TRANSACTIONS HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF NORTHERN ILL. 259 



upon frames or screens — over and through heated air, or, what amounts 

 to the same thing, causing currents of heated air to pass through (above 

 or below) the fruit. 



It is obviously not necessary for the farmer to expend a large amount 

 of money in the purchase of these patented machines, as three or four 

 large dry-goods boxes can readily be converted into a good dry-house, 

 and any old (or new) small stove used as a heater, being careful to so 

 arrange the "house," the heater and the escape orifices that a constant 

 current shall be kept up, and that no part of the drying shall fall much 

 below 150° or rise much above 200° ; always giving the fruit the highest 

 heat when first introduced. Any man of ordinary skill can make such a 

 dry-house. It is, perhaps, more difficult to secure uniformity in the pro- 

 duct in small than in large chambers, yet, with a little experience and 

 the exercise of care, there need be little damage or loss. 



Canning Fruit. — Since this mode of preserving fruits has come into 

 use it has steadily increased in popularity, until now no frugal housewife 

 upon the farm is satisfied to enter the cold season of the year with less 

 than from one to two hundred cans of fruits nicely stored in a dark cup- 

 board in the cellar. Even apples are now canned with decided success 

 and advantage. The processes of canning are too well known to require 

 repetition here. 



Cider Making. — In making cider carelessness and disregard of clean- 

 liness is the rule ; hence, sour, ill-flavored cider is the result, which, how- 

 ever, does not long remain cider, but turns into vinegar, and that not of 

 the best quality. The process of making good cider is so easy and cheap, 

 and has been so often reiterated, that it seems strange that nineteen out 

 of twenty of our orchardists should disregard it. 



Make your cider in cool weather, from ripe, sound apples ; put it into 

 clean, perfectly sweet barrels and remove at once into a cool cellar, and 

 place the barrels, where they are to remain, giving slight vent ; as soon as the 

 first fermentation is over and the cider runs clear, rack off into clean barrels, 

 and your cider will keep without becoming hard and sour. This result 

 will not be obtained if rotten apples are ground up with the sound ones. 



If it is desired to preserve the cider fresh and sweet, as it comes from 

 the press, put it into linseed oil barrels, or, if they cannot be procured, 

 pour a little linseed oil in the barrel. This will, of course, remain on 

 the surface, excluding the air, and will not flavor the cider. I have tried 

 various recommended plans for refining and preserving cider, such as 

 putting lime, charcoal, raisins, etc., into the barrels, but have not suc- 

 ceeded in making as good an article as by the above described simple 

 plan. An account of a mode of making superior cider, or apple-wine, is 

 given in the January number of the American Agriculturist. 



Wine. — I will not attempt to instruct this Society in the art of 

 making wine for commerce, but will say that if any of the members have 

 a surplus of grapes, and want a little wine for use in sickness, they can 

 make it in the way described for making cider, adding that it is abso- 

 lutely necessary that the grapes "^xq fully ripe, and that all immature and 

 all decayed grapes must be removed. 



