AMERICAN FRUIT -EVAPORATORS AND EVAPORATING. 548 



Some years ago experiments in fruit-preserving were made by 

 the Royal Horticultural Society not only by beat but also by 

 exhaustion, but Mr. Cheal said he did not think they were 

 altogether a success. Fruit dried by means of heat would, in his 

 opinion, be most valuable. 



Mr. D. Moreis, Treasurer R.H.S. r said he had seen fruit- 

 evaporators at work in America. . Apples were chiefly experi- 

 mented on, though at times other fruits also, and many farmers 

 used to dry all sorts of fruits, &c, by their means. The 

 machines were simple things, notwithstanding their complicated 

 appearance. In 1882-3 he saw them at work, which is performed 

 as follows : The apple, or whatever it may be, is pushed into a 

 tube which takes out the core ; afterwards a chisel-like tool takes 

 off the peel, and at the same time a sharp instrument goes into 

 the apple and cuts it into a long spiral string, or sometimes it 

 is cut into rings. The fruit is then put in trays, which are 

 placed in position in the drying-machine. One objection in 

 regard to the drying-machines was that the steam rising from 

 the lower trays of fruit has a tendency as it rises upwards through 

 the upper layers to cook the fruit on the upper trays. This dis- 

 advantage has now been remedied by means of the " Zimmer- 

 man " evaporator, which has a flue specially constructed to 

 carry off the generated steam. There could be no doubt as to 

 the utility, simplicity, and economy of these evaporators, and he 

 thought that, where a person had a surplus quantity of second- 

 class fruit, it would be much better to preserve it by means of 

 these machines than to have it wasted. In the tropics the 

 banana must be cut before it is ripe ; so that it may reach this 

 country in proper condition for consumption ; but very often they 

 are spoiled from one cause and another and hardly fit to eat. If, 

 however, they were dried by these machines they would then 

 reach this country in a much better condition. But, somehow, 

 bananas were little cared for in England, and this was no doubt 

 because it was inferior to British fruit, which was by far the 

 best, and perhaps this fact accounted for fruit- evaporators not 

 being generally used here ; but still he would recommend anyone 

 that could do so to use these evaporators wherever possible. 



A gentleman asked if these machines could be applied in the 

 case of potatoes, and also if there was any commercial value to 

 be attached to fruits preserved by means of these evaporators. 



