THE DRIED-FRUIT TRADE. 583 
supply of blackberries, blueberries, &c., for the winter by drying. They 
are spread on newspapers in an unoccupied room or sunny garret, and 
when dried resemble in appearance the dried currantofecommerce. When 
réquired for use they are soaked in water, which restores them to nearly 
their original plumpness. 
These berriesarenow canned in large quantities. The canning establish- 
ments in some of the States are located on the berry-plains, where the 
pickers congregate from miles around, whole families dwelling in tents 
or rough board shanties until the season is over. The pickers are paid 
from three to four cents a quart, and so abundant are the berries that 
at these prices good wages are realized. 
Sometimes the sliced fruit is spread between sheets of muslin to keep 
away the insects, and to give the fruit a finer color. These small lots of 
fruit are gathered by the country store-keepers, and thus find their way 
to the great cities and a market. 
The first improvement made in drying fruit was tried in New England, 
and consisted in putting it under a covering of glass. The hot-bed sash 
lying idle in the barn found anew duty. Wooden boxes or frames made 
to fit the sash were prepared and set upon legs to raise them from the 
ground. Holes were cut at the front near the bottom, and at the back 
near the top, to secure a current of air through the frame; within these 
glass-roofed frames the fruit was spread on trays m the full sunshine. 
The glass kept out the rain, protected it from depredations of birds and 
insects ; and the fruit, it was claimed, was improved in appearance. 
Then followed experiments of drying by stoves. The cooking-stoves 
dried the fruit more quickly than the sun, but they were wanted for 
other purposes ; in addition, the fruit dried in this way was not so sweet 
as that dried by the sun, nor was the color so good. 
One of the first known ‘inventions for drying fruit by artificial heat 
was made by an ingenious farmer—a cheap, rude contrivance which an- 
swered his purpose, and with which, in the space of a few hours, he ef- 
fectively dried his fruit. It was composed of three things, viz: A hogs- 
head, a fruit-tree shipping box, and a small stove. The hogshead stood 
on end, and had a door sawed out of the side to admit the stove; a hole 
eighteen inches square was sawed in the head of the hogshead to let the 
heat of the stove up, and a six or seven foot box, such as was used to 
ship a thousand pounds of fruit, stood on end on the top of the hogshead, 
having the lower end knocked out, and was fitted carefully over the hole 
in the head of the hogshead. The heat ascended from the stove through 
the top of the hogshead and on through the box. <A pipe-hole was made 
in the hogshead opposite the door to let the smoke out, so that none of 
it ascended through the box. The lid of the box was fitted with hinges, 
and cleats were put in on which to rest the open shelves or crates which 
held the fruit. The stove was heated by coal or wood. 
Stimulated by the increase and importance of this industry, the rude 
methods for drying used in the beginning soon gave way to improved 
processes, until, at Baltimore and. in other cities—depots for the accu- 
mulation of large quantities of fruits—extensive establishments have 
been ereeted, furnished with the most improved machinery and appli- 
ances for the rapid drying and evaporation of fruit, and with capacity | 
for an immense amount of work. 
The principle of these processes may be described, in general terms, 
as follows: An elongated chamber or shaft is provided, square, oblong, 
or other form in cross-section, and set vertically or in any other position 
found advantageous for particular purposes. This may be designated as 
the pneumatic shaft. In one end of this pneumatic shaft is placed a 
