690 New Modes of Disposing of Fruit and Vegetables. 
in America, which appeared in this Journal in 1888,* explained the 
details of a mode of treating fruit in the United States, and showed 
the great extent of the industry and its enormous increase in 
recent years. As the term implies, the evaporation of fruit is simply 
driving out the watery parts by heat, thus reducing the bulk and 
weight, making it portable and easy to preserve on account of its 
dryness. This process is mainly applied to apples, pears, and 
peaches, as well as to vegetables of many kinds. 
Attempts have been made to introduce “ evaporation” into this 
country as a means of disposing of surplus fruits and vegetables in 
seasons of abundance, but at present there has been no action on 
the part of producers and preservers in this direction. Eva- 
porating machines, as used in America, have been exhibited at the 
Royal Agricultural Society’s Meetings ^ and at several local shows, 
suitable either for large or small producers and preservers. Trials 
have shown that their work is satisfactory, and, as further proof of 
this, one has only to notice the apple and peach “ rings ” and 
“ chips ” on sale in all the grocers’ shops in Great Britain, imported 
from the United States and Canada, and dried by these machines. 
As giving some idea of the importance of this industry it may be 
stated that, in 1890, 4,436,671 lb. of fruit, preserved without sugar, of 
the value of 70,9727., was imported into this country from the United 
States, and in all probability a large part of this consisted of fruit 
preserved by evaporation. Holland, Belgium, Germany, and France 
also import large quantities of fruit prepared in this way. Australia 
and South Africa receive considerable imports of it “for making jam, 
compotes, marmalades, etc.” A particular sort of apple is imported 
into France in this evaporated state for making cider. In the 
season 1889-90 over 90,000 cwt. were received in France for this 
purpose. 
All kinds of vegetables are evaporated. Potatoes, pumpkins, 
vegetable and custai-d marrows, carrots, parsnips, French beans and 
tomatoes, are cut into slices and subjected to heat in the evaporat- 
ing machines to drive off their watery parts. Peas and broad beans 
are also treated by this process. In this way, vegetables of all 
descriptions are available at all seasons of the year, and merely 
require boiling for a short time to make them fit for consumption. 
In the same manner, evaporated fruit may be stewed, or baked in 
pies, or boiled, sugar being added according to taste, and cannot be 
distinguished from fruit that has been bottled, or preserved with 
sugar. 
There is another method of treating fruit and vegetables adopted 
in the United States and Canada, even more important than eva- 
poration, known as “ canning,” or preserving in tin cans and glass 
jars. Fruit and vegetables preserved in this way will keep for very 
‘ Journal R.A.S.E., Vol. XXIV. (2nd Series), p. 487. 
One of tliese took a silver medal at the Nottingham Meeting in 1888, 
and a prize of 307. was awarded at Windsor in 1889 to a machine of the same 
kind. 
