1883.] 



THE AMERICAN GARDEN. 



131 



EVAPORATING FRUITS AND VEGETABLES. 



The process of evaporating fruits should 

 not be confounded with the ordinary method 

 of drying, which calls into play the agency 

 of innumerable hosts of flies, bees, etc., which 

 extract not only the watery, but considerable 

 of the most desirable part of the fruits and 

 vegetables," leaving a substance which would 

 not be palatable, had we witnessed the man- 

 ner of its preparation. 



In any process of evaporation, the great 

 desideratum is the application of intense 

 heat in the first stage of drying, except in the 

 case of Grapes and similar fruits, where ex- 

 treme heat will burst the skin and allow the 

 juice to flow out, — as the great heat will, by 

 affecting the outer surface of the substance, 

 form an impenetrable external coating, thus 

 retaining the flavor and other desirable qual- 

 ities of the fruit. 



The best arrangement, and, indeed, the 

 only proper one, is to subject the material 

 to a continuous current of hot air. This 

 current cannot be made hot enough to 

 scorch or burn the fruit, if it be kept in brisk 

 motion ; but let it become stagnant for a short 

 time, ond the product will undoubtedly be 

 ruined by the intense heat. 



There are many patterns of evaporators 

 that do good work. The American is espe- 

 cially to be recommended on account of its 

 simplicity. It consists of an inclined wooden 

 flue with the heater placed under the lower 

 end, so that, when the first tray is placed in, 

 the fruit rests directly over the heater; and 

 when, after being thoroughly heated, an- 

 other is added by simply pushing against the 

 first, the latter is forced up the trunk and the 

 second takes its place. This is repeated 

 with each successive tray, and in this way 

 there need be no larger opening to the exter- 

 nal air than about four inches in width. This 

 is a great advantage over evaporators in 

 which the trays are placed one above the 

 other. These work well enough for a tray or 

 two ; but when a dozen or more are already 

 in place, and it is desired to put in others, the 

 entire number have to lie drawn out and 

 slipped in, one tier higher, to make room for 

 the new one. Thus the entire side of the 

 house becomes exposed, and consequently 

 filled with cold air, which requires to be 

 beated before any progress can be made, 

 causing also unnecessary labor and useless 

 expense of fuel, which can easily be saved. 



Raspberries we have found to lie very 

 profitable, as three quarts of the fresh fruit 

 yield one pound of the evaporated, and this 

 has a ready sale at thirty-seven cents per 

 pound. So, in case the market prices for 

 fresh berries are down, it is an easy matter 

 to put them in such a shape that we can com- 

 mand better figures. 



Corn, properly evaporated, makes a dish 

 fully equal to that just cut from the cob, at 

 a cost of about fifteen cents per pound. Half 

 a pound is sufficient for a family meal. 



Pumpkins also make a good article, when 

 evaporated,— fully equal to fresh ones for 

 making pies, thus extending the pie season 

 through the entire year. 



Many other fruits and vegetables which can 

 readily be dried have not yet taken a place 

 in the market, or are not known in this con- 



dition to commerce. Among these are dried 

 Sweet Potatoes, which those who have tried 

 them like very much. When thus preserved, 

 they are safe from frost or other contingency, 

 and, although not in condition for being 

 baked, are excellent for stewing. 



Evaporated Peaches and Apples are now 

 extensively shipped to European ports, and 

 are a great factor in our exporting trade. 

 Evaporated Sweet Corn will also before long- 

 rank with these as an important article of 

 export, on account of its superiority over the 

 canned article. 



Almost any vegetable or fruit can have its 

 surplus water driven off by proper evapora- 

 tion, and, by again restoring that water when 

 wanted for use, make a highly welcome sub- 

 stitute when the fresh article is not to be 

 had. Jas. Edgerton. 



cleat. Slacken the line to let Biddy hang 

 and pin her clothes ; then, when the clothes 

 are on, " haul taut and belay." Observe the 

 pleasing picture. 



No patent applied for. The notion is gen- 

 erously thrown open for public use. But the 

 inventor has no objection to the erection to 

 his memory, by grateful women, of a. monu- 

 ment made of broken clothes-projjs. 



T. D. E. 



[Fully appreciating the humane motives 

 of our esteemed correspondent, we cheer- 

 fully second the motion for the erection of a 

 posthumous monument to his memory, hop- 

 ing, however, that the occasion for the event 

 will be many years deferred. Meanwhile, we 

 wish to speak a good word for galvanized 

 wire clothes-lines, which, on properly set 

 posts, last a lifetime. — Ed.] 





it? 







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Li 







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CLOTHES-LINES. 



Clothes-lines should not infest a garden or 

 a lawn ; but they frequently do. Such being 

 the terrible fact, the intruders should be as 

 little disagreeable as the nature of the case 

 will admit. A clothes-line is a necessary 

 abomination. And the clothes-posts are 

 appurtenant to the clothes-lines. The posts, 

 staid and decorous originally, fall into bad 

 habits. In time they lose their dignity, and 

 lean at all angles, even to the very acute. 

 Then the clothes-lines part company with 

 the clothes-props, and hang in such a way as 

 to catch the careless passer under the chin. 

 About that time the recording angel is 

 obliged to call in an extra clerk to make 

 proper entry of the prayers, said backward, 

 of the unlucky victim, and the props, in 

 refusing to do their duty, bring the ends of 

 clean sheets to the ground, and the angel of 

 the household loses her temper thereupon. 

 Moved by a general good-will to the human 

 family, as well as pity for the angel's vexa- 

 tions, I propose to show a mode of prevent- 

 ing this trouble, as well as to dispense with 

 clothes-props. 



Get good stout posts, each twelve feet 

 long, and six inches from the upper end have 

 a mortise made, large enough to receive a 

 wooden pulley, which set in its place. On 

 two of the posts that are to be the begin- 

 ning and end of the line, four feet beneath 

 the pulley, nail cleats. Now, to prevent the 

 posts from sagging, set a cross-piece on the 

 bottom by a mortise and tenon, and from 

 the ends of this to the post nail diagonal 

 braces. Then set this brace end four feet in 

 the ground, and ram the dirt down as if you 

 meant it. Set your other posts between 

 these, at intervals of fifteen feet. Wind one 

 end of your clothes-line, after passing it over 

 the pulley, several times around the cleat. 

 Pass the other end of the line through and 

 over the pulley of the intermediate post, or 

 posts, and then through the end post in like 

 manner, draw tightly, and fasten on the last 



Jjortieuliurat !j|i©Mi©j§« 



THE NEW-YORK ROSE AND STRAWBERRY 

 EXHIBITION. 



A heav3 r , beating rain, continuing during 

 the entire night preceding the exhibition of 

 June 19th, made sad havoc among the Rose 

 gardens and Strawberry beds in the vicinity 

 of New-York, so much so that many of the 

 most extensive growers gave up in despair 

 all hope of the possibility of exhibiting any- 

 thing. Under these adverse circumstances, 

 it was gratifying to see the hall as well filled 

 with plants, flowers, and fruits as it was. 



The exhibits of Strawberries, although 

 they showed the effects of the rain, were as 

 a whole creditable. W. L. Ferris, Jr., of 

 Poughkeepsie, carried off, and deservedly, 

 the first prize for the best collection of 

 twenty-five quarts, and E. P. Eoe, of Corn- 

 wall, the second. The prize for the best 

 fifty berries was awarded to Bernard Fagan, 

 for Sharpless, and a magnificent sight they 

 were, some of the berries measuring nearly 

 three inches in diameter. Jersey Queen, 

 exhibited by P. Henderson, took the prizes 

 for the heaviest ten berries and the best two 

 quarts. 



Among the most attractive new varieties 

 were Durand's " Prince of Berries," formerly 

 known as '"Superb." This is really a superb 

 berry, resembling somewhat the Jersey Queen 

 in appearance, but is a little smaller, and of 

 decidedly superior flavor. The "Atlantic," 

 a new market berry of great promise, kept 

 better till the close of the exhibition than 

 any other, and was highly spoken of by pro- 

 fessional fruit growers. A number of fine- 

 looking seedlings were exhibited by Hallock 

 & Thorpe, E. W. Parsons & Co., Seymour & 

 Downs, and others whose names we could 

 not learn. 



On the second day some of the Eose grow- 

 ers revived their courage and filled the 



