AMERICAN-GKOWN PAPRIKA. 



19 



wire. After the wire has been tacked on, a board 6 inches wide is 

 railed to the end of the four sides of the frame, thereby making a 

 container 5 inches in depth. These wire crates are supported in the 

 barn by timbers 2 by 4 inches nailed across from one side to the 

 other. The crate should rest on three of these, one being at each 

 end and one at the center. The first layer of these crates is about 6 

 feet above the floor of the barn. An opening 4 feet wide is left the 

 entire width of the barn and extends to the top. On each side of 

 this opening the crates are placed, four to each level and four tiers 

 high. Between each — *- 

 two crates a space is i 

 left, and the crates on 

 the next tier above 

 are not placed directly 

 over those below, but 

 alternate with the open 

 spaces. This gives 

 room for 16 crates to 

 each side, with an open 

 space through the cen- 

 ter of the barn. About 

 4 bushels of the fresh- 

 ly picked pods can be 

 placed in each of these 

 crates, making a total 

 of 128 bushels to each 

 curing. 



After the crates are 

 placed in position and 

 filled the heat may be 

 started. This is done 

 by building a fire in 

 the furnaces outside. 

 The heat is advanced 

 directly to between 135° and 150° F. and held at that point for about 

 72 hours, the time required to complete the process. The peppers are 

 then taken out and placed in containers in some good storage house 

 until through the absorption of a slight amount of water from the air 

 the pods become somewhat flexible. 



Sca/e of Fee f. 

 I O / S 3 f- S 6 



Fig. 9. — End view of a paprika curing house, showing 

 furnaces, smoke pipes, and the arrangement of the 

 interior framework to support the crates. 



STORAGE. 



After the peppers are taken from the drying barn they should be 

 placed in a good dry storage house and left in the containers until 

 they become flexible. They should then be worked over, taking out all 



