23r> ILLINOIS STATE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



flowers graced the tables; two by Mrs. Hoppe, one by Mrs. Willis, and 

 one b_v Mrs. A. M. Mitchell, all tastefully arranged by amateur hands. 



Apples were on exhibition by Messrs. Hammond and McCune : 

 among the varieties Ben Davis, Wythe and Pryor Red, were the leading 

 ones in point of keeping qualities. 



Mr. Hoppe showed wine of 1870, consisting of Norton's Virginia, 

 Catawba and Concord ; cider was exhibited by Willis, Hammond and 

 Hoppe. Canned apples of superior quality challenged admiration. 



After looking around among Mr. Hoppe' s cedars, flowers and fruits, 

 which present a very inviting appearance, the meeting was called to order 

 by the President, who stated that the special subject in the order of pro- 

 gramme, was "utilizing fruits.'' W. N. Grover, essayist, not being 

 present, Mr. Hammond invited Mr. Galusha to give his views on the 

 subject. Mr. Galusha responded, and said the subject was one of great 

 importance to fruit growers and consumers of fruit. The poor quality of 

 much of the dried fruits, on account of the want of better facilities for 

 preparing it for market, as well as the great amount lost and wasted 

 during the season of plenty, caused people to look about for some im- 

 provement in drying and preserving fruits, not only for market, but for 

 home use. He alluded to the fruits on the table for dinner, as showing 

 what people could do in providing fruits of superior quality, but said the 

 expense of putting up fruits in that way was beyond the reach of the poor 

 for general use. The people were expecting of those investigating these 

 subjects to invent or discover some more efficient means of utilizing the 

 fruits of the farm. The Alden process had been invented, but was not 

 sufficiently within the reach of the people. 



The fruit desiccated by this process is perhaps as near perfection as 

 any inventor can hope to produce ; yet the great expense of the buildings 

 and fixtures required to manufacture it, makes the fruit quite costly ; and 

 for this reason, he thought this process cannot be profitable to the fruit- 

 grower. The manufactories already started in the State have cost, as the 

 agents inform him, about ^25,000 each, though Mr. Schuyler, the general 

 agent, says that the company has a plan for buildings and machinery 

 which will cost but $10,000. He referred to another invention by a Mr. 

 Williams, of Michigan, which produces fruit in every way equal to that 

 made by the Alden process, and, the inventor claims, at a much less 

 expense for fixtures. He had tested the fruit and found it the perfection 

 of desiccated fruit. The necessary building and fixtures for manufactur- 

 ing by this process, he understood, cost from two to three thousand dol- 

 lars. He was gratified in being able to state that a new process, based 

 upon entirely new principles, had recently been tested, promising to meet 

 all the requirements in regard to economy, and adapted to the smallest 

 operations, as these dryers could be built for six dollars, or on a scale to 

 cost several hundred dollars. This was known as the Hawley process, 

 invented by B. R. Hawley, of Normal, 111, and differing from all other 

 modes of drying fruits, in passing the moist air, from evaporation, out at 

 the bottom instead of the top, as by other modes. The quality of the fruit 

 produced could not be excelled by any other process. There was no 



