224 



GARDEN STEPS 



reasons are mainly as important today as they ever 

 were. Two points are important in preserving food 

 by evaporation .: first, tiie food must be dried thor- 

 oughly by slow, even evaporation ; second, it must 

 be kept free from worms and insects. 



Drying by the natural warmth of the sun and 

 air in the eastern states is a difficult problem. Dur- 



Drying Vegetables by Means of an Electric Fax 



ing many weeks in the summer the humidit\- is 

 high, and frequent showers are to be expected. 

 This means that food must be watched, carried in 

 and out from sun to shelter, turned over to avoid 

 sweating, and kept on hand for man)- da}-s before 

 it is fit to store. The present summer (1917) has 

 seen quantities of food spoiled because of continued 

 damp weather. Drying by means of artificial warmth 



