168 STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



in two, and our two little girls aged seven and nine, would spread the fruit on 

 the trays and I would slide them into the drier. In this way we usually filled 

 the drier in sixty or seventy minutes. It is hest to have a good fire before you 

 begin paring, as the sooner the fruit is subjected to the heat after being pared, 

 so as to arrest decay by closing the pores of the fruit as soon as possible, the 

 whiter it will be, and will retain much more of the saccharine quality and 

 natural flavor of the fruit which would otherwise escape by a slower process, 

 and as some heat escapes as you slide in the trays there is little danger of 

 scalding the fruit while filling the drier. I should think we endeavored to have 

 the temperature about 150°, although I never tested it with a thermometer, 

 and perhaps about 120° after the fruit was partially dry. We had a ventilator, 

 6x27 inches, near the top, which could be opened or closed as desired, but 

 should always be kept open while in use. 



At bed-time we filled the stove with large wood, closed it tight, and in 

 warm, dry weather our apples would be nicely evaporated in the morning. 

 After the weather became colder and atmosphere more damp outside, we 

 found it necessary to change the trays the next morning, putting the upper 

 ones at the bottom, and turn them half around and replenish the fire. It 

 takes longer to evaporate peeled peaches than apples, and still longer those that 

 are not pared. Out of this little cheap drier we have taken over seven barrels 

 of nice evaporated apples well pressed down, over one barrel of peaches like 

 that sample and nearly one barrel of unpeeled peaches, besides some currants, 

 corn, etc. I should have said that this drier being one inch longer from front 

 to back than the trays, as will be seen by the dimensions already given, it 

 admitted of a space of one inch at the back of the first tray, and also at the 

 front of the second, and so on alternately. I have found this better than a 

 half-inch space in front and back of each tray. I have made several experi- 

 ments with this little drier and can see where it is capable of improvement. 

 I now would build a drier for my own use somewhat different. I would make 

 it about 30x40 inches on the inside and 8 to 10 feet in height, according to 

 the height of the building in which it would be used. I would make the trays 

 20x30 inches and slide two trays in on the same cleats. I would make the 

 drier all of one inch flooring or ceiling, well seasoned, and line it on the 

 inside up about three feet from the bottom with either brick or galvanized 

 sheet-iron. I think I would use the latter, as with this the drier could be 

 made portable. I would think best to leave about three inches of space 

 between the sheet-iron and sides of the drier, so as to render it fire-proof. I 

 would use for the trays galvanized wire cloth, 5 meshes to an inch, which can 

 be obtained of the manufacturer, John Snow, at Rochester, N. Y., for ?£c to 

 8c per square foot, according to the quantity ordered. The usual width of 

 this wire cloth is 30 inches, although they will make any width desired if the 

 quantity ordered is sufficient. 



I would cover the top of the drier and have ventilators on opposite sides 

 which could be closed more or less. Where the orchards are extensive enough 

 to warrant the expense, probably there is nothing better than the Williams 

 evaporator, made at Kalamazoo, and which will evaporate two hundred 

 bushels of apples in 24 hours if worked up to its full capacity night and day. 

 This has been done at Kalamazoo this season. 



But it seems to me that every farmer greatly needs a cheap evaporator. By 

 this means I know we have saved many barrels of fruit which were blown off, 

 and would have gone to the cider mill or perished entirely. Apples which we 

 could not have sold for 10 cents per bushel will bring us now 30 or 40 cents, 



