94 FRUIT CULTURE. 



25, 50, or 75 Ibs. These boxes are lined with paper: 

 50 Ib. boxes are those mostly used. They are 24 inches 

 long, 12 inches deep, and 12 inches wide ; they are made 

 of i-inch stuff (with ends 1 inch), poplar wood being 

 preferred. The evaporated fruit, before being used for 

 making pies, tarts, compotes, etc., is soaked in water for 

 a sufficient length of time to swell to nearly its normal 

 bulk." 



PRUNE DRYING. 



The process of prune drying in France varies from this 

 somewhat, and may be interesting to some readers. It is 

 as follows : 



All the apparatus required consists of trays and two 

 or more ovens. The trays are made either of wicker- 

 work or wood, are round or triangular, and deep enough 

 to carry a single layer of plums, and allow of their 

 being placed upon each other without crushing the fruit. 

 Every morning the trees are looked over, and the fruit 

 that is ripe is picked, just before the flesh begins to soften. 

 The plums are placed in the trays, put for an hour or two 

 in the sun, or in a current of air, and then laid on the 

 floor of the oven. These ovens are made just like or- 

 dinary bread ovens ; they are usually built in pairs, each 

 one about ten feet long and four feet wide inside, and 

 are heated by burning a certain quantity of wood inside 

 them. When the fruit is put in, the temperature should 

 be about 100 degrees Fahrenheit. In the course of a few 

 hours the plums assume a curious, puffy appearance, and 

 if the heat is too great, they will burst, a result most 

 carefully to be avoided. They are taken out of the oven, 

 cooled, and again put in with temperature at about 132 

 degrees ; again withdrawn and cooled, and this time the 



