Drying Peaches. 429 
the curved blade skims around the stone, completely severing it 
from the peach. This device has enabled the grower to pit 
clings as easily as freestones, but owing to the strength required 
in the wrist, the pitting of clings can best be done by men. The 
Tarlton knife works admirably, both with mellow and quite firm 
fruit, and is, therefore, vastly superior to the spoon-shaped knife, 
which can only be used on soft fruit. A strong, active man can 
pit five hundred to seven hundred pounds of clings in a day. 
U 
The Tarlton Knife for Pitting Clingstone Peaches. 
The weight of dried peaches which can be obtained from a 
certain weight of fresh fruit, depends upon the variety; some 
varieties yield at least a third more than others, and clings yield 
more than freestones as a rule. Dry-fleshed peaches, like the 
Muir, yield one pound dry from four or five pounds fresh, while 
other more juicy fruit may require six or seven pounds. 
Nectarines—Nectarines are handled like peaches; the pro- 
duction of translucent amber fruit in the sun depends upon the 
skilful use of sulphur. 
Plums and Prunes—Our pitted plums, which are an acid 
fruit, are meeting with more favor than formerly, and the product 
is increasing. Pitting is done by hand or by the use of foot- 
power “pitters.”” More rapid and capacious machines are being 
brought out by inventors. 
Prunes are one of our greatest and most promising prod- 
ucts. Several varieties which dry sweet with the pit in are used 
in making prunes, as already stated in Chapter XXII, but the 
prevailing variety is the Prune d’ Agen. 
‘Prunes are gathered by shaking from the trees, usually 
upon sheets spread beneath. Several gatherings are made by 
light shakings which cause only the ripe specimens to fall. 
Prunes are usually graded before drying, and various home- 
made contrivances are employed. Some use inclined planes of 
adjustable slats, the grader being thus available for other fruits 
than prunes; the large fruit rolls along into receptacles at the bot- 
tom, while the small fruit falls through into other receptacles. 
Other grading devices are made with wire screens or riddles of 
different sizes of mesh. Some of them work on the principle of a 
fanning mill, three to four riddles, placed above one another, 
each with a slight incline, and a spout on the side where each 
grade drops intoa box. Some have a long riddle, say twelve feet 
long, with three different sizes of wire screen on it. This riddle 
