Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1878-05-29

There are several forms of these fruit
evaporatOrs, but the oldest, which is q
good type of them all consists essential
ly OF an upright wooden shaft or tower
erected III three-story building. AT
the base is some form of hOt-air fur
mace, with proper inlets tor fresh air.
The air passes over the furnace, be-
comes heated, and ascends through the
shaft and escapes at the top OF the tower.
When the temperature of the interior
ranges from 25O to 800 degrees fahren-
heit, a tray of fresh fruit is suspended
on the elevating chains just above the
furnace. At this temperature the fruit
would be cooked instead of dried, were
1t not for the tact that it is dripping with
moisture. 1t is bathed in steaming
>yapor and begins to dry, not on the out
side, but from the inside first. The air,
saturated with water, keeps the pores
of the fruit open and the surface I'M
changed. There is no formation of
hard, dry, and discolored skin, as when
fruit Is dried in the open air. In this
high temperature, in few minutes, the
fruit would begin to cook; but before
this can happen, the elevating chains are
moved and the tray is raised about thir-
teen centimeters five inches), and an
other tray is placed below it. The first
tray is now shaded from the direct heat
and the lower tray gives off clouds of
vapor that rise and bath the fruit above
in hot and steaming atmosphere In
a certain number of minutes, regulated
by the heat, the kind and quality of the
fruit, and the state of the weather, the
two trays are raised another thirteen
centimeters, and another fresh lot of
fruit is inserted below. The first lot is
still more shaded from the heat, but re-
mains in an atmosphere saturated with
moisture from the new supplies below.
Thus the fruit rises few centimeters
every ten or fifteen minutes, moving
continually away from the fire, and yet
always bathed in vapor from the fruit
under it. In from four to six hours it
rises to the top of the shaft and is by
this time finished. It has parted with
all its water, and has undergone an en-
tire change in it's nature. When fresh,
four-fifths ofthe ripe peach consisted of
water. 1t also contained a certain per-
centage of acids and certain proper
ton of sugar, starch, and other chem
lCdI COllollOCC1llo IAltCl poSSl1lS t1llOlSu
the evaporator, it is reduced to four
fifths Of it's original weight, the loss be-
ing almost wholly in water. The fibrous
skeleton of the fruit remains, but the
acids are reduced and the sugar has In
creased in quantity. The other por-
tions-starch, etc-are nearly I'M
changed, the color is retained, and there
is still a trace of the fragrance of the
ripe fruit. The process the fruit has
passed through seems to resemble a
supplem entary ripening. The familiar
instance Of the after-ripening of winter
pears in dark closet, where the hard
and sour pear becomes sweet, juicy and
mellow, may serve to illustrate the
chemical change that takes place in this
process. The evaporated peach is dry,
but ripper and sweeter than when fresh.
Every valuable quality Of the fruit is
retained 1.-the water alone has been ex-
tracued., Soak the dry peach in enough.
cold water to cover it and it assumes its
natural size and flavor. 1t is then prac-
tically ripe peach, with the water re-
stored. 1t makes no difference when
the water is replaced; it may be now,
next year, or ten wears hence, in this or
in any other climate add the water to
the dry peach at any time and it may
be cooked and eaten in any form that
fancy dictates. Charles Barnard, Serb
ner fortune. solssat 10 gaas sds 1o3 .H.a q