34° 



The Canadian Horticulturist. 



EXPENSES OF EVAPORATING. 



^ K Vim*rM ^\^/" HILE there is doubtless a wide field open in the dissec- 

 Iwfcy tion of co-operative fruit evaporating, says Farm and 

 ^ Home, some of the statements are very misleading, and 

 Hi the estimates of the cost of production are palpably 

 incorrect. I have had several years' experience as 

 myj superintendent of a large establishment of this kind, 

 ^^^^^J^P^V have " made apple " under a variety of conditions (and 

 ^'^^ O^i* that circumstances do vary the chances for the success" 



ful manufacture of evaporated products there is no doubt). The quickest 

 parers I have ever had would not average more than thirty bushels in a day or 

 night of eleven hours, and such as are able to do that are paid $1.10 to $1.25 

 per day. It also requires two very smart girls to trim and spread for one parer 

 (and in one factory that part kept three girls to each parer) at 90 cents to $1.00 

 per day or night, the night gang receiving the larger price. Again, under the 

 most favorable circumstances, it will require one pound of coal for each pound 

 of fruit, making 600 pounds of coal in a day, at a cost varying according to the 

 price of coal, but about $1.50 a day for the 100 bushels of apples. So we find, 

 not including the cost of running the drier, or an extra man to handle so many- 

 apples and remove the refuse of the packing, we have as running expense for 

 600 pounds of dried fruit : 



4 boys (two by day and two by night) $ 4 50 



8 girls (four by day and four by night) 8 00 



Coal 1 50 



Total $14 00 



Interest of cost of plant, breakage and wear of machines, insurance, etc., 

 will balance the value of the refuse for either cider or jelly. 



The original cost of the green fruit determines, in a great measure, the 

 price of the dried, as when apples are scarce in the fall, good evaporated stock 

 will command a good price. Sometimes as high as fifty cents per bushel has 

 been paid for apples, the manufactured products selling for $400 a ton, or 

 twenty cents a pound at wholesale. Again, good fruit is bought for ten cents 

 per bushel, the price for evaporated apple corresponding. 



Where many hands are employed, the one who attends the drier will get 

 good pay, which, together with various incidentals, will bring the cost of manu- 

 facture alone to from $24 to $30 for 600 pounds, or four to five cents per 

 pound. This, with the cost of the apples (that will vary from three to ten cents 

 per pound of dried fruit), gives us as the minimum cost of the production eight 

 cents, and from that to fifteen cents per pound, or from $42 to $90 as the cost 

 of 600 pounds of dried apple. This is within actual experience. 



