Dec, 1895.] 



EVAPORATIO?^ OF FRUIT. 



267 



American lines, and to dry apples in wholes, halves, quarters, 

 chips, and rings. The French fruit gTO\vers say that they may 

 as well supply their own country with these things as to go to 

 America for them. 



Fruit growers in the Colonies have also made a move in this 

 direction, and are using evaporators somewhat extensively. In 

 the " Agricultural Gazette " of New South Wales for December 

 1894, published by the Department of Agriculture^ there is an 

 interesting paper on " Canning, Drying, and Preserving Fruit," 

 in which the use of evaporating machines is advocated, and the 

 following remarks are made : — " Fruit drying, instead of, as at 

 present, being practically unknown, should be a great and paying 

 industry, and instead of our having to import dried fruits to 

 the extent of over 100,000^. a year, we should be able to supply 

 all our own wants and have a good surplus for export." 



Fruit evaporation is extending rapidly in Germany, where 

 there is a desire to obtain the trade in dried fruits which is at 

 present largely in the hands of American exporters. There has 

 been a scare in Germany as to the poisonous character of fruits 

 dried on wires made of zinc, and one muuicipal authority has 

 issued an order prohibiting the sale and purchase of American 

 apple slices dried on zinc wires. 



As has been shown, fruit evaporation does not require much 

 capital, knowledge, or labour. The profit, it is admitted, 

 may not be large, but a decided profit can be obtained^ 

 and as fruit consumers come to appreciate the usefulness 

 and value of this evaporated fruit, which retains all the 

 flavour and quality of fresh fruit, and may be kept for a long 

 period and purchased so cheaply, its sale will largely increase. 

 Housekeepers generally do not realise that they can have an 

 admirable and inexpensive apple tart by putting some of the 

 rings into crust, without any paring and slicing. Jam manufac- 

 turers like evaporated fruit better than pulp as a base for jams 

 and jellies. Producers could evaporate fruit for this purpose in 

 seasons of abundance, and keep it, as pulp is kept, until it is 

 wanted. It may be used for cider and for marmalade, as in 

 France, and the evaporated refuse can also be employed for cider 

 as the base of other beverages, or for vinegar. 



If it pays fruit producers in America to treat fruit in this 

 manner for export, it may be assumed that it would equally, or 

 better, pay fruit growers in Great Britain if they brought the 

 same energy, mdustry, and intelligence to bear upon the various 

 processes connected with the evaporation of fruit. 



It is the decided opinion of numbers of the leading firms of 

 grocers in this country that fruit evaporation would pay British 

 fruit-growers, and should be systematically adopted by them. 

 These firms, who are merely distributors of produce, have no 

 special interest in advocating this- beyond the wish to benefit 

 their own countrymen. One of these firms has pointed out that 

 in 1893, when many apples were wasted because there was no 



