The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1888-10-31
EvAPoRATED FRUIT.
The Great Business centering Around
Rochester. N. Y.

Rochester, N. T., is the recognized centre
OF the evaporated and dried fruit industry
of the United States, which during recent
years has assumed very large proportions, the
goods being shipped in large quantities to all
OF the leading markets of the world.
Within radius of forty miles of Rochester
there are more than 1900 evaporators, from
the small farm house drier of capacity OF
twenty-five bushels day to the large steam
exploratory drying 800 to 1000 bushels of ap.
pies each twenty-four hours. These evapo.
rators give employment during the autumn
and early winter months to at least 10000
hands, who average from So to $12 a week,
according to experience and usefulness.
New factories are erected every sea son,
proving that the business Is profitable when
properly and ecOp omically conducted The
production during the past season, 1887, may
be well considered the largest since the in
ception of the business some fifteen years
ago. A careful estimate places the total
quantity at about 30. 900, 900 pounds, worth al
first cost some $2,000,000. To produce this
quantity Of apples are required 100000
bushels OF apples. 1900 tons of anthracite
coal, and the constant attendance, night ard
day, OF an army of men, women and children
numbering $4,000 to 10000. The water elm
mated in the process of evaporation amount
ed to 225. 900 tons. reducing the bulk of the
fruit to about one-eighth of its original
weight, each 100 pounds yielding, when prop
erly evaporated, twelve pounds on an aver
age. The fruits usually packed in cases of
two cubic feet measurement, holding fifty
pounds net, the product of say eight and one
half bushels Of green apples.
The advantages in freight alone will be APP
parent in the following comparison, showing
the cost Of shipping one case to Liverpool,
England, which at existing freight rates will
cost little less than thirty cents, while in
the green or fresh state in barrels the same
quantity would cost 1928, and in the canned
state almost $40, without considering the
deterioration of the green fruit and the dan
gers of fermentation Of the canned article.
the apple in the evaporated state being
transported without any danger Of deteroria-
ton or decay. The refuse of the apples,such
as the parings and cores, Is dried and form
the base of all the cheap jellies man nfactur-
ed at present. The quantity produced last
season will aggregate some 1200000(
pounds, so that not particle of the fruit is
wasted.
The principal consuming countries abroad
are Germany, England, Belgium, Holland
and France, in which the new product has
entirely displaced the old fashioned sun
dried fruit. There were shipped alone to
France during 1887 some $4,000, 900 barrels OF
quality known as chopped or sliced apple
which is dried without being either pared OF
cored, and Is used chiefly for the production
OF clder, cheap wines and distillati0n when
tne vineyards of France suffer from phyllox.
era: some 100000 pounds were exported
during the season, of which more than one
nan were shipped from Rochester. The
| goods are also taken in considerable
and increasing quantities by the West AZ.
| rican and Australian trade every season.