1 JUNE 1944, Page 14

DEHYDRATION—A.D. 1771 Sta,—The following quotation from a letter written by

Benjamin Franklin to Bishop Shipley, the then Bishop of St. Asaph, suggests that dehydra- tion is no new practice: " I have taken the liberty of sending a specimen of the American dried apples for Mrs. Shipley.. ." Is it possible that the first experiment in dehydration was to save shipping space?—Yours faithfully, W. M. A. JONES. C/o Education Department, Kumasi, Gold Coast.