574 



JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



The experiments demonstrated that all kinds of vegetables and herbs 

 can be dried successfully, but the trials were not on a sufficiently large 

 scale to show whether or not the results would be commercially re- 

 munerative. 



The following are some of the lessons learned from these experi- 

 ments : — 



1. Ripe fruit dries more quickly than unripe fruit, the latter being 

 several hours longer in the process, and therefore most costly to produce. 



2. Unripe fruit loses a larger percentage in weight during the drying 

 process, and is not a good colour for its kind or variety when dried. 



3. Large fruit of the respective kind or variety produces the finest 

 dried article of the same variety or kind. 



4. Small specimens of the same variety of fruit or vegetables dry more 

 quickly than larger ones. 



5. Stone fruit, such as Plums, Cherries, &c, should be exposed to a 

 low temperature at first for several hours, and have the temperature 

 gradually increased as evaporation proceeds. 



6 . Apples and vegetables may be exposed at once to a moderately high 

 temperature, and finished in a lower temperature. 



7. Stone fruit should be placed on the trays with the stalk ends upper- 

 most. 



8. Fruit of different sizes should not be placed upon the same tray, 

 and small should not be mixed with large fruit. 



9. Apples and Pears, immediately after peeling, should be immersed 

 in a weak solution consisting of one ounce of salt to three quarts of water. 

 If exposed to the air after being peeled they quickly discolour.* 



Mabmalade, Must, and Mark. 



Germans do not practise jam or marmalade making as we English 

 do, nor do they preserve oranges for breakfast and other purposes. In 

 place of whole-fruit and other jams they have a series of preparations 

 named Marmalade, Must, and Mark. The first has much added sugar, 

 and is boiled for a short time ; the second (Must) has but little sugar, but 

 is boiled longer, and therefore keeps equally well. Mark has no sugar and 

 is made from such fruits as Tomatos &c. 



The preparation of the three materials is very similar. The fruit is 

 pulped,t boiled, and bottled or put into jars. For preparing the pulp two 

 sorts of hand-presses may be used. The first can only be employed for 

 Apples, Pears, Tomatos, and soft fruits, and those which have no stones. 

 The trough . of this has straight wooden sides, and the semicircular 

 b3ttom is made of perforated zinc. The fruit, having previously been 

 boiled, is placed herein, and is forced through with a roller shaped like a 



* Bee Journal of the Bath and West of. England Society, vol. xii. (1902), p. 97 

 ct seq. 



t The first official appearance of the worn "jam'' is in Bailey's Dictionary 

 (1730-0), where it is conjectured that it was derived from " J'aime (I love it)," which, 

 Bailey explains, " children used to say in French formerly when they liked anything." 

 Dr. Johnson owned that the little word was a puzzle to him; but modern authorities 

 a^'rec in surmising that it simply comes from the verb " to jam," and means some- 

 thing made by squeezing. 



