EVAPORATING 



cess of changing the dark color of fruit to a lighter hue, 

 or of preventing the discoloration ; generally accom- 

 plished by sulfuring. Bloaters are prunes which in 

 drying swell up to an abnormal size ; generally pro- 

 duced by fermentation in over-ripe fruit. Dipping is 

 the process of cutting the skin ni fresh prunes to 

 facilitate curing. The oi»i:,-i<.n i- pi I amedby sub- 

 merging the fruit in boilin.; i ■ fruit is some- 

 times dipped in one >i{ \ ■ '■<:< as a "fin- 

 ishing" process. Drip is til' - r ij ;. :, i.i'l which oozes 

 from prunes in the process ni .v :i|H,r^ii umi ; it generally 

 characterizes a poor prune ur :i i""'r evaporator. Frogs 

 are cured prunes having an almunual shape ; a condi- 

 tion caused by curing uuripi- fruit. Frirkiiig is the pro- 

 cess of puncturing the cuticle of frcsli prunes. It is 

 done oy means of a machine, the essential part of which 

 is a board covered with projecting needles, over which 

 the prunes must pass. It accomplishes the same end as 

 lye dipping. Sisrx is .1 term used to indicate the num- 

 ber of cured prnn. - j- n :.. - t., make a pound. The 

 "four sizes- knu«!,, r. are COs-TOs, 70s-80s, 

 80s-90s, 90s-100s. >, , , ., i ,.■ formation of globules 

 of sugar on tin- i i. . :i i prunes. Sulfuring is 

 a process .;:', : , \.'.n liirouijh to give it a lighter 

 color. Till * ;i 'Ird to fumes of burning sul- 

 fur befoi. .1 to the sun or put in evap- 

 orators. > ' , .. process ctired fruit is subjected 

 to before p.a l.;:iu. m .Inch it is put in a room at a high 

 temperature and allowed to become moist. 



Curing different fnti'fs.— Apples and pears are peeled, 

 cored, cut in rings or quarters, and sulfured, before 

 being placed upon the drying trays. The time required 

 for curing is about three days out of doors and six to 

 twelve hours in the evaporator. There is considerable 

 trade in apples called "dumplings," which are whole 

 apples peeled and cored. Double the time is required in 

 evaporating them, but the price is higher. 



Apricots, peaches and nectarines must be fully ripe 

 before drying and without bruises. They are pitted, and 

 may or may not be peeled. If peeled, the operation is 

 done with machines or with he, tliou£.'h the use of the 

 latter is considered a b.ad pra -tir,.. Tlie fruit is placed 

 on the trays cup side up. Al.out tliir.- days are re- 

 quired for drying in the sun ami aiiout .ii^rtit hours are 

 required for evaporating. The cured product should be 

 of a translucent amber color. 



Berries are seldom sun-dried for the markets. For 

 evaporating they are placed on trays in qiiantities of 

 from sixteen to thirty quarts, given a temperature of 

 about 175 degrees at the start, and are finished in from 

 four to five hours, at a temperature of about 100 degrees. 

 After being taken from the evaporator, they are piled 

 for sweating in a warm, ventilated room. 



Figs for drying must be gathered when fully ripe. 

 Some growers prefer drying in shade rather than in 

 sun. Evaporators are seldom used. The fruit is not 

 allowed to dry hard, and before packing must be well 

 sweated. Usually, for "finishing," they are dipped in 

 salt water or syrup. The drying process requires from 

 five to eight days. 



Prunes are allowed to ripen until they fall to the 

 ground. Before being spread on the trays they are 

 dipped or pricked in orderto thin or crack the skin, that 

 the moisture may easily escape, and dripping be pre- 

 vented. Sun-drying requires from one to three weeks, 

 while from sixteen to thirty hours are required for 

 evaporation. A thorough sweat prevents the sugaring 

 so common to this fruit. Before packing they are graded 

 in sizes. Dipping as a "finishing" process is practiced 

 by many producers. A good prune is soft, smooth and 

 meaty, with loose pit, and of an amber, dark red or 

 golden hue, depending upon the variety. 



Grapes for raisins are sun-dried. They must be 

 picked when fully ripe, the bunches, and the berries on 

 the bunches, being sorted as tlie picking progresses. 

 The operation of drying must lie wat.lied with care. 

