Los Angeles daily herald., 1886-11-07
FRUIT DRYING.
Discussion by the State
Horticultural Society.
Observation-Disclosures USE OF
strenuous Efforts to Be Made to
Compel Careless Orchardists to
Help Abate the Evil.

help AUdJt tut EfIs
The monthly meeting of the State
Horticultural Society was held yester-
day afternoon in Irving Hall. Presi-
dent Hilgard, professor in the agrical-
tural department of the State Uni
versity, presided.
DR.. Gibbons of Alameda, exhibited
samples of Blue Maiceux and Vicar OF
Wakefield pears. Mr.. Klee, State In
spector of Fruit Pests. exhibited branch
Of the date palm literally covered with
the fruit. The specimen was brought
from the farm of John r. Wolfskill in
Winters, Solauo County. The date tree
il not generally known to be hardy in
our State, but these trees have been
bearing fruit for the last tive years regu.
lariy. Mr.. Klee was of the opinion that
this il proof that date culture can be-
come of considerable importance in this
State. The tree will stand more moist
soil than the orange tree and is much
harder than the olive. 1t has been
planted where the orange has been aban.
doned on account of moisture, but it re-
quires more heat. It is essentially des-
ert tree and will stand considerable aka
Ii. 1t grows in a soil that contains very
little organic matter, almost in clear
sand. The tree generally bears fruit in
the fifth year, but in California it has
been known to bear in the third year,
thus showing that it will mature sooner
in this country than in those lands where
it has been cultivated of old. The branch
can now be seen at the room of the
Board of State Horticulture, 40 Califor-
MIA street.
At the instance of Professor Hilgard,
the society voted to instruct the Com.
missioner of Agriculture at Washington
to request the American Consuls in
places where the date grows, to procure
samples of the root in the form of authen-
tie suckers for use in this State.
r. B. Blowers of Woodland, opened
the discussion on the question of "Fruit
Drying and its Appliances, saying: II
have turned ont this year from %. 900 to
1000 boxes of raisins from my dryer,
and they have gone into the market
alongside the sun-dried fruit and the diff
ference has not been recognized. This is
not true of other fruits generally. To
show the economical uses of the dryer
would say that l have dried about 4, 600
trays of twenty pounds each using only
nine cords of wood. As rule the fruit
dried 10 the dryer looks better. Ii the
dryer is improved by using the exhaust
pan, so that it will dry more rapidly, it
will also be of better flavor The main
idea is to draw off the moisture as quickly
as possible.
Professor Hilgard stated that the OBJ
lection to drying fruitsip the sun lay in
the fact that the insects have access to
it, and the change of temperature be-
tween the day and night. In California
it is considered almost universally neces.
sary to use sulphur in the drying pro.
cess. In Europe, on the other hand,
sulphuring has been condemned, be-
cause it destroys the favor and is un.
healthy if used too extensively. A very
effective substitute has been found, and
is now in use in Germany. After the
fruit has been peeled and cut it is placed
in baskets and dipped in salt water,
noink q RiOROAuOh VI SSouQb
per cent. of salt, then allowed to stand
two or three minutes, and is finally put
in tray and dried as usual. By this
method it darkens to just the right
tinge of brown, but does not become
white, as all sulphured fruit does.
Colonel Webb, secretary of the State
Board of Horticulture. stated that from
information he is in daily receipt of. it
appears that California dried fruit is be-
coming unmarketable in the east, be-
cause too much sulphur is used in the
process of drying. The fruits of Mary
land, New Jersey and Delaware, where
sulphur is used to more limited extent,
find the best markets. The California
fruit looks nice, but has an Objectionable
taste. One cannot be too careful in the
use Of sulphur. 1t is for this reason
that our dried fruits do not command
the first prices.
Professor Hilgard stated that the time
of application of the sulphur is very
important point in its use. 1t must be
used just after the fruit is cut. The
chief difficulty is that the sulphur is
generally put into large dryers at one
end and allowed to draw through to the
further end. The result of this is that
the fruit near the furnace absorbs great
quantities of tho sulphur, becoming
brittle and tasteless, sometimes merely
q dry, whitened shell, while that at the
further end is not at all affected
On the question being raised as to the
reason of sulphuring at all, DR.. Gibbons
stated that the principal reason lay in
that it destroyed all germs in the fruit,
while it also tended to preserve the
original color, not permitting it to turn
black.
Judge Blackwood, of Alameda, stated
tnat he had never used sulphur, because
he only dried dark-colored fruits. 1t
ought to be used sparingly. if at all. |
The best method would be to dip the
fruit in sulphur bath before it is put
in the dryer. ''With regard to my
plums." said he, II find that cannot |
get them black enough to suit the
buyers, and am compelled to use log |
wood to secure the proper color. |
have no need of sulphur. dry my
pIums in the sun, and the last thing |
do is to scald them in boiling hot water |
and then Immediately pack them. My
idea is that people using sulphur ough
to be very careful how much they use."
Mr.. Shinn also said that the great
difficulty with sulphur was that too
much is used. He stated case where
a large quantity of almonds had been
rendered unstable from this cause, aud |
what was still worse they were also rem
dered useless for planting. as the kernel |
had been entirely deadened.
Mr.. Hatch supplemented these re.
marks by saying that tons of almonds are |
literally spoiled by sulphuring. Before
they are sulphured they must he thor