1S." L 
cost complete is about $20. While speaking of small evaporators, there is another very — 
much in favor among the next class of produces. It consists of two brick walls about 
3 feet 6 inches or 4 feet apart, and sheet iron so placed in as to carry the draft back- 
wards and forwards from one end to the other, and trays put in between. A $75 Canton 
furnace is used, the whole costing about $200 aside from the building, which is large 
enough to have the work done in it. 
The first to build on a large scale was Alden. He used a tower 4 feet square on 
the inside, and running from the basement through and out of the top of a two story 
house. Steam radiators were used, being placed at the bottom of the tower ; but these 
failed to give satisfaction, and were replaced by hot air furnaces. The apples were put. 
* 
a 
5 
b. 
on 30 to 40 trays, one above the other, the fresh being introduced at the top and — 
gradually lowered to the floor of the first story, where the dry ones were taken out. 
This seemed to be the most philosophical method, but it was found that the fruit was. 
scorched when brought near to the fire, and the process was reversed. The green fruit 
was put in nearest the furnace and gradually raised, the dry ones being taken out at the | 
top. As often as a new one was introduced the others were raised. This was a great 
convenience, as the first story could be used as a workshop, the apples going directly into 
the tower, while the upper floor was used to store the dried fruit. This style of evapora- 
tor has come out with a great many variations, and with as many different inventions 
for hoisting the trays during the process of drying. Alden raised his trays with four — 
endless chains. Williams used two towers, with a device so that the trays were lowered 
in one and passed up through the other, being taken out and put in at the same place. — 
Now most of them build a tower of brick like a great. chimney, 4 feet square on the — 
inside, with a furnace in the bottom anda draft-hood on the top, above the building. 
These are practically fire-proof. Alden tried to sustain a claim against all others for 
infringement, on the ground that his patent covered the use of hot air currents to carry 
off the moisture, no matter in what form itis used. The evaporating people combined to 
contest the claim, and the struggle lasted several vears. Proof was obtained that hot 
air currents for drying purposes had been in use in various parts of the country for years. 
The process was described by writers, notable among whom was Patrick Barry, the 
venerable president of the Western New York Horticultural Society. 
In the first evaporators wood was used for trays, then common iron wire, but the 
wire had to be renewed every few years, as it would get rusty however well cared for. 
Then came galvanized wire, as at present-used, of which I will speak further on. 
Horizontal evaporators have been in use with natural or forced currents of heated 
air. They were brought into favor during the war of the rebellion, to prepare dessicated 
vegetables for the soldiers, to keep off the scurvy. If any of you ever enjoy«d a supper 
of soup made of these ‘desecrated vegetables,” as we used to call them, and hard tack, 
while on allowance, you will hold them in fragrant remembrance as long as life lasts. 
As I stated before, steam was used in the first Alden towers, and it has since been 
tried in a small way in towers; but its success was not satisfactory.. Of late it has been — 
used in a large way where the heat is distributed among the apples by a system of steam 
pipes, and it has produced very satisfactory results; in fact, it seems as though the hot 
air tower would soon be a thing of the past. After the steam is used in the evaporator 
it can be conducted through pipes in the working room, thereby doing all with one fire ; 
also a cheaper class of fuel can be used. In the use of steam there are already many 
claimants for public favor, some of a good deal of merit, while others have their 
peculiar faults. 
It makes but little difference what evaporator you use ; the work is the same to 
prepare the apples. I have reports from men who own evaporators in many different 
places, and I find that fifty bushels is the average work for a single paring machine in — 
ten hours. Where reasonably fair apples are raised some report as high as sixty bushels, — 
and some even more. ‘Two trimmers, one allowed to each parer; or it might be stated — 
that to run an evoporator of 200 bushels capacity would take four parers, eight trim- 
mers, two spreaders, two sorters, one bleacher, 5 tenders, one foreman and two night 
workers or about twenty-five hands in all, Of course this will vary a little according to 
