19 1 S 



BETTER FRUIT 



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Berger & Carter 

 Company 



MANUFACTURERS AND 

 JOBBING DISTRIBUTORS 

 OF 



Equipment and Supplies for the 

 Food Preserving Industries 



Home Offices: 



17th and Mississippi Streets 



San Francisco, Cal. 



1 Los Angeles 

 Division Offices: - Portland 

 / Seattle 



Hydraulic Cider Presses 



Windfalls, culls and undergrades make valuable 

 food products when made into cider, cider vinegar, 

 apple butter, jelly, etc. Apple waste can be turned 

 into profits with little labor and expense by 

 using improved Mount Gilead equipment. 

 There is big money made in custom pressing, 

 Some, by using the press here illustrated, are 

 clearing 51200.00 a season. 



We build complete cider press ^ ' 



outfits in sizes from 10 to 400 bbls. f '^^ 

 daily. Hand or power. Our cider 

 presses are the result of 40 years , 



specializing. They have taken ' '. l> : '•/' 



highest awards at all the big ex- .' ' 



positions. Our catalogs contain r- 



valuable information. Copies free ^ 



on request. 



THE HYDRAULIC PRESS MFG. CO., 60 Lincoln Avenue, Mount Gilead, Ohio 



WESTERN AGENTS: 



The Berger & Carter Co., 17th and Mississippi Sts., San Francisco, Cal. 



The Evaporation of Apples 



By A. F. Barss, 



THE promise of a good crop of 

 apples in the East, coupled with 

 more or less uncertainty as to 

 shipping accommodations for moving 

 Northwest apples, makes it imperative 

 that special precaution be taken in 

 handling the apple crop this fall. If the 

 Northwest is to come out ahead, the 

 growers will be compelled to use extra 

 care that they pack and ship only the 

 better grades of apples. While it is 

 true that three or more grades for 

 apples have been recognized in the past, 

 and that unquestionably the lower 

 grades of apples have a marketable 

 value even in the fresh state, neverthe- 

 less when placed in active competition 

 with the higher grades in the open mar- 

 ket these lower grades tend to depress 

 the market and seriously interefere 

 with the sales of the better fruit. 



As a safeguard to the apple industry 

 of the Northwest in these uncertain 

 times, it seems highly advisable where 

 possible to divert the poorer fruit into 

 less exacting channels, thus leaving the 

 fresh-fruit market unhampered for the 

 better grade of apples. One means that 

 may be employed for relieving the situ- 

 ation is to evaporate not only strictly 

 cull fruit but also those apples which 

 would not sell at top prices due to 

 small size, slight blemishes or imper- 

 fections, but which could be made to 

 return profit when evaporated. This 

 particular method of handling surplus 

 apples will be discussed briefly in the 

 hope that market conditions may be 

 improved for the fruit grower this fall. 

 In treating a subject of this kind, it 

 would be logical to take up first of all 

 a discussion of the buildings and gen- 

 eral equipment, for it is easily recog- 

 nized Ihat for best results, both from 

 the standpoint of pro(hict and economy, 

 the machinery for turning out the pro- 

 duct must be of such a kind and in 

 such condition as to make iiossible 

 efficient and economical operation. 

 Unfortunately it is too late to attempt 

 to construct an entire building to 

 handle this year's crop, but frequently 

 it will still be found possible, with a 

 little skill, to remodel almost any two- 

 story building into a satisfactory emer- 

 gency evaporator. .\ hop-drier, with 



Assistant Professor of Pomology, Oregon Agricultural College 



very little alteration, could be adapted 

 to the drying of apples since it closely 

 resembles in method of operation the 

 accepted New York apple-kiln drier. 

 Among other things, it might be found 

 necessary to remake the drying floor, 

 using one-inch square slats, spaced one- 

 eighth to one-quarter inches apart, 

 these slats being beveled to the key- 

 stone shape, one inch on top, one-half 

 inch on the bottom; this shape prevent- 

 ing any bits of fruit clogging in the 

 cracks. The slats are made of some 

 tasteless, non-gumming, non-warping 

 wood such as poplar, basswood, maple, 

 etc. The new floor should be treated 

 several times, to prevent the fruit stick- 

 ing, with a mixture of tallow and lin- 

 seed oil applied hot, while during the 

 season the floor should be scrubbed fre- 

 quently with hot soap suds. 



The kiln type of evaporator is almost 

 universally used where apples alone 

 are to be dried, since it is the cheapest 

 and simplest to build and operate, re- 

 quiring also the minimum amount of 

 labor for a given output. The other 

 types of driers, however, can be used 

 entirely satisfactorily, their chief ad- 

 vantage being that where trays are 

 used the product needs no stirring dur- 

 ing the drying, dries more rapidly and 

 comes out with less breaking of slices 

 or discoloration, all of which in some 

 measure offsets the expense of opera- 

 tion. 



Again, unless machinery is already 

 ordered, it might be dillicult at this late 

 date to properly fit out a new drier for 



The jiliovc is a ])irhiri' of :i hop drycr, which 



with very little nlleriiti<in eoiiUi be ndnpted to 



the drying of iipples. 



work this fall, although often use can 

 be made of hand machinery and locally- 

 constructed equipment. In any case, it 

 is imperative that the established evap- 

 oratormen analyze their methods of 

 operation, eliminate waste motion and 

 antiquated machinery, introduce where 

 possible labor-saving conveyors, end- 

 less belts, continuous bleachers, and 

 power outfits, and so rearrange and re- 

 model their plants as to give greatest 

 efficiency with the least hand labor. 

 The drying rooms must be repaired and 

 the heating devices put in order, and 

 this all done in advance of the drying 

 season. 



^^^len it comes to a question of what 

 variety to dry, it must be admitted that 

 almost any variety of apple may be 

 satisfactorily dried, although prefer- 

 ence is given in the market for the 

 dried product from good flavored fall 

 and winter varieties and those giving 

 a firm textured, white colored finished 

 product such as is found in the case of 

 Ben Davis, Winesap, Spizcnberg, Bald- 

 win, Gravenstein, etc. Most of the 

 other varieties have been found from 

 experience to give a golden or dark- 

 colored product which, while of good 

 flavor, is less readily received by 

 buyers. 



A review of the steps in evaporation 

 may suggest ways of improving present 

 methods, or preventing mistakes. In 

 picking and delivering to the drier, 

 bruising should be avoided, since upon 

 standing these bruised spots discolor 

 badly and cannot be whitened again. 

 When receiving at the evaporator, it is 

 often found best to separate the varie- 

 ties, since to mix those which give a 

 dark product with those drying white 

 lowers the grade of the whole. For 

 the sake of cleanliness, washing is to 

 be advised, especially where windfalls 

 arc being used. Again, while it is not 

 absolutely essential, belter results may 

 be expected in the succeeding step if 

 the apples are graded for size so that 

 the ijeeling machines may be carefully 

 adjusted to handle one particular size. 

 A peeling and coring machine, working 

 with good stock, well graded, will be 

 found to effect a considerable saving 



Continued on page 17 



