CHAPTER I. CLASS 71-VEGETABLES, FORAGE PLANTS, AND CEREALS. By AMORY AUSTIN. Tubers, potatoes, etc. Dry farinaceous vegetables; beans, lentils, etc. Vegetables used for seasoning; onions, garlic, etc. Salads, gourds, pumpkins, melons, etc. An examination of the above list shows that the first two thirds of it relate either to such vegetables and fruits as can be freshly gathered for immediate consumption, or to such as can be stored for future use without any other preparation beyond ordinary cleansing, drying, and packing in suitable receptacles, while the remaining third has reference to vegetables or fruits which have undergone various forms of preparation necessary to preserve them in a wholesome condition for a long time or for transportation. It is this last third of the list which constituted the whole exhibit of the French section in Class 71, the rest of the list being exhibited along with "specimens of farm improvements and agricultural works" in Class, 74 where they are no doubt shown as products of farm management or results of various systems of culture. The preserved vegetables and fruits of Class 71 are, in an alimentary sense, so closely connected with the preserved animal products of Class 70 that many exhibitors showed products of the two classes side by side. Thus, in the French exhibit there were, out of 110 exhibitors, 56 who showed animal products, 32 who showed vegetable products, and 22 who showed both. As might have been expected, France made a notable and important exhibit in this branch of industry. Almost every known edible of vegetable origin was there represented in one form or another, while the richness of the display, the proverbial good taste of the French, shown in making an attractive arrangement of their vitrines, and, above all, the appetizing appearance of the wares themselves, caused this to be regarded as one of the most remarkable exhibits upon the Quai d' Orsay. The vegetables and fruits exhibited in this section were preserved by the two well-known general methods: first, by desiccation, with its various modifications, and secondly by the process of preservation in hermetically sealed packages, originated by François Appert in 1804, and since improved by him and by others, principally in France. No very strikingly new methods of preservation were shown. A competition of "materials and processes for gathering, preparation, drying, preservation and packing of fruits" was announced for the latter half of August, but no competitors came forward. There were in the whole Exposition but two exhibits of such a nature, both French. One was that of Fouché, who showed special apparatus, such as kettles, etc., and notably an improved form of drying chamber, applicable not only to meats and fish as well as to vegetables and fruit, but also to the drying of printed sheets, etc. The other was a process of preserving fruits by cold, by E. Salomon, of Thomery. Of interest also in this connection is the Écosseuse or machine for shelling peas, which does its work very thoroughly. There were in the French alimentary section only two exhibits of vegetables preserved by simple desiccation. One was that of Lapostolet Frères, who showed peas, lentils, and beans of various sorts dried and decorticated, as "split peas" and also ground into flour. These had undergone a process of cleansing and assorting by sizes made by appropriate machinery, which is an adaptation of the trieur or grain-separating machine; the refuse of the operation was shown with the finished product. The other exhibit was that of Prevet et Cie., who showed a large collection of dried vegetables, including carrots, turnips, potatoes, cabbage, brussels sprouts, celery, onions, flageolets, and string beans (haricots verts), all cut into thin ribbons or slices and completely desiccated by appropriate machinery. These are put up separately or in mixtures, such as julienne or macédoine, ready to be used in soups, etc., and are either loosely packed or compressed into cakes. This house uses a special process, and annually preserves from 6,000,000 to 10,000,000 kilograms of vegetables in this way. In order to show the perfection of their process, these exhibitors had a show case of cabbages and one of carrots and turnips with their tops on, all dried without losing their natural form, and ready for use as julienne. The only dried fruits exhibited were prunes (noticed farther on), although raisins, figs, apples and pears, and many other fruits are habitually preserved in this manner in France. The greater part of the vegetables and fruits in this section were preserved by Ap |