Barrel pulp is scarcely being packed any more, as the barrel has shown itself to be unfit for pulp which is packed without preservative. The use of barrels today is usually only resorted to in emergency cases when cans for the purpose are not available. If the pulp is to undergo long storage and shipment, or any great amount of handling, barrel goods will usually show quite a big loss, not only because much of the pulp is spoiled so that the spoilage is evident at once upon inspection, but because of the growth of yeasts and bacteria in the pulp while it has been in storage, and because of loss of color due to the action of air seeping into the barrel. Wooden barrels as a rule are not absolutely air tight, and it is hard to make them so. I have packed pulp in good uncharred whisky barrels, using 5 lbs. of salt to the barrel, and rolled the barrels to a sheltered place where they would not be disturbed until they were ready to open, and after two or three months’ storage the pulp was all right. If this pulp had been moved, or held until a spell of warm weather came on, it is doubtful if it would have shown up so well. The barrels should be washed out well and steamed for about five minutes before being filled, and the bungs should be burlapped. Metal Drums Ingot iron drums, such as are used for shipping oil, have been recommended for tomato pulp and I have tried them, but they will not do, as the tomato acid dissolves too much of the iron. A Method of Preserving Pulp in Barrels As a method of preserving pulp in barrels one packer for a number of years put hydrochloric acid in it. This, being a strong acid, is also quite a good preservative, and evidently kept the pulp in good shape. When the pulp was worked up, enough bicarbonate of soda was added to neutralize this acid, and the result of the neutralization was sodium chloride, or common salt. There evidently could be no objection made to this from a pure food standpoint, as none of the acid was left in the pulp after the neutralization, and sodium chloride is a common ingredient of pulp. However, the process darkened the pulp, which was an objection. As to whether or not the flavor was impaired by this treatment I do not know. CHAPTER VII THE MICRO-ORGANISMS OF TOMATO PRODUCTS; THE ATTITUDE OF THE PURE FOOD AUTHORITIES TOWARD THEM; AND THE INTERPRETATION OF ANALYSES Micro-Organisms; What They Are By micro-organisms we mean molds, yeasts, bacteria, and their spores. The term “micro-organisms” takes in all of these.