20 



HOME DRYING MANUAL 



4 inches below the top framework and sloping 

 parallel with the top. The tray is made of 

 thin strips of wood about 2 inches wide and 

 has a galvanized wire screen bottom. There 

 will be a space of about 2 inches between the 

 top edges of the tray and the glass top of the 

 Drier, to allow for circulation. Protect both 

 sides, the bottom and the front end of the 

 Drier with cheesecloth tacked on securely and 

 snugly, to exclude insects and dust with- 

 out interfering with circulation. At the 

 rear end place a cheesecloth curtain tacked 

 at the top but swinging free below, to allow 

 the tray to be moved in and out. Brace 



bent up for an inch or two on each side. 

 At each corner this tray should have a leg 

 an inch or tv o in length, to hold it up from 



Fig. 5. Commercial drier for use in o\'en. 



the bottom of this curtain with a thin strip 

 of wood, as is done in window shades. This 

 curtain is to be fastened to the legs by buttons 

 when the tray is in place. 



DRYING BY ARTIFICIAL HEAT 



Drying by artificial heat is done in the oven 

 or on top of a cookstove or range, in trays 

 suspended over the stove or in a specially 

 constructed drier built at home or purchased. 



When drying with artificial heat a ther- 

 mometer must be used. This should be 

 placed in the drier and frequently observed. 



OVEN DRYING 



The simplest form of Oven Drj'ing is to 

 place small quantities of foodstuffs on plates 

 in a slow oven. In this way leftovers and 

 other bits of food may be saved for winter 

 use with slight trouble and dried while the 

 top of the stove is being used. This is 

 especially effective for sweet corn. A few 

 sweet potatoes, apples or peas, or even a 

 single turnip, may be dried and saved. To 

 keep the heat from being too great leave the 

 oven door partially open. For oven use a 

 simple tray may be made of galvanized wire 

 screen of convenient size, with the edges 



Fig. 6. Commercial drier which may be placed on 

 top of cookstove or suspended over a lamp. 



the bottom of the oven and permit circula- 

 tion of air around the product. 



An oven drier which can be bought at a 

 low price is shown in Fig. 5. 



DRYING ON TOP OF OR OVER STOVE 



An effective Drier for use over a stove or 

 range may be made easily at home. Such 

 a Drier is shown in Fig. 9. For the frame 

 use strips of wood >2-inch thick and 2 inches 

 wide. The trays or shelves are made of 

 galvanized wire screen of small mesh tacked 

 to the supports; or separate trays, sliding on 

 strips attached to the framework, are de- 

 sirable. This Drier may be suspended from 

 the ceiling over the kitchen sto\'e or range, 

 or over an oil, 

 gasoline, or gas 

 stove, and it 

 may be used 

 while cooking is 

 being done. If 

 an oil sto\'C is 

 used there must 

 be a tin or galva- 

 nized iron bot- 

 tom 4 inches 

 below the lowest 

 tray, to prevent 

 the fumes of the 

 oil from reaching 

 and passing 

 through the ma- 

 terial which is 

 to be dried, and pic. 7. Commercial drier for use- 

 to distribute the on stove, 



heat. A bottom of this kind may be easily 

 attached to any Drier, either home-made or 

 commercial. A framework crane as shown in 

 Fig. 9 makes it possible for this Drier to 

 be swung aside when not in use. 



In Fig. 8 is shown another form of Home- 

 made Cookstove Drier, more pretentious 

 than that shown in Fig. 9, but still easily 

 and cheaply made. A good size for this is: 

 base, 16 by 24 inches; height, 36 inches. The 

 lower part or supporting framework, 6 inches 

 high, is made of galvanized sheet iron, 



