dialectics

Keeping Vegetables Fresh
by the Peking Chungwen District Vegetable Station
Scientific Experiment Group
AS fresh vegetables of increasing variety have occupied
a greater place in the Chinese people's diet,
the contradiction between the seasonal nature of these
vegetables and the steady demand of the market became
marked. During the height of the season, vegetables
often went bad, while in off seasons the supply could not
meet the demand. To solve this contradiction, it became
necessary to store surplus vegetables, keep them fresh
and supply the market in off seasons.
We tackled the problem from two sides: one was to
work in close co-operation with vegetable-producing
communes and brigades in the suburbs; the other was to
mobilize the comrades of our station to solve certain
problems in storing perishable vegetables. In 1968 we
formed a three-in-one scientific experiment group of
cadres, workers and technical personnel, with workers
as the main force, and set out to use the philosophic
teachings of Chairman Mao to help solve these problems
through scientific experiment.
Three
Tomatoes
We focused on tomatoes, known among truck gardeners
as the "overnight headache," because of their perishabil-
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