42 BUULETEN 1141. U. S. DEPAETMEIS'T OF AGRICULTURE. 



The object? to be obtained by turning must be kept in mind and 

 the fruit handled accordingly. It should be examined from time to 

 time and turned often enough to prevent scorching or sticking and 

 to insure uniform drying. 



The instrument used in turning the fruit is a broad-bladed wooden 

 shovel, with the handle so attached that the user may stand erect. 

 A steel shovel can not be used, as contact with metal would discolor 

 the fruit. The operator in charge of the kiln keeps a pair of rubber 

 overshoes in a convenient place to be worn only when working in the 

 kilns. Slipping these on. he begins turning the fruit by working 

 along one wall parallel with the slats of the floor, throwing the fruit 

 from a strip the width of his shovel back upon that next to it. On 

 the return trip he fills this strip with the loosened fruit, leaving an 

 exposed path which is filled as he returns, and so on until the oppo- 

 site wall is reached, when he covers his path by walking backwards 

 and drawing the fruit uniformly into the space". Stepping upon the 

 drying fruit is thus avoided. Some operators employ movable walk- 

 ways, consisting of a long board with short legs attached, which mav 

 be used to reach any pan of the kiln from the door without disturb- 

 ing the intervening fruit. TThen the fruit has lost most of its mois- 

 ture, a long-handled wooden rake is of advantage for loosening any 

 masses which are not drying properly. 



A practice followed by some operators is of sufficient practical 

 value to warrant mention. As the fruit in a kiln becomes nearly dry 

 it is thrown to one side so as to leave one-half or three- fourths of the 

 floor free. The loading of this area with fresh fruit then begins and 

 is completed as soon as the dry lot is removed. Since the tempera- 

 tures employed for beginning and finishing the drying are essentially 

 the same, this practice permits continuous operation of the kiln-. 



In the case of other types of evaporators in which the fruit is 

 handled on trays, no turning is required, although it may be neces- 

 sary to open up compact masses if the spreading has been poorly 

 done. Sometimes the relative positions of the trays are changed to 

 make the drying more uniform, but if the offset arrangement of the 

 trays in the tunnel is properly maintained this should be unneces- 

 sary. The absence of necessity for stirring or turning is one reason 

 why the fruit dried on trays is generally of rather better quality 

 than that from kilns. The repeated turning on the kiln floor is 

 likely to crush and break the fruit more or less unless the turning is 

 carefully done and the first turning is postponed until the fruit ha? 

 lost enough of its moisture to be somewhat leathery, while in that 

 which remains practically undisturbed on the racks the rings are 

 maintained in better condition. The fruit also dries more quickly 

 and is often more attractive in appearance. 



The same general principles must be observed in tending the fruit 

 where steam heat is used in place of direct hot air from furnaces. 



Time required far drying. — The time necessary for drying fruit. 

 depends upon several factors. The more important are : Type of 

 evaporator, depth to which fruit is spread, method of preparing 

 (whether sliced, quartered, or whole), temperature maintained, con- 

 ditions of the weather, and to a certain extent the construction of 

 the evaporator. 



The application of these several factors to the point in question 

 readily follows. A good kiln evaporator should dry a floor of slices 



