HOME DRYING MANUAL 
20 
4 inches below the top framework and sloping 
parallel with the top. The tray is made of 
thin strips of wood about 2 inches wide and 
has a galvanized wire screen bottom. There 
will be a space of about 2 inches between the 
top edges of the tray and the glass top of the 
Drier, to allow for circulation. Protect both 
sides, the bottom and the front end of the 
Drier with cheesecloth tacked on securely and 
snugly, to exclude insects and dust with- 
out interfering with circulation. At the 
rear end place a cheesecloth curtain tacked 
at the top but swinging free below, to allow 
the tray to be moved in and out. Brace 
Fig. 5. Commercial drier for use in oven. 
the bottom of this curtain with a thin strip 
of wood, as is done in window shades. This 
curtain is to be fastened to the legs by buttons 
when the tray is in place. 
DRYING BY ARTIFICIAL HEAT 
Drying by artificial heat is done in the oven 
or on top of a cookstove or range, in trays 
suspended over the stove or in a specially 
constructed drier built at home or purchased. 
When drying with artificial heat a ther- 
mometer must be used. This should be 
placed in the drier and frequently observed. 
OVEN DRYING 
The simplest form of Oven Drying is to 
place small quantities of foodstuffs on plates 
in a slow oven. In this way leftovers and 
other bits of food may be saved for winter 
use with slight trouble and dried while the 
top of the stove is being used. This is 
especially effective for sweet corn. A few 
sweet potatoes, apples or peas, or even a 
single turnip, may be dried and saved. To 
keep the heat from being too great leave the 
oven door partially open. For oven use a 
simple tray may be made of galvanized wire 
screen of convenient size, with the edges 
bent up for an inch or two on each side. 
At each corner this tray should have a leg 
an inch or two in length, to hold it up from 
Fig. 6. Commercial drier which may be placed on 
top of cookstove or suspended over a lamp. 
the bottom of the oven and permit circula- 
tion of air around the product. 
An oven drier which can be bought at a 
low price is shown in Fig. 5. 
DRYING ON TOP OF OR OVER STOVE 
An effective Drier for use over a stove or 
range may be made easily at home. Such 
a Drier is shown in Fig. 9. For the frame 
use strips of wood }^-inch thick and 2 inches 
wide. The trays or shelves are made of 
galvanized wire screen of small mesh tacked 
to the supports; or separate trays, sliding on 
strips attached to the framework, are de- 
sirable. This Drier may be suspended from 
the ceiling over the kitchen stove or range, 
or over an oil, 
gasoline, or gas 
stove, and it 
may be used 
while cooking is 
being done. If 
an oil stove is 
used there must 
be a tin or galva- 
nized iron bot- 
tom 4 inches 
below the lowest 
tray, to prevent 
the fumes of the 
oil from reaching 
and passing 
through the ma- 
terial which is 
to be dried, and j? IG# 7 . Commercial drier for use 
to distribute the on stove, 
heat. A bottom of this kind may be easily 
attached to any Drier, either home-made or 
commercial. A framework crane as shown in 
Fig. 9 makes it possible for this Drier to 
be swung aside when not in use. 
In Fig. 8 is shown another form of Home- 
made Cookstove Drier, more pretentious 
than that shown in Fig. 9, but still easily 
and cheaply made. A good size for this is: 
base, 16 by 24 inches; height, 36 inches. The 
lower part or supporting framework, 6 inches 
high, is made of galvanized sheet iron, 
