20 



ghed, where they are cut and spread on wooden trays (8 ft. x 5 

 ft.). A neat, clean cut is essential, and the fruit should be placed 

 fiat on the tray cut side towards the sun. The cut apricots 

 should be run into the sulphur room without delay. If this is 

 done the sprinkling of water is absolutely unnecessary. Water 

 will spoil the keeping quality of the fruit. 



Sulphuring is a point of very great importance. The burn- 

 ing sulphur not only bleaches the fruit, thereby helping it to 

 retain a light colour, but it also hastens the evaporation of 

 moisture, kills off any living microbe, and prevents the future 

 invasion of maggots. Five pounds of the best brand of sulphur 

 are used to twenty-five trays of fruits. The trays are stacked 

 on trolleys in such a way so that the one overlaps the other, so 

 as to give the sulphur dioxide gas free access. The trolley with 

 its load is then run into the sulphur house, not necessarily air- 

 tight, the sulphur is lighted and the door closed. The fruit is 

 left in the room for at least six hours the longer the better. 

 From the room the trays are immediately spread out in the sun. 

 Do not take fruit out of sulphur rooms in the evening just before 

 sunset. The trays should be stacked during the night when dew 

 is expected. Before the apricots are thoroughly dried the con- 

 tents of three or four trays may be thrown on one. so that the 

 fruit will dry more slowly towards the last stage. This will 

 prevent them from curling up. As soon as the fruit is properly 

 dried this is best learnt by experience all the bad and shapeless 

 ones are picked out on the field. .Boxes or bags are used for 

 delivering to the packing houses. 



Five pounds of fresh apricots will approximately yield one 

 pound of dried. 



PEACHES. 



Many of the directions given under apricots apply also to 

 peaches and pears. Peaches and apricots are handled very much 

 in the same way. The peach is the tenderer of the two when 

 ripe, and should therefore be handled as little as possible. 

 Peaches are cut when they are well ripe, and sulphured in the 

 same way as apricots. The best variety for drying is the Muir. 

 It retains its colour very well. As, however, cut peaches decom- 

 pose even sooner than apricots, there should be no delay in 

 sulphuring. The inside of a properly dried peach has a distinct 

 reddish tint, a peculiarity that does not characterise the wetter 

 fruit. Hand sorting is done on the field. It is advisable to use 

 a little more sulphur with peaches than with apricots, seeing that 

 maggots and other injurious insects have a particular liking for 

 this kind of fruit. 



PEARS. 



The method of drying this kind of fruit is the same as des- 

 cribed under apricots.- The best pear for drying is the lion 



