10 Oct., 1917.1 Evaporation of Apples. 597 



at one end, and the funios are ean-ied off by a pipe at the opjjosite end. 

 .Vjs apples are pared, tliey are placed in boxes, and as a box becomes 

 filled it is pushed in at one end of ihr bleaeher, moving those already 

 there onward toward the opi)ositc end, where they are withdrawn when 

 sulliciontly bleached. 



Another satisfactory bleacher consists essentially of a bureau-like 

 structure eanying a series of shallow, tighl-fitting trays or drawers, ' 

 whose bottoms are made of narrow slats or boards in which numerous 

 5-inch anu-er holes have been bored. Sulphur is burned in a tight com- 

 partment Ix'low the lowermost drawer, the fumes rise from tray to tray 

 through the fruit, and are drawn off by a small 1)l1)c at the conical top. 

 A bleacher of this ty,pe should be made of such a size that each tray will 

 carry a box of pared apples spread in a layer two apples deep. While 

 such a bleacher does very effective work, it must be emphasized that the 

 additional time and labour required in rejieatedly handling the fruit is 

 very considerable, and that .power installation is always strongly ad- 

 vised as a matter of econoni}-. 



Whatever tlie type of bleacher ciniiluyed, it cannot be too strongly 

 emphasized that the piping must be carefully done in order that the 

 fuuies may not escape into the room. They are intensely irritating t" 

 the eyes and throat, and they attack metal so vigorously that when 

 allowed to escape at the level of a shingle roof, the nails may be abso- 

 lutely destroyed in the course of two or three seasons. Therefore, terra- 

 cotta pipe, carefully cemented at the joints, or heavy cast iron pi])e 

 (called by plumbers soil pipe), with the joints set in white lead, should 

 be used, and it should be connected with one of the kiln flues in order to 

 carry the fumes well above the roof. If iron pipe is used, its term of 

 service will be anaterially increased by flowing white lead paint re- 

 peatedly through it, at intervals of a few hours, so that the inner surface 

 gets a good heavy coating. 



When taken from the bleacher, the fruit should be sliced at once. 

 There are several hand-operated slicers on the market, but the work 

 with the best of them is slow and laborious, and requires the time of 

 two men. A power slicer costs very little more, does more aud better 

 work in a given time, is automatic in action if a power bleacher de- 

 livering into the hopper of the .slicer is used, and requires one man only 

 if there is no power bleaeher, and apples must be fed from barrels or 

 bo.ves. Consequently a poiwer slicer will save its cost in labour in two 

 seasons. 



From the slicer the apple rings fall into boxes or barrels standing 

 on trucks, and are transferred to the kilu floor. Here they are spread 

 as uniformly as possible, usually by means of a wooden rake, to a depth 

 of 4 to 6 inches, and are left undisturbed until drying at the surface has 

 made the slices tough enough to permit stirring without injury, which 

 usually requires four or five hours. They are then thoroughly stirred 

 by means of wooden rakes and .shovels. This stirring is repeated, at 

 first at intervals of two hours, then more frequently, until the fruit 

 receives thi'ec or four thorough stirrings in its last two hours on the kiln 

 floor. 



When dry, the fruit is transferred from the kiln floor to the storing 

 or curing room, where it is piled up to a depth of a foot or more, to 

 undergo a slow after-curing process prior to being packed. 



