lighter tint secured for the dried fruit by sulphuring, it is claimed that fruit bo treated will remain free from insect pests even if afterwards Hried in the sun. If this is ajtricot*, sulphured so it must be because the outside is rendered increasing practice distasteful to them, as it is to the human palate, by the excess of acid and lack of flavor. Of course, sulphuring after drying would kill all eggs that might have been laid during the pro- c« m : but In that condition the fruit absorbs so much of the sulphurous acid (which afterwards becomes sulphuric) as to be absolutely objec- tionable on the score of health, besides being jected to the gas from burning sulphur for a deprived of nearly all itb flavor, few minutes Wore being placed in the drier, thus While therefore a light sulphui ing can hardly , t . . r i- u*. - be considered objectionable on hygienic grounds, producing an article of lighter tint than the ^ carefuUy ^ arde | against can be obtained when unsulphured fruit is excessive use; and if it were fully understood similarly treated. Others have gone so far as by the public that the most inferior fruit can to sulphur the fruit after drying, until in some by sulphuring be made to be as litrht- colored as , . , . , the best, and that a light brownish color lndi- cas< s it appears almost colorless and translu- cate8 ^ absence of all artificial bleaching, and cent. Even raisins have been subjected to this tne possession of the full flavor by the fruit, the treatment, producing an article of almost preference would soon be habitually given to weirdly pale aspect. the unbleached article. That fruit dried in The following figures throw some light on c i 08e driers is exempt from insect eggs without the question of the amount of sulphuric fc ne use of sulphuring, scarcely requires men- acid introduced into the fruit by sulphur- tfan. ing, prior to dryiny only: No. 1 wat a Examination of barfa from the northern sample of sun dried apricots, of very inviting islands of Japan, — Sent bv Messrs. Richards & Riverside, the fruit having been sulphured be- fore drying. The determination gave: Sul- phuric acid in No. 1, .0()7 per cent; sulphuric acid in No. 2, £33 per cent. It thus appears that the amount of sulphuric acid naturally contained (as sulphates) iu the aHh of all fruits, had been nearly quadrupled by the sulphuring, so as to form nearly one-quarter of one per cent of the weight of the air dried fruit. Aside from the chemical analysis, the taste could easily observe the difference in favor of the unsulphured fruit. The latter had plainly and decidedly the natural flavor of the apricot, which was at once impressed on the palate when taken in the mouth, without chewing. The sulphured fruit lacked the odor, and the first impres-ion produced on the palate was that of an aei«l, followed by the natural flavor only after some time, or on chewing. No one tasting in the dark could have mistaken one for the other, or failed to prefer the unsulphured fruit which nevertheless had a darker tint and in unlimited quantities. Bark No. 1 is H inch thick, h inch inside dark reddish; obviously that of an oak resembling, in this respect, the red oak of the Eastern States. The inside layer gives with water or alcohol a reddish solution, of somewhat astringent taste, which on evap- oration leaves a gummy residue of the same deep color. This solution yields 6.2 per cent of the original weight (of the inside layer) of tannin; or referred to the entire bark, about half that amount, or three per cent. American tan -barks range from 10 to 12 per cent of the entire bark; so the Japanese bark could hardly compete with them. Sample No. 2 consisted of two kinds of very light, corky bark; one uniform, light brownish- dun probably that of a cotton wood; the other consisting of alternating, thin (about 1-25 inch) layers of gray and yellow. Both alike when first immersed in water show about the same specific gravity of .305; after 24 hours immer- sion, .323. The average specific gravity of cork would by most persons not have been chosen, bein 'g abo ut .250, it thus appears that life pre bythee>e, for its looks. ' servers made of these barks* would require to I contain one-fifth more bark in order to bear' about the same weight in water. If sufficient- ly abundant, these barks when ground might be used in place of cork for packing grapes, as one of them at least is entirely devoid of odor. Alcohol extract from "buhach" powder, the powdered heads of Pyrethrum cinerariasfolium:- As this extract is extremely useful in the exter- mination of noxious insects, and is especially convenient as being constantly ready for use in conservatories, greenhouses, etc., by simply mixing it with water in proportions varying from 10 to 30 gallons for each pound of powder, it was thought desirable to determine the amount of matter extracted from fresh powder by alcohol. This cannot be done by direct weighing, on account of the volatility of the ac-, tive oil; hence the method used was to weigh' the air-dried powder, extract it, and again weigh after ai -drying. The coincident result | of several experiments was that on an average, about 15 per cent of the weight of the fresh powder is soluble in alcohol. Extract of Eucalypti** globulus or blue gum, now so largely and successfully used for the ( prevention and removal of scale incrustations on steam boilers, was tested in respect to its contents of tannin, its taste being highly as- tringent. It was found that a standardized tannin solution would precipitate .337 per cent only of tannin; that beyond these limits, either tannin or gelatine solution would produce a pre- cipitate of about equal amount. After removing the tannin as far as possible by digestion with ani- mal membrane, the acid reaction shown by the extract was found to be equivalent to only . 127 per cent of sulphuric acid; an amount so small that it is doubtful whethe; the cleansing action upon boilers can be attributed 1» Acid solution. A core of the Mescal plant, sent to Mr. J. J. Rivers, curator of Museum, June, 1883, by a correspondent in northern Mexico, was exam- ined for the amount of sugars contained in it. The specimen, when received, was slightly dried, of the size of a large pear, of brownish- yellow tint, somewhat flabby and elastic, like a similar lump of crude rubber; but readily cut with the knife, showing an apparently structureless vege- table mass, traversed by a few irregular fibrous bundles. Its taste was intensely and somewhat vapidly sweet. It is understood that the "heart" of the Mescal is thus sold in the mar- kets as though it were a sweet fruit, and for similar purposes. A longitudinal slice was ex- tracted with water and found to contain 9.2 per cent cane sugar, by polarization; 24.08 per cent other sugai8, b copper test; total sugars, 33.29 ner cent. The sugar shown in the "copper test" appears to be mainly fruit sugar or "levuloae." The mass, cut into shavings, dries but slowly, and afterwards presents the appearance and almost the taste of candied fruit. As a curiosity, the Mescal core might find a place on the dessert table. The article recalls to mind the similar use of the small palm in- digenous to southern Spain {Sabal minimus), the peeled stems or cores of which are at certain seasons brought to the markets of Alicante and Cartagena. It must be admitted, however, that the Mescal core would be more acceptable to most palates, the palm stem resembling in a measure the unripe persimmon or date in its taate - E. W. Hilgard. Berkeley, December 11, 1884.