138 GARDENING FOR ALL. 
One of the pioneers and most successful of fruit dryers in 
this country is Mr. Trotter, head gardener to Mr. F. Ricardo, 
Bromesberrow Place, Ledbury. The greater part of Bromes- 
berrow Place is in Worcestershire, the boundary line 
separating Worcestershire and Gloucestershire passing 
through a portion of the mansionitself; therefore, to Worces- 
tershire belongs the honour of leading the van in this new 
and important branch of the industry of the production and 
preservation of fruits and vegetables. 
Mr. Trotter has exhibited examples of dried apples, 
plums, damsons, cherries, pears, currants, apricots, figs, 
asparagus, tomatoes, French beans, peas, thyme, parsley, 
sage, mint, pennyroyal, &c., in various parts of the country, 
and has been awarded twenty-two first prizes, including six 
silver and two gold medals. 
The machine in use at Bromesberrow Place is the 
“American ”’ Evaporator, No. 2, and cost about £19. It 
occupies a space about twelve feet long, four feet broad, and 
eight feet high in a commodious and light shed where all the 
processes of peeling, coring, slicing, crystallising, drying and 
packing can easily and conveniently be carried on at the 
same time. The garden labourers do much of the work on 
days when the weather prevents them following their usual 
vocation, and such work is at once comfortable, pleasant, 
and profitable. 
The clever invention for at once peeling, slicing, and 
coring apples is worked as simply as a hand sewing machine. 
The apple is placed upon the triple spindle, the knives 
brought into working contact with the screw shaft, six or 
seven turns of the handle, and the apple is peeled, cored, and 
sliced. Price, 18s. 
All apples and tomatoes must be peeled before being 
placed into the evaporator, otherwise they will come out 
as voasted apples and tomatoes instead of the dried article. 
Mr. Trotter admits failure at first in that respect. He also 
says that other fruits and vegetables must be submitted to a 
lower temperature at first until the skin has begun to shrink. 
The ripest fruit dries most quickly; fruit less ripe 
requires a longer period of time; this applies especially to 
