378 
AMERICAN AGRICULTURIST. 
[October, 
be entirely lost if the digging was put off for a 
week, or even less time. The fungus is of the same 
genus as the Grape Mildew, a description of which, 
with several illustrations, was given last month. 
Fruit Drying and Dryers—The Zimmer¬ 
man. 
The primitive method of drying fruit by expos¬ 
ure to the sun, has so many drawbacks that, even 
when all else goes on favorably, the long exposure 
required, causes the product to be dark colored 
and changed. A long exposure to a moderate heat, 
causes the sugar of fruits to turn into acids, and the 
first steps towards decay are taken, and these go on 
until the slow drying arrests them. In drying fruit 
in the sun, we have also a correspondingly strong 
light, which, it is well known, turns the cut 
surfaces of the whitest fruit to a gradually deepen¬ 
ing brown, with a rapidity that varies with different 
fruits. Fruit thus exposed attracts multitudes of 
insects; besides the ever present flies, there come 
THE ZIMMERMAN FRUIT DRYER. 
bees, wasps, and other insects, the wasps in some 
cases devouring or carrying off considerable quanti¬ 
ties, and thus causing loss. The idea of eating 
fruit thus exposed, is not a pleasant one, and care¬ 
ful persons keep off the insects by covers of muslin 
or other fabric, a protection which does not keep 
out another trouble, the dust. But there is a still 
greater difficulty; a large quantity of fruit is pre¬ 
pared for drying, and then comes a long storm, and 
if it does not actually rain, the atmosphere is so 
charged with moisture, that it can take up no more, 
and the fruit must be lost, or it must be brought 
into the kitchen—much to the discomfort of the 
family, and fires kept up to save it. All these dif¬ 
ficulties may be overcome by building a properly 
constructed kiln, or drying house. But the opera¬ 
tions are rarely on a scale large enough to warrant 
a special structure, and there have been numerous- 
attempts to meet a general want by supplying port¬ 
able dryers. The earlier machines of this kind 
bad two great faults ; firstly, they were of wood, and 
both clumsy and dangerous, and secondly, they 
were too low in proportion to their breadth, caus¬ 
ing a great waste of fuel, and being less manageable. 
A change has been made in these respects, and the 
dryer of the present day, is a different affair from 
that of 15 or 20 years ago, not only in appearance, 
but in the products it turns out. We stated last 
month, that the “ Zimmerman Fruit and Vegetable 
Dryer ” appeared to be constructed upon correct 
principles; a subsequent trial more than confirms 
the opinion formed on a mere examination. 
This Dryer is made in several sizes ; that shown in 
the engraving is No. 2, and best suited to general 
use. No. 1 is of half the capacity; No. 3 is of 
double the capacity, and only needed by those who 
dry on a large scale. The machine shown here is 6 
feet high, 2 feet deep, and 26 inches wide. Below 
is a furnace or stove for the fuel; this has a door 
at the front, and the fire is managed without open¬ 
ing the chamber of the dryer. In the bottom are 
dampers to regulate the admission of air, which, 
entering, is heated by contact with the.fjirnace, then 
passes among the fruit, etc., and out through a cov¬ 
ered chimney at the top; thus there is a continuous 
upward current, which, in the larger dryers, is in¬ 
creased by so connecting the smoke pipe with the 
ventilating pipe, that the ascending current from 
the furnace helps the upward draft. Trays or 
racks of galvanized wire are provided to hold the 
fruit, etc., and these rest upon ledges placed at the 
sides, as shown in the engraving. The affair is 
readily portable, and may be used out-doors, or in¬ 
side where it can be connected with a chimuey. 
Experience proves, what an examination indicated, 
that this meets every requirement of a useful 
dryer, and it completely obviates all the difficulties 
that attend the drying of fruit in the open air. 
The “Zimmerman,” by allowing the drying to go on 
in wet weather, prevents the great loss attendant 
upon the old method, while the exclusion of light, 
of flies and dust, joined to the rapidity with which 
drying is done, remove the other obstacles to the 
best results. This Dryer turns out a product so 
superior in appearance, in color, and cleanliness, 
as to astonish those who have never seen fruit 
properly dried, and so unlike the common 6un-dried 
fruit, as to warrant the different name that the 
“ Zimmerman Dryer and Baker Co.” have given 
to the product of their machines, i. e. “ Evaporated 
Fruit.” They claim that fruit thus prepared, is 
worth in the market at least double that dried in 
the ordinary way; they give directions for attractive 
packing, and furnish a stencil plate with which to 
mark the boxes: “Zimmerman’s Evaporated Fruit.” 
Not only fruits, but vegetables and other articles 
properly preserved by dlying, are much superior 
when treated in this Dryer. Our experience, aside 
from fruits, is confined to sweet corn. Every 
housekeeper knows the great readiness with 
which green corn becomes sour, and how difficult 
it is in the most successful sun-drying, to prevent 
some acidity. With this Dryer, the com is, in a 
short time, put beyond the possibility of any change. 
