742 Agricultural Gazette of N.S.JV. [Sept. 2, 1908. 



Givat care must be exercised in the .selection ot vai'ii'ties, as only those 

 should be planted wliicli attain a c^ood size and proiluce a well-coloured fruit 

 when cured. 'I'he followiiii,' are ainoiii;- the Ijest for the purpose : — 



Apricotx. Peaches. 



Mansfield Seedlinif, !Plberta, 



Moorpark, Latly Palmerst(jn, 



Alsace, Early Crawfoi'd, 



Hemskirke, Comet. 

 Kaisha. 



These all yield Ljood crops, and produce when cured a liigh-oradi' pioiUict. 



Plant Required for Fruit-Drying. 



1. Cases in which to liandle the fresh fi-uit, such as peaches, apricots, prunes, 

 apples, etc. Those which hold a bushel of fruit are the most con\enient 

 to handle. They should be made strongly so as to stand rou,tih liandhng. 



2 Where g'owers are operating in a large way, handling, say, from 5 to 25 

 tons of apricots daily, large sheets are requirefl to place underneath the 

 trees, so that fruit may be shaken off in j)lace of ]ucking it ; which 

 latter, howe\er, is l)est foi' small quantities. 



3. Good, sharp knives for use in cutting fi'uit, such as apricots and ])eaches, 



in halves. A knife somewdiat similar to that used by shoemakers i.s 

 about the l)est ; but any knife with a short, sharp blade will answer- the 

 purpose. Also a pitting-spoon for removing the stones from clingstone 

 peaches. 



4. Trays for liolding the fruit during the process of fumigating and drying. 

 T). A hand-ban-ow for use in carrying the trays to and from the pitting-shed, 



fumigator, and drying ground. 

 G A wooden fumigator, in which to hoM the trays during the suljthuring 

 process. 



7. Evaporator, where sun-drying cannot be altogether dependeil on. 



8. Drying gi-ound. 



Apricot-Drying. 



As previously suggested, the planter should choose and grow only those 

 kinds which make a good, bright, clear-coloured, large fruit, and one which 

 does not dry away too much during the process. To begin with, the tree 

 must receiw, from the time of its planting, the necessary care and attention 

 to enable it to jinxiuce a good crop of the very best fruit, both for (piality 

 and size. Small undersized fruits are moi-e expensive to handle, they lose 

 more in drying, are more <Htticult to dispose of, and they sell at about one- 

 half the price of fine, bright, even fruit. This necessitates .systematic and 

 judicious pruning and thiiuiing. If it is seen that a tree has set too much 

 fruit, or more than it can possibly develop properly, pick of!' or thin evenly 

 over the whole tree, leaving only such quantity as the tree will properly 

 develop. 



