400 VINEGAR, CIDER, AND FRUIT-WINES. 



For boiling down in a water bath a copper basket is used. The 

 fire-place is of double sheet iron, the doors and grate of cast-iron. 

 The kettle is of copper and jacketed on the four sides with two 

 inch boards. In the centre it is divided by a movable copper 

 partition. It is 10 inches deep, 48 inches wide, and 60 inches 

 long. The entire apparatus weighs 1 50 pounds. It is, of course, 

 scarcely necessary to mention that this kettle is manufactured in 

 all sizes according to the requirements of the manufacturer. As 

 seen in the illustration, the fire-place extends beneath the entire 

 width and length of the kettle whereby the contents are quickly 

 heated with a comparatively small consumption of fuel. The 

 apparatus being transportable it can be placed wherever most 

 convenient, and being accessible from all sides its use is very con- 

 venient and saves time. 



CHAPTER XXX. 



EVAPORATION OF FRUIT. 



OF all the methods employed for preserving fruit for any length 

 of time none has a greater future before it than the one to be dis- 

 cussed in this chapter. The reason for this can be readily given : 

 the process does not require great technical skill; it excels in 

 cheapness because neither vessels, sugar, nor other auxiliaries are 

 required, the product possesses excellent keeping qualities, retains 

 its natural flavor, and being healthier and more agreeable than 

 fruit preserved by any other method, is especially suitable for food 

 for the masses. 



Evaporated fruit of to-day is entirely different from the dried 

 fruit of a dozen years ago. Who does not remember the shrivelled, 

 dark-colored, wedge-shaped pieces of apple and peach that were 

 sold by the family grocer ? They possessed the tenacity of sole- 

 leather and were uninviting to look and smell. Before they could 

 be used in the home-made pies they required to be boiled and 

 stewed for hours at a time. The preparation of dried fruits of 

 those days was primitive. Farmers' wives and daughters pared 