By a slight change in the interior arrangement, the 
Dryer is readily converted into a baker or oven, 
in which bread, pies, cakes, poultry and meats may 
be baked in large quantities, and in a superior man¬ 
ner. While we have not had occasion to test this, 
we have no doubt that wholesale cooking of this 
kind may be done in a satisfactory manner, and 
with a very small consumption of fuel. But our 
interest in the machine is as a Dryer, and as such 
it would be difficult to improve it; the descriptive 
pamphlets point out several other uses to which 
it may be put when not employed as a Dryer. 
Splitting Kails and Posts. 
It is now the best season for cutting timber, as 
many farmers have learned by experience. The 
seasoning process is much more perfect, because 
there is no layer of growing sap-wood. Insects 
do not work in autumn cut timber, as in that cut 
in the spring or summer, and the wood does not 
“powder post.” It is best to split the logs into 
rails or posts at once, and not wait until the timber 
has become seasoned in the log. The logs will 
split easier, the rails will season quicker, and be 
more durable. The splitting of rails is a work 
that requires good judgment, otherwise much 
timber will be wasted. Some persons will make 
rails that are large at one end, and gradually taper¬ 
ing to a sliver at the other, and are worthless for 
fencing purposes. Set the wedge at the top end of 
the log, after first “ checking” with the axe, by 
driving with the beetle, so as to divide the log into 
two equal parts. Now drive in two wedges, as 
shown at figure 1, both at the same time. Next 
use a wooden wedge or “ glut,” either in the end 
of the log, or on the top a little back from the end. 
After halving the log, quarter it, and then proceed 
on the principle, that a rail should be about 3x3 
inches. The size of the log will determine the num¬ 
ber of rails to be made. For example, in figure 2, 
six rails are made by first halving the quarter, then 
splitting off the inner part half way from the center, 
and afterwards halving the outer part. Should the 
logs be larger, twelve rails are made from each 
quarter, as shown in figure 3,—or 48 rails from the 
posts, a broad and 
Suppose we have the 
same sized log as the 
one split into48 rails, 
or 12 rails per quarter, 
figure 3,—the split¬ 
ting would be, in each 
case, from the center 
to outside with cross 
splitting midway. 
The number of posts 
would be determined 
by the size of the 
posts desired. If the 
logs are of the size of 
the quarter, shown in 
figure 2, there is no cross splitting, unless a small 
piece for a stake is taken from the center. When 
the logs are only large enough for four posts, and a 
broad surface is desired, as in bar posts, they may 
be split by first “ slabbing,” and afterwards splitting 
through the center; all the split surfaces to be par¬ 
allel. If still smaller, three posts can be made, by 
splitting off two slabs on opposite sides, as in the 
case above, and not divide the heart, and finally 
when the log will make only two, it can be halved. 
A Mixture of Grasses. 
It is a well known fact that mixed crops are 
more productive than those 60 wn singly. Thus one 
acre sown to oats and barley, or oats and peas, will 
yield as much, or nearly as much, as two acres 
sown singly to either crop. So in grass lands, 
Clover and Timothy, mixed, will produce nearly 
twice as much as if the ground were seeded to one 
of these alone. It is also a well known fact, that 
our grass lands arc not so productive as we could 
wish, and the reason of this may be, and probably 
is, that we have but one or two kinds of herbage in 
them. If we examine an old, thick, luxuriant sod, 
in a pasture or a meadow, it will be found to con¬ 
sist of a variety of grasses and other plants, each of 
which seems to vie with the other in occupying the 
soil for itself. This is the result of natural seeding, 
and gives us a lesson which we may well profit by. 
There is another reason why grasses should be 
mixed; this is that the periods of greatest vigor 
of different varieties occur at different times. We 
can therefore secure a succession of herbage for a 
long season by sowing a variety of grass seeds. 
To give examples, we might mention that ajuixture 
of Orchard Grass, Red Clover, Timothy, and Ken¬ 
tucky Blue-Grass will produce a pasture which will 
be in good condition for grazing from April, when 
the first mentioned grass is in fine condition, up to 
October, when the last is in its most vigorous state ; 
the Clover and Timothy serving to fill up the inter¬ 
val. With one of these alone there would be but 
one month of good herbage, and that coarse if given 
Fig. 2. Fig. 3. 
the whole field to itself. In like manner, a quantity 
of Rye Grass added to a meadow would help to fur¬ 
nish a quick-growing herbage which rapidly and con¬ 
stantly recuperates after cutting or eating down. 
The fact is, that we make much le6S of our ad¬ 
vantages in regard to our meadows and pastures 
than we might. On the average, seven acres of 
pasture are required to keep one cow through the 
pasturing season, when by the best management 
one acre, or at the most two, ought to be sufficient. 
This is due in great measure to the prevalent 
fashion of seeding down with but one variety of 
grass,with cloveradded sometimes.a fashion which, 
hereafter, experience teaches us should be more 
honored in the breach than in the observance. 
log. In splitting Ipgs into 
smooth side is to be sought. 
Fig. 1. POSITION OF WEDGES. 
