Arizona AcuicuIvTural Expkki.mivNT Station 479 



farmers and stockmen have been brought in for examination by the 

 Extension Service. One of the most interesting of these was a 

 remedy for sheep reputed to be efficacious in curing even such ail- 

 ments as scab. It was composed of salt, sulphur, carbon and 

 tobacco. 



DATE PASTEURIZING AND RIPENING APPARATUS 



For several years we have pasteurized the entire output of the 

 Tempe Date Orchard with a small i)asteurizer heated by a gasoline 

 brooder heater. The apparatus was constructed originally for 

 experimental purposes that made possible the marketing of soft 

 dates under adverse weather conditions. It was too small, how- 

 ever, to handle the large crop of the orchard on a commercial basis, 

 so in 1916 a new and larger pasteurizer was decided on. The pro- 

 cess being new and no experimental data existing as to the selec- 

 tion of material for such appliances cement was selected. An eight- 

 chamber pasteurizer, each chamber having a capacity of about .)0 

 l)ounds of fruit, was constructed. The walls were approximately 

 four inches in thickness with an inch and a half core of "button 

 lath" made of paper and plaster of paris for heat insulation. It was 

 found impossible to bring the temperature much above 55 deg. C. 

 with boiling water and all the radiating surface that could be ar- 

 ranged in the chambers. Cement proved not only difficult to heat, 

 but the side walls and top of the chamber condensed moisture to 

 such an extent that one of the main purposes of the process, namely, 

 to reduce the moisture content of the fruit, was defeated. Later 

 steam coils were placed in a few of the chambers and the apparatus 

 was found well adapted for ripening by heat, which requires a 

 rather high humidity to prevent the fruit from shriveling. Cement 

 can be molded into convenient form for date pasteurizers, but in 

 our experience it has proved much inferior to wood with metal 

 lining. 



The past summer we have constructed a new pasteurizer of 

 wDod. which has proved entirely satisfactory. The sides and top 

 are of tongue and groove flooring, double thickness with two-ply 

 of l)uilding pa])er between. It is lined throughout with thin gal- 

 vanized iron, and dri]) pans are placed at the bottom of each cham- 

 ber to catch any honey that runs from the dates. There are five 

 chambers, each taking eleven of our standard trays. 20x.S0 inches 

 and 2 inches deep, holding conveniently 10 or 15 pounds of dates. 



