Nothing New Under the Sun

International Tract and Missionary Society · Oakland, California · Feb 12, 1885

Nothing New Under the Sun.

It is a singular fact that we are indebted to Pompeii for the great industry of canned fruits. Years ago, when the excavations were just beginning, a party of Americans found, in what had been the pantry of a house, many jars of preserved figs. One was opened, and they were fresh and good. Investigation showed that the figs had been put into jars in a heated state, an aperture left for the steam to escape, and then sealed with wax. The hint was taken, and the next year, fruit canning was introduced in the United States, the process being identical with that in vogue at Pompeii twenty centuries ago.—Sel.