To make safety surer, the laws of cleanliness must be observed to a scrupulous degree. The table scoured and covered with oil cloth, to prevent dirt; refuse cans near at hand to prevent any accumulations of bacteria or decay; containers and tops boiled at least fifteen minutes before using, and used as soon after as is possible, and then inverted either in water or on an exquisitely clean surface until used. Rubber rings for sealing jars must be cleaned immediately before using by dropping, for one minute, into a boiling solution of soda and water (one quart of water to one teaspoonful of soda) and removing quickly from fire to prevent rubber deterioration. Buy only the very best rubber rings on the market or else your crop may fail. New rings must be bought for every canning and preserving process. Preserving is the result when whole fruits are cooked in syrup until the syrup is clear and transparent. The object is to have the fruit thoroughly permeated with the syrup. Preserving then is the process of introducing syrup into the fruit. A United States Government authority says: “In order to prevent shrinkage it is necessary to put fruit at first into this syrup and increase its density slowly enough for diffusion to take place and for the fruit to be permeated with the syrup. This is done by boiling the fruit in syrup or by alternately cooking and allowing the product to stand immersed in the syrup, the density of the syrup being increased by evaporation or by substituting a heavier syrup for the lighter one after each period of standing. If at any time the fruit shrivels or wrinkles the syrup should be made less dense by the addition of water. If this process be carried on gradually enough the fruit may be completely saturated with sugar (as is the case with crystallized products) without shrinking.” DENSITY MEASURES When there is much preserving to do, and absolute accuracy is a saver of money and time, a measure is used for determining the density of the liquids. This is called a saccharometer. It is inexpensive, about the same price as a thermometer, and consists of a long glass spindle like a thermometer with a scale on it, but, instead of mercury, the bulb is full of shot. When put in a vessel of water it rests at the bottom of the vessel and registers zero. As the density increases the spindle rises until the solution is saturated with sugar at the temperature indicated, the reading being one hundred. This, however, is the Balling scale. The Brix scale is more accurate and is more expensive. When using a saccharometer use a 250 cubic centimeter glass cylinder, or a brass saccharometer cup for the liquid.