The Cecil Whig. [volume] (Elkton, Md.) 1841-current, 1878-11-30
on THE EASTERN SHORE.
CONCLUDED
From Lippincons Maga=ine.

From LippincoNs Magazine.
And now comes the peach pluck, al
most the only species of the genus tramp
known to the peninsula. Barefooted and
nnshaven, exhibiting uumistakable hydro
phobic systems, suggesting 10y his attire the
amatire character in The House that
Jack Built, and happily independent as to
couch or domicile, he scents afar the ripen-
ing fragrance, and hastens To offer his as
sistance in gathering for market such
portion of the luscious crop as his surrep-
titious appetite may decline. The chaotic
condition of society which the berry season
Swallowed forth is now fully developed
Peaches. peaches. ssmpsr It Unique The
air is heavy with their odor; the sidewalks
are slippery with their skins; the monuto-
nous cruuching of pits is heard cease
lessly from the pigpens which are charac-
tcris,ic OF every peninsular town the roads
are cut into ruts and bog holes by the heavy
wagons which night and day are rumbling
along toward wharf and station; the boats
aud cars are accessible only through mar
row, tortuous passages between mountains
and pyramids, and even obeisks, of peach
boxes, full or empty. Schedules of travel
and time tables are thrown into con-
fusion utter and hopeless. No longer car
loads, 10y train loads. of fruit, by twos, by
tens, by twentles, pass over the grooming
rails. The steamboats,, sunk almost to the
guards. creep YEARLY over the surface of the
bay, the decks, the gaugways, the saloons
even piled with boxes and baskets of mel
lowed sweetness. The earlier varieties are
"f little value, and many farmers have up
rooted life trees. The Gamers. who are
the chief consumerf- NOT enter the
market until the larger ana -. = sorts
begin to appear. With the opening Of the
packing houses all comfort disappears
from the peninsular home. Cooks, laund-
resses, house girls, seamsrrcsses, all drop
work, abandon wages, scott at contracts
and rush of to peel peaches. Woe TO the
peace Of mind Of the lover of canned and
dried fruit should his eye chance to fall,
grand army of peelers - returning from
the days work. The cherry may be stoned
and the apple be pared by mechanical de
vices. but the peach has resisted all iuge-
nuity, and its tender skin must be separat-
ed from the yielding, juicy pulp by hands
which 1t is not a joy to contemplate. \
visit TO one of the establishments, how
ever, is full of interest, and we therefore
disregard the =" y, Admlttance - placard
and pass in. A long, bare room. unceiled
and upholstered, is provided with stools and
benches arranged as to leave an aisle
between the rows. Seated here are crowds
of women and childrcn-s sometimes a few
men ale fuund-each provided with a knife
aud two peach baskets, one TO hold the
stones and pariugs and one for the fruit
when peeled and halved. With few. if
any, exceptions the parers are all negroes.
aud the visitor must be prepared To meet
with all and several the peculIarties of the
race which has been q" kissed by the sun"
Shining ebony faces hang over the baskets,
and bare, black arms ar. reeking with the
sugary juice, while rough iests pass freely
from bench to bench, and the work is re
lieved by the droning OF those sad minor
melodies which form the negro's idea Of
music. Should it be a canning house, we
pass next to the syrup-vat, where tue su
CARED water is boiled by steam, its specific
gravity being carefully taken from TIME to
time by means of Il tcst-tubc. Large trays
OF opened cans are rolled up to the vat.
each tin filled with halved fruit When
the syrup is o: proper consistency. it is
laded into these steaming hot, and the
trays are passed on 10 the solderer, who
f4stens on the tops. The cans are then set
IN pans of boiling water, aud when thor
oughly hot drop of solder closes the little
hole through which the heated air has es
capped. Nothing remains but to paste on
the labels and pack the cans for shipment.
30 simple is the process that cauueries are
everywhere erected, little or no capital
being required. The Alden" dry ing
process, however, is encroaching rapidly
upon the Gamers. Fruit of all kinds, a.
well as most vegetables, may be dried by
this method in such a way that the charac-
teristIcs of the fresh state may be almost
perfectly restored by soaking. The priuci-
pie is the subsection of the frui, TO the
action of very hot moist air. by which rapid
evaporation is produced. After peelug
and slicIng It is placed on wire frames
which lit exactly into a tall, square elevator
At the bottom of which the heating appa.
ratus is placed. Large numbers of these
frames are set one above the other. and til.
process is rapidly completed without dis.
coloration. Fruit thus dried is incom
parably superior to that prepared by the
action of the sun or 10y kIIn drying. Iu-
deed, the pies made from apples So treated
are certainly superior To those made from
fresh fruit-a result. as is claimed, of
the change of starch to sugar effected ~
the action of the moist heated air
Experiments are now making on a large
scale, which have been So far successful As
to awaken great hopes Of an entire revolu-
tion IN the business, to the immense adj
vantage Vi tHe IIuil EroWeI. lie use OF
refrigerating cars, III which the temperature
is kept below 10 Fahrenheit 10y means of
ice and mechanical fans, already enables
the farmer to put his ripe produce on the
market in 4 fresh state after several DAYS of
transportation. IL the preservatiye inilu-
ence can be prolonged indefinitely, the
markets of Europe may he supplied with
ripe fruit, and the producers chief diff
Guilty will be removed. \ cargo so shipped
during the past season failed for reasons
which seem easily remedable, and before
another bearing year this important prob.
lem will probably he solved. \ somewhat
different application Of the principle, how
ever, offers even greater results. 4 large
building has been erected in Delaware and
fitted with refrieerating apparatus for the
storing of ripe fruit. to he kept until Winter
and put on the market at 4 season when the
highest prices might be obtained As vet