4i8 



THE CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



which has a hook fastened to tlie handle. 

 Low handles are preferred because it is 

 necessary to get the basket to the bottom of 

 the barrel to prevent bruising when empty- 

 ing. Each picker empties his own basket. 



Apples which will be marketed before 

 heavy frosts come are left in the packing 

 house. Those which will be sold before 

 the middle of January are stored in an old 

 dwelling house. In case frosts come a 

 stove is in readiness. The winter varie- 

 ties, which keep best, are stored in a large 

 cellar under the house free from frosts. 



"The apple store room," said Mr. Wat- 

 son, " should be kept a little damp or the 

 fruit will wilt. I prefer cement floors. 

 Now and again I throw a pail or two of 



water in to keep moisture in the air. Rus- 

 sets should be well stored at once or they 

 shrivel up. I never put apples in a pile on 

 the ground as it makes extra work. 



" With colored varieties it is best to leave 

 them on the tree until a few fall, so that they 

 will develop color. Apples will yellow 

 after being pulled, but they will not redden. 

 The bulk of our picking, however, is done 

 before they commence to fall. I hate to 

 see apples going to waste. All that are not 

 fit for market are fed to the pigs, and special 

 care is taken not to drive over any in the or- 

 chard. Most of the picking is done in the 

 afternoon and late in the evening when the 

 dew has gone. In the morning the truck- 

 ing around is attended to." 



EVAPORATING APiPLES 



ri "^ HE question of obtaining some returns 

 A from the unsaleable part of the apple 

 crop is important to every orchardist. In 

 many orchards a considerable portion of the 

 crop is lost each year which might be turned 

 into ready cash or at least fed to stock. 

 When the crop is heavy and prices are low 

 this waste is especially great. 



Large quantities are dried in some sec- 

 tions. Evaporators this fall are paying 25 

 cents a hundred for culls. Many farmers 

 do this drying on a small scale. A few bags 

 are carried into the kitchen in the evening 

 and the family, and, perhaps, a few of the 

 neighbors, do the work. One manipulates 

 the peeling machine while others get around 

 the table and quarter and core the apples. 

 The smaller members of the family put the 

 quarters on strings and hang them over the 

 kitchen fire to dry. In some sections the 

 stringing is dispensed with and instead the 

 apples are placed on a screen and set out- 

 side on a scaffold in the sun to dry. 



In the principal apple growing sections 

 this drying is done on a large scale and 

 growers who have great quantities of culls 



dispose of them to advantage by contracts 

 with some of these evaporators. When 

 the supply is great prices run as low as 10 

 cents a hundred, but 25 cents is not unusual 

 for some of the most suitable varieties. The 

 line of work in large evaporators was out- 

 lined to The Horticulturist recently by Mr. 

 E. Roblin, of Carlton street, Toronto. 



" When apple drying is done on a large 

 scale," said Mr. Roblin, " kilns in which 400 

 bushels or more can be done in a day are 

 used. As a general rule only culls are 

 used but if the good apples are evaporated 

 the finished product is of much better 

 quality and considerably more can be ob- 

 tained from 100 pounds of apples. For 

 this work the apples should be well ripened 

 on the tree. Russets and Baldwins are the 

 choicest varieties for evaporation. If pro- 

 perly worked they give about 16 pounds 

 from 100 of apples. Snows are very in- 

 ferior. They are too juicy and yield only 

 nine or 10 pounds from 100. They are 

 never used unless other varieties cannot be 

 procured. 



" In a factory running 400 bushels a day. 



