The Storage and Preservation of Fruit. 193 



pound concentrated lye to 20 gallons of water), or passed 

 through a "pricking" machine before drying to break the 

 skin in many places. These treatments hasten the drying 

 and improve the appearance and flavor of the dried prod- 

 uct. 



The amount of drjnng required difiers with difierent 

 fruits, and must be learned largely by experience. It is 

 neither necessary nor desirable that all of the water should 

 be driven off. The color and feeling of the fruit guides 

 the expert. When sufficiently dry, the fruit is removed 

 from the trays, assorted and sifted, if need be, to remove 

 dust, etc., when it is placed in boxes or piles for sweating^ 

 during which the remaining moisture equalizes through 

 the mass. The fruit should be turned occasionally to fa- 

 cilitate this process. If packed before sweating, injury 

 may result. The fruit is often dipped for a moment in 

 boiling water or highly heated a few moments in a close 

 chamber before the final packing, to destroy insect eggs 

 and render it pliable, after which it is covered in a dark 

 room for twenty-four hours. Prunes are commonly glossed 

 by dipping them, after drying, in hot water containing 

 pure glycerine at the rate of one pound to 20 gallons; 

 sometimes they are exposed to steam heat, as a substitute 

 for the hot water. 



299. Packing: dried fruits. Dried fruit is commonly 

 packed in wood boxes, which are often lined with thin 

 paper, and the larger fruits, especially all that are cut into 

 sections in preparation, are faced in the package, i. e., 

 the first fruits or sections put into the box are placed in 

 regular rows, which often overlap one another like the shin- 

 gles on a roof. Sections of the stone fruits, as the peach, 

 and apricot, are usually placed with the stone side down. 

 13 



