190 Lessons in Fruit Growing. 



it is only practicable to state tlie principles that control 

 the different processes. The beginner can hardly master 

 any of the methods without experienced aid, but it is im- 

 portant that the fruit grower should know the available 

 means for preserving his fruits, and sufficient of the prin- 

 ciples governing them to enable him to form an intelli- 

 gent estimate of the apparatus needed for the different 

 processes. 



29 (T. Preserving: fruits by drying. In warm countries 

 having a comparatively dry atmosphere, fruit is largely 

 dried by direct exposure to solar heat, and, with proper 

 care, excellent results are secured by this method. The 

 fruit is placed upon tight-bottomed trays made of thin 

 lumber, and these are placed on the ground or upon low 

 stagings, in a location free as possible from dust. The 

 fruit is protected from rains and dews by piling the trays 

 one upon another, or by covering with cloth or paper. 

 Sometimes heavy paper is substituted for wood for the 

 bottom of the trays, or sheets of heavy oiled paper are 

 used instead of trays. 



In cool climates, the best quality of dried fruit can only 

 be secured by the use of artificial heat (evaporation). 



298. Fruit evaporation is a process now extensively used 

 for drying fruit. The fruit is spread upon trays having a 

 slatted or sieve-like bottom, and is exposed to a current of hot 

 air, generated either directly by a furnace, or indirectly by a 

 system of steam pipes. The trays are usually arranged one 

 above another, in a vertical or inclined shaft provided with 

 an elevating apj)aratus by which the trays may be raised 

 through the shaft at intervals. The trays containing the 

 fresh fruit are inserted at the lower end of the shaft, di- 

 rectly over the heat generator, and as each new tray is 



