THE PLUM. 



323 



upon two bearers. It would be better if they rested upon 

 rollers, so as to admit of their being pushed in, and drawn 

 out, with greater ease. These lines of trays are placed at 



a distance of six inches 

 from the furnace, so as to 

 keep the fruit from too 

 great a heat ; they may 

 be made entirely of wood, 

 but it will be better if the 

 bottoms are of open-work, 

 like sieves. Their weight 

 is such that they may be 

 easily managed by a wo- 

 man ; but in preparing, 

 prunes on a large scale, 

 let them be made of great- 

 er length and breadth, so 

 as to just come within the 

 strength of a more robust 

 Fi ' 247 - person. 



" The wooden frame, h h, is that on which the two doors 

 are hung. The door, g, which covers the arch, (and which 



is represented in the cut 

 as open and fastened up,) 

 shuts up the front of the 

 upper part of the oven. 

 In the middle of this up- 

 per door or flap, is a 

 round vent hole, for the 

 escape of the moist va- 

 por. Jf t is an iron dam- 

 per or slide, to be placed 

 in the flue at Z /, in order 

 to regulate the heat. 



" A thousand fully ripe 

 Quetsches, (prune plums) 

 make about ten pounds 



Fig. 248. 



of dried prunes. 



"Plums of different 

 kinds may be dried, either whole, or deprived of their skins 

 and stones. In the latter case, they are styled prunelles. 



