USES. 125 



almost immediate cure in dysentery and diarrhoea. It 

 may be eaten at meals, whicli is perhaps the best time, 

 or between meals ; raw or cooked ; in sauce or pies ; mar- 

 malade or preserves ; with cream and sugar, or without 

 — almost any way — ^but never green or decayed. As it is 

 most delicious and healthy when ripe and sound, so it is 

 most unpalatable and pernicious when green or decayed. 



Eating when ripe is the best, as well as the most agree- 

 able way of using peaches ; probably nine-tenths of all 

 raised are eaten in their ripe and uncooked states. 



But vast quantities are also canned, and numerous 

 establishments turn out, respectively, several hundred 

 thousand cans every season. These are shipped to all 

 parts of the world ; and many tastes are gratified with 

 the canned fruit that never knew, and never will know, 

 the delight of a ripe uncooked peach. 



Some are preserved for domestic use, and are consid- 

 ered amongst the very best of conserves. 



Formerly small, inferior, and even half rotten peaches, 

 as well as the parings thrown out by the canners, were 

 distilled into peach brandy, and quite a quantity was 

 used up in this way ; but since the discovery of the Alden 

 and other processes of evaporation, and the invention of 

 various evaporators, very little is used in this way ; and 

 that only of the very worst sort. 



The evaporated fruit is found to be one of the best, if 

 not the very best, forms in which it can be preserved ; and 

 when there is a crop, tons of dried peaches are put up in 

 every neighborhood. Indeed, in localities, almost every 

 planter has an evaporator- and some of them several. 

 This is found to be of great advantage, and in many ways. 

 When the crop is very abundant large quantities are used 

 in this way ; a glut in the market is prevented, and bet- 

 ter prices are obtained for what is sent. Then the fruit . 

 preserved by this method will keep. It may be packed 

 away and shipped when there is leisure, or when good 



