Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-08-24
FOR THE FARMER.
Timely Directions for the Proper Drying
OF Fruit-The Growth OF Green
Fodder.
Interesting Communicate from an Irish
Farmer on Fi~ax-Growing Moisture
aud Tiiflge.
DRYING Fruit.

Inc ulIcCllOlS on Tue SUD
ject Of fruit-drying will be found of
great practical assistance in the COM
ing fruit season. They are taken from
the California Frast GROCER:
beaches aud apricots should be cut
ia half with "A sharp knife, the pit
thrown one side and the two halves
laid upon the tray, flesh side upper
most. the skin side next to the tray.
When your tray is full, not o%ycrcrowd-
cd, place the fruit Immediately in the
sulphur chest, exercising great care not
10 allow 1t TO remain . long, twenty
OF thirty minutes is quite sufficient,
provided your chest or box is well
filled with the fumes. This process
does not bleach the fruit, as some peo-
pie suppose; II is not any whittier, if AS
white, when it comes out as when it
went in, but the sulphuring Of fruit
Immediately after cutting or pairing
checks and arrests decomposition and
prevents the fresh-cut from oXidizing
or turning black by being exposed to
the air, which it will do in "a very short
space of time if not sulphured. There
are very many cheap, practicable meth
DDS of sulphuring fruit, but for the
benefit and information Of a few credu-
lous persons who are laboring I'M
der the impression that sulphured
fruit is fruit with sulphur s|prinkled
on it, We will state that such an inn
preston is erroneous; that sulphured
or bleached fruit means fruit that has
been submitted to the smoke or fumes
arising from the burning of sulphur,
and IT properly done, improves and
beauties the fruit in place of injuring
il. Upon removing the fruit from the
sulphur box, place it either in the
evaporation or in the sun to dry at
once. To make good fruit, evapora-
ton should commence the moment the
fruit is taken from the sulphur fumes.
You should watch your fruit closely
while drying. cover it ut night, if pos
slide, and the moment the moisture is
out of il, take it up and pile it in your
packing house, where it should be al
lowed TO remain two or three days, ac-
cordlng to circumstances, TO sweat and
equalizc. To secure uniform drying,
you should grade your green fruit be-
fore cutting 1t, for ii You place halves
OF very large peaches with halves OF
very small peaches upon the same
tray the smaller fruit will dry out
quicker than the larger fruit, and by
the time the larger fruit is sufficiently
cured the smaller fruit will bc dried as
hard as a bone. BY grading tie fruit
as 10 SIZE before cutting you will Sc
cure uniformity. and when on the trays
1T Will dry evenly. Don't allow your
ilut 10 remain upon the trays in the
sun uaul IL is dry and hard, SO that
when handled it ratties like So many
bones aud is ali curled up. Fruit in
that condition is oyerdried. You
should watch it closely and take it up
just nj the proper time. after the
moisture has been evaporated out of
1t and the fruit is still pllable and
silky, owing to It's natural condition.
There is a wide difference between
properly cured fruit and dried fruit.
You want to cure fruit and not dry it.
If taken from the trays at the proper
time and placed in the packing-housc
In u pile ansl allowed to sweat and
cqtlailzc, turning the entire mass with
Il large wooden shovel once Oh twice
during the time thar 1T remains there
you VIII discover that You have "a
bright, pliable, velyety fruit, tit to
pack in boxes under pressure. TwCn-
ty-liye or fifty pounds is the regulation
box. Don't face your boxes with Sc
lected pieces, but pack an average box
by placing an even layer If fruit
against the cover of the box, first Lay
ing put your paper lining in position.
Use for this purpose the same quality
of fruit that you ill the balance of the
packing with.
A twenty-five or fifty pound box of
fruit, if manipulated us described
above, will be compact and will re-
tain sufficient moisture to keep it soft
and pliable for months. the pieces OF
fruit will closely adhere to one an-
other and the packages will become SO
solid that to a very large degree it
will prevent the eggs that may be on
the fruit from Matching ont, aud also
prevent the worms from working in
the fruit to any great extent. The
dipping process has been found en-
tirely unnecessary for any purpose
whatsoever except for that of running
tons of fruit annually, principally april
cots and peaches. These two varieties
of fruit, if dipped after drying and be-
fore packing, should be sold and con
sumcd at once. The evil effects of
dipping fruit in hot water aud damp
ening it for the purpose of making L
pliabie and soft So that it will pack,
aud adding weight to the fruit, is not
apparent until two or three months
hence. when il becomes soft. black,
and almost entirely unfit for use. Bet
ter by far let the worms hatch out and
dcvour n small portion OF the fruit in
each corner OF the package than rem
der the whole lot unstable by the dip
ping process. The gain in weight
amounts TO little or nothing, rs YOU
al not sell water for dried fruit. We
are acquainted with growers who
sprinkle the pic of dried fruit with
cold water and then pack it. This is
still more r~eprehensible practice and
should be discontