AMERICAN FRUIT -EVAPORATORS AND EVAPORATING. 541 



which is equal to rather more than 4 J d. profit per lb. cf evapo- 

 rated fruit. I have some fear that this is an over- statement, 

 but it is only fair to say I find similar estimates given by 

 other firms. If Mr. Pidgeon's figures and these are added 

 together, and an average struck, it is probable it will give a not 

 inaccurate idea of the profit frequently made. But it must be 

 borne in mind that the amount, whatever it is, is so much real 

 gain over and above the market value of the fresh fruit, which 

 has been deducted from the total cost before the profit is ascer- 

 tained. 



In America the total value of evaporated fruit produced and 

 sold annually must amount to a very large sum of money, but I 

 have been unable to get any reliable estimate as to how much it 

 is. Mr. Pidgeon (Boyal Agricultural Society's Journal for 

 March 1890) furnishes the following figures for California 

 alone : — Total weight of all kinds of fruit evaporated in that 

 State during 1888, 31,450,000 lbs., the value of same being 

 £431,590. 



The western portion of New York State, in a district lying 

 within a radius of forty miles around the city of Rochester, 

 produced in 1838 37,750,000 lbs. of evaporated fruit (all but 

 750,000 lbs. of which were apples) of the value of £297,000. 

 Mr. Pidgeon states that to produce this amount 250,000,000 lbs. 

 (111,000 tons) of green apples and 250,000 quarts of fresh 

 raspberries were operated upon ; 19,000 tons of coal were 

 burnt in 1,500 drying-houses (each containing one or more 

 evaporators of various sizes), and 45,000 hands were employed 

 during the four months of the year, bringing about the result 

 quoted above. 



The conditions are not in several respects the same in 

 America and England. The quantity of fruit which can ever 

 be available for evaporating is much smaller in this country ; 

 but I cannot see any reason for thinking that there would not 

 be always plenty of work to employ a good number of evapora- 

 tors here in prolific seasons. The best fruit would of course 

 realise the most money if marketed as fresh fruit, provided it 

 was unmixed with inferior fruit, and as much care bestowed 

 upon grading it and sending it to market in the best possible 

 condition as is the invariable rule in America. The second-rate 

 fruit is, however, sufficiently good to produce the best quality of 



