The Vancouver independent. (Vancouver, W.T. [Wash.]) 1875-1910, 1877-04-27
Plummer's Fruit Dryer.

Mr.. Plummer informs us that he has
already orders for several large fruit
dryers for the coming season and ex-
poets to make large business of man
ufacturing the various sizes of machines.
He has received positive assurance
from Washington that his machines
are no Infringement on other patents,
as asserted, and expects to receive sew
eral other patents for improvements he
has adopted. His dried potatoes, of
which we made mention some time
since, readily sell at eight cents per
pound, and that insures good profit to
both producer and manufacturer. Po-
tatoes are cooked first, then mashed and
dried, so that it only requires the andl-
ton Of hot water to prepare them tor
immediate use. Those thus put on the
market have given great satisfaction to
captains of vessels who have used them,
and if prospects are realized there will
be great business built up in that con-
nection. 1t will make it profitable to
use the dryers all the year round, on
different varieties of fruits and vegeta-
bles, which will, of course, add to the
Importance of the business by making
it more permanent than merely dying
fruits when they happen to be in sea-
son. These remarks of course apply
to all good dryers of whatever make.
The improved value Of our old or
chards when the fruit is made available
by drying is plainly shown in a letter
from Mr.. A. l.. Alderman, of Dayton,
Yamhill Co., published in the Oregon
Reporter, in which he says:
81 wish to give the farmers of our
county some of my experience in fruit
raising. For several years | have had
large amount of fruit but it was of
very little value, so that | had about
decided to dig up the trees and farm
the land. One year ago | would have
given any man the use of the land, Gao
acres) for one year to clear it of fruit
trees. No one offered to do this, and
last year | concluded to dry my fruit,
and after about one half of my crop had
persisted, l got Piummer Dryer. |
dried $500 worth, and my dryer, i'll
Guiding "A building 20x36 feet, cost me
500. Six hands .using onehalf cord
OF wood, can dry sixty bushels Of APP
pies in ten hours. propose to plant
1000 prune trees in the spring. 1 be-
lieve we can do better than to let our
fruit waste. | like my dryer very
much, and am now glad that | did not
dig up my orchard"
| We have no doubt that half million
dollars year would be added to the
value of Oregon farm products if all
our fruit was thus utilized, aud perhap-
the increased value would double that
amount. Our people must recollect
that when fruit is properly dried it has
the world tor its purchasers.
We insert the above from the Va
ldmette Farmer, not as an advertise
ment for the Plummer Dryer, but for
the information and consideration of our
readers,-as between the Plummer and
Alden dryers, our opinion is favorable
to the latter. 1t is, however, possible
that small dryer, such as any farmer
of moderate means can afford to own,
will prove the most useful to the coun-
try at large. This business is some
thing like the recipe for cooking hare ;
first you must catch the hare. Let
our people first go to work and raise
their prunes, plumbs and other fruits
for drying, and it will be found to only
require little investigation and expert
ence to determine correctly the best
machines, and the best modes of dry
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