70 The Canadian Horticulturist. 



AT THE FARMERS' INSTITUTES. 



EXPERIENCE IN EVAPORATING APPLES. 



A T the Farmers' Institute at Warkworth, Mr. John Stone, of Norham, 



^^f\ said he had been running a small evaporator with great profit. It 



was of a size large enough to take about sixteen bushels at a time. 



It was run with very little expense, one girl with a good paring and coring 



machine being able to prepare about six bushels per hour for the evaporator. 



His favorite apple is the Golden Russet, as it yields eight and one-half 

 pounds of sliced evaporated fruit to the bushel ; the only other apple which 

 yields more pounds per bushel is the Canada Red, which gives nine pounds. 

 Next comes the Swayzie Pomme Grise, yielding eight pounds, while the 

 Northern Spy only yields six and one-half pounds, and the Colvert only 

 five and one-half. 



Mr. Stone has found evaporated apples profitable selling at nine and 

 ten cents per pound ; but he has found the greatest profit in evaporating 

 apples whole, of course peeled and cored. He got the idea from a friend 

 in England, who noticed them in London, brought in from Holland, and 

 sold in fancy packages, laid nicely in rows. He has tried it, and with the 

 most excellent results. 



The sheer being removed the parer and corer was used, and it was 

 found that the Golden Russet, in this way, would yield as much as twelve 

 pounds per bushel. This and the Swayzie Pomme Grise were the only two 

 varieties which could be successfully evaporated whole. He had put them 

 up in a box two feet long, ten inches wide, and thirty inches high, holding 

 about fifty pounds, and had shipped them to Ottawa and Toronto, where 

 they sold readily at ten and twelve cents per pound, or about two cents 

 per pound in advance of the ordinary sliced evaporated apples. 



For all purposes he claimed that the Golden Russets, evaporated whole, 

 were the most desirable, as they cured and kept perfectly, retaining more 

 of the natural condition of the fruit. Spiced and steamed or stewed they 

 were soon made into a delicious sauce for the table, or could be made up in 

 pies or dumplings. 



Surely this matter is worth considering, for it would appear that an 

 unlimited market could be found for apples prepared in this way. The only 

 drawback is that only first-class apples would answer the purpose. 



- PRUNING TREES. 



At many Farmers' Institutes the question of the best time for pruning is 

 frequently raised. Now, if a tree is kept in shape by light pruning from 

 year to year, the work can be done at any time ; but if heavy pruning must 

 be done, more consideration is required. It is most conducive to the vigor 

 of the tree to do such pruning while the tree is dormant, either in fall or 



