INCIDENTAL PRODUCTS 295 



of lye made by dissolving one pound of concentrated lye in ten 

 gallons of water. They are then rinsed in clear water. Grapes 

 for raisins are cured in much the same way. Sometimes they 

 are previously dipped in lye, but usually not. The seeds are 

 removed by special machinery. The work of removing raisins 

 from the stems, packing, and so forth, is also performed in 

 the main by machines. 



411. Effect of drying on the industry. The process of 

 drying is a great stabilizer for the fruit industry. By far the 

 greater part of the fruit is sold to the canneries or to the 

 fresh fruit markets. If, however, prices are extremely low, 

 the grower may hold his fruit by drying, and market it at such 

 future time as he sees fit. This prevents a glut on an already 

 overstocked market. On the other hand, the canneries and 

 fresh fruit trade use only the choice product. The small- 

 sized fruits which are in all respects as wholesome as the larger, 

 but which are unsuited for canning or immediate sale, may 

 then be prevented from going to waste by the drying process. 



In those sections of the country in which the climate does 

 not permit of drying, much attention is being given to the con- 

 struction of special buildings known as evaporators. In these 

 buildings large quantities of fruits are dried by the use of 

 artificial heat, and much which otherwise would be wasted is 

 thus saved for human use. The drying of fruit in evapo- 

 rators is independent of weather conditions, requires fewer 

 trays to the ton of dried product than when the fruit is dried 

 out-of-doors, produces a cleaner product than is obtained out 

 in the open where more or less dust and dirt sticks to the 

 fruit, and makes it easy to secure a uniformly dried product. 

 For these reasons, the evaporator method of drying is sure to 

 become increasingly popular, even in regions now producing 

 exclusively sun-dried fruits. 



