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Testimonials
Respecting
Graefer's prepared Vegetables
Iphigenia, Burlington-Bay, 17th of October, 1781.
Sir,
Their Lordships having, by their Order, bearing Date the 3d of May, directed me to receive on-board a Quantity of Mr. Graefer's dried Vegetables, and to give the same a fair Trial, I beg you will please to acquaint their Lordships that I have frequently boiled Part of the said Vegetables in fresh Water, and find that they are perfectly good, retain much Flavour, and are preferable to Vegetables that have been but few Days out of the Ground; but the Water they were boiled in was always so rancid and nauseous, that it could by no Means be made Use of for any other Purpose; and, as they take a large Proportion of Water to boil them, it led me to make the following Experiments.
Sixteen Ounces of Vegetables were taken out of the Cask, and divided into four Parcels. Four were boiled in fresh Water, increased to sixteen Ounces, and were perfectly good and well-flavoured.
Four Ounces were boiled in salt Water, increased to twelve Ounces, but were fit to be eat.
Four Ounces were boiled in the Steam of fresh Water, they increased to nine Ounces, were tough, and by no Means so good as those boiled in fresh Water.
The other four Ounces were boiled in the steam of salt Water, increased in the same Proportion as the latter, and were similar to them when done.
The Quantity of Water used in boiling of them is two Gallons and a Half to a Pound of the dried Vegetables; and they generally increase, when boiled, to four Times the Weight when dry.
Ten Pound of Vegetable were boiled, in the Ship's Copper, in Twenty Gallons of Water; it increased to forty-one Pounds, and was perfectly good. It was served to the whole Ship's Company, at a Pound a Mess; but the Water was too bad to be made Use of for any other Purpose afterwards. I beg you will lay these Experiments before their Lordships. And I have the Honour to be,
SIR,
Your most obedient humble Servant
CHARLES HOPE
(A true Copy.)
GEO. JACKSON, D.S.
N.B. Captain Charles Hope having, after the above Report was sent to the Admiralty, found, that he had used too small a Quantity of Water to boil the dried Greens in, and that from that Cause the Water was rancid, he made another Experiment, and found the Water good, which he has attested before the Board.