 The process requires fromei-ht to fouri' > n days, during 

 which time the bunches must In- tinii. il at least once. A 

 sweat is given before packiiiu'. Hai^iu^ are graded into 

 half a dozen or more brands for the market. 



U. P. Hedkick. 



EVENING PEIMEOSE. See (Enothera. 



EVERLASTING 



567 



EVERGREEN. Said of plants which do not shed all 

 their foliage at any one time, thereby remaining green; 

 or of leaves which persist for two or more years. In all 

 evergreen plants, the old leaves shed after a time, when 

 they become so overshadowed or crowded as to be of no 

 further use to the plant. The leaves of pines and spruces 

 persist for three to fifteen years. 



In the popular mind "Evergreen" and "Conifer" are 

 the same, but some conifers are deciduous, as the larches 

 and taxodiums. Moreover, in the tropics most trees and 

 shrubs are evergreen or nearly so. In the mind of the 

 gardener, evergreen and conifer are thoroughly dissoci- 

 ated, and in works on gardening hundreds of greenhouse 

 plants are called "evergreen," which represents dozens 

 of families besides the Coniferae. Evergreens other 

 than conifers are sometimes called "Broad-leaved 

 Evergreens." See Conifers. 



EVERLASTING. A term applied to fiowers or plants 

 which retain their shape and other characteristics after 

 being dried. Equivalent to the French word Immortelle 

 (see Revue Hortieole, 1890, p. 521). 



The most important commercially of th'e flowers 

 which retain their form and color in a dried state are 

 the French Immortelles, ffelichrysum arenaritim. 

 These flowers are used very extensively in France in 

 their natural yellow color, for the manufacture of me- 

 morial wreaths and crosses, which, being constructed 

 very compactly, are exceedingly duralile. even in the 

 severest weather, and are exported in large luinibers to 

 all parts of the world. The fiowers bleached white, or 

 bleached and then dyed in various colors, are also 

 shipped in enormous quantities, either direct to this coun- 

 try or through some of the large exporting houses of Ger- 

 many. Approaching the French Immortelles in aggregate 

 value are the so-called Cape Flowers, BcliclirijsiDn 

 gruii'hfbirinii. which have reached an enormous sale 

 in thi« coiiiitry within a few years, and have largely 

 supiilaiite.l the I muiortelles on account of their silvery 

 texture and irreater beauty every way. They are natu- 

 rally white, but require bleaching in tlie sun to give them 

 the desired luster. They come from the Cape of Good 

 Hope, and reach this country mainly via Hamburg. 



The common Everlasting of American and English 

 country gardens, Betichrysum bracteatum, is the only 

 one of these everlasting flowers grown to any extent in 

 America, and more or less extensive cultivation of them, 

 commercially, has been practiced in this country, but 

 still a large percentage are imported. They come in 

 white. .tr:r,v ami lir.eAu eolors iititurttlly, and take read- 

 ily i • ■ '' iiriiiieial lint,; tliese, together with 

 Aiii' ' ami the Well known GlobeAmaranth, 



G'nif/'i,,. I,:! v ■■■", are 1,'rowii tiii.l used to a consider- 

 able eiteiii l.y the eouutrv folk iu tlie construction of 

 the many forms of wreaths, stars, and other Christmas 

 greens, which they sell in the city markets in large 

 quantities, but their sale by wholesalers and jobbers 

 for general consumption is very limited Stat'ce incat a 

 cultivate 1 or wild from the swamps of southern Europe 

 and Gypsophila in several species are used to a con 

 siderable extent and the sale of Statice especially, 

 wh h 1 I I 1 11 coml mation with Cape Floveis in 

 m i luite an item w th the dealers in 



cial impoitan e Their bea t 1 II ] I p 



proathel bj any other hort I I j 1 1 



m en rraous quantities for 1 ) i 1 re 



an important item f ^ 11 1 



ma nly m sun blea I I 

 often paiti c loiel 



the mo t exten iv I i 



m stly imp rte 1 fi I I 



1 th n t 1 1 1 1 I It 13 



1 a lie 1 in the n t 1 J another 



po] liar grass i to n i It 1 h u e it hij ped to 

 Anerica Ph lideli hia being the laig st impoitmg port 

 B z net I a medium sized grass and iJ( za m nitna, 

 the flowers of which are as fine as saw-dust, are also 



