226 



CANADIAN HORTICULTURIST. 



I do not think the many little cook- 

 stove evaporating devices can be re 

 commended at the present prices, as 

 sun-dried fruit can be prepared quite 

 as rapidly and brings very nearly as 

 much as evaporated. Well-organized 

 e\aporating iiouses are the only reliable 

 means of gaining a profit at this busi- 

 ness, and one must be very sure of 

 being right before goijig ahead. Our 

 Western New York markets are now 

 offering six cents per pound for evap- 

 orated apples of prime quality, at the 

 evaporator, in sacks furnished by the 

 buyer. This is as good as eight cents in 

 New York City, as there is no packing- 

 freights or commission.-S. W. Lovell, 

 Neic York, in Am. Agriculturist. 



How and What to Evaporate. 



In any process of evaporation the 

 great de ;ideratum, says the American 

 (rarden, is the ajjplication of intense 

 heat in the first stage of di-ying, except 

 in the case of grapes and similar fruits, 

 where extreme heat will burst the skin 

 and allow the juice to flow out — as the 

 great heat will, by attecting the outer 

 surface of the substance, form an im- 

 penetrable external coating, thus re- 

 taining the flavor and other desirable 

 qualities of the fruit. 



The best arrangement is to subject 

 the material to a continuous current 

 of hot air. This current cannot be 

 made hot enough to scorch or burn the 

 fruit, if it be kept in brisk motion ; 

 but let it become stagnant for a short 

 time and the product will undoubtedly 

 be ruined by the intense heat. 



Raspberries we have found to be very 

 profitable, as three quarts of the fresh 

 fruit yield one pound of the evaporated, 

 and this has a ready sale at a paying 

 price. So, in case the market price 

 for fresh berries is down, it is an easy 

 matter to put them in such a shape 

 that we can command better figui'es. 



Corn, properly evaporated, makes a 

 dish fully equal to that just cut from 

 the cob, at a cost of about fifteen cents 



per pound. Half a pound is sutticient 

 for a family meal. 



Pumpkins also make a yood article, 

 when evaporated, — fully equal to fresh 

 ones for making pies, thus extending 

 the pie season through the entire year. 



Many other fruits and vegetables, 

 which can readily be dried, have not 

 taken a place in the market, or are not 

 known in this condition to commerce. 

 Among these are dried sweet potatoes, 

 which those who have tried them like 

 very much. When thus preserved, 

 they are safe from frost or other contin- 

 gency, and, although not in condition 

 for being baked, are excellent for 

 stewin"-. 



How to Sulphur Fruit. 



Concerning the use of sulphur in 

 bleaching fruit the following informa- 

 tion, from the California Fruit Grouper 

 is of interest. 



The sulphuring box or closet must 

 be tight jointed all around, with the 

 door well battened at sides, top and 

 bottom, the only opening being a vent 

 hole about six inches in diameter in 

 centre of the roof. Without the vent 

 there is no current of air, and conse- 

 quently no even distribution of the 

 sulphur fumes. A slide to regulate the 

 draft should be set in the vent hole. 

 The width and depth of the sulphur- 

 ing box should be adapted to the size 

 of the trays in use in the drying field. 

 For height, eight feet is as gi'eat as 

 can be worked conveniently. 



Burn the sulphur outside the box 

 in a charcoal stove, such as is used for 

 heating flat-irons, covering the top of 

 the stove with a sheet-iron hood taper- 

 ing to about four inches in diameter, 

 where a pipe of four feet length can be 

 slipped on and ofl'. This pipe should lead 

 into the bottom of the sulphur box at 

 the centre, where tlie fumes will be de- 

 livered at proper temperature to save 

 scorching the lower trays of fruit. 

 The hood should have a door to take 

 the sulphur pan in and out. To ensure 



