CANA DIA N HORTICULTURIST 



that will keep in ([uite a damp condi- 

 tion) that commission merchants have 

 got into a notion that all packages 

 of evaporated fruits must be docked for 

 shrinkage. 



No machine is yet made that will do 

 good work on peaches ripe enough to 

 be of rich flavor, so they must be pre- 

 pared by hand. They must be bleached 

 like apples and spread on trays with 

 the Hat side next the wire, to keep the 

 peaches in nice shape. Peaches are 

 packed in twenty-tive pound boxes, and 

 a nice facing is laid next the cover. 

 Considerable care is necessary in dry- 

 ing blackberries and black raspberries, 

 particularly to see that they don't dry 

 too much. I hardly dry them enough, 

 but spread them in my curing room, 

 six inches deep, and shovel them over a 

 few times until they are thoroughly 

 dried ; four pounds of the black rasp- 

 berries will make one pound of dried 

 fruit, and a bushel of peaches will pro- 

 duce eight to ten pounds of the dried 

 article. 



Evaporated apples in ring slices are 

 packed for Eastern markets in boxes 

 holding fifty pounds. , Two pieces of 

 paper are placed in the boxes ne.xt the 

 cover and laid so that they will fold 

 back each way from the centre, lapping 

 down on the side of the box, and then 

 the ring slices are laid in rows on the 

 paper with one half lapping so as to 

 make a nice facing ; then the l)0.x 

 is filled from the l)ottoni, and if the 

 fruit is thoroughly dried a press is 

 necessary to get fifty pounds into the 

 Ijoxes commonly used. 



So much depends upon proper man- 

 agement and experience, that it is diffi- 

 cult to give accurate estimates about 

 the business. One may make a failure 

 out of the same run that another would 

 turn to a profit. But I will make two 

 estimates. The first is on a business 

 of drying three-hundred bushels of 

 apples per day of twenty-four hours, 

 reckoning at the low rates we may ex- 

 pect for this .season, as the crop is 

 general : 



800 Hii.h1i.-1s of ai.|)l<-s at t«-ii cents 



pel- bushel $30.00 



28 GirlH t<» run the paring inochineB, 



at Hixty cents per day 16.80 



2 Men to hanrile aiiples, at !iSl.2r) jier 



day 2.50 



2 Men to attend the eva|K)rator, at 



«1.25 2.50 



2 Boys to attend the bleaching, at 



seventy-five cents 1.50 



2 Men to attend to the fires 2.50 



Fuel 4.50 



Incidental expenses 5.00 



Total expenses (i4.50 



Credit by 1800 lbs. dried fruit 

 at six cents |)er lb 108.00 



Net profit per day S33.70 



On an evaporator of seventy-five 

 bushels' capacity in twenty-four hours, 

 such as the large fruit grower wants 

 who handles his own crop, the showing 

 should be like this : 



75 Bushels of api)les at ten cents. .. S7.50 

 5 Girls day and evening at seventy- 

 five cents 3.75 



2 Men at S1.2.''. 2.50 



Fuel and iiiriijintal expenses 4.00 



Total .■xpcii.se.s 17.75 



Credit by 450 lbs. dried fruit at 



six cents 27.00 



Net profit per day S9.25 



These figures allow only six pounds 

 of dried fruit to the bushel of green 

 apples, whereas good management may 

 increase the proportion. The estimates 

 for labor are very close, but from these 

 two statements, fruit growers can read- 

 ily figure out whether they can make 

 any money in evaporating or not. My 

 statements are made on the supposition 

 that the whole business is managed 

 closely, and that apples are not allowed 

 to rot or machines to take care of 

 themselves ; nor have I allowed for the 

 waste. Drying waste does not pay at 

 the present prices. But if you use steam, 

 you can make the waste into vinegar 

 stock worth about 8'^ a barrel, if the 

 buyer furnishes the barrels. After the 

 pomace has lain about six days, it can 

 be pressed again, and gives about a 

 <iuarter as much juice as at first, after 

 which the pomace may be burned for 

 fuel in any boiler furnace with a good 

 draft, especially if a little coal or wood 

 is added. 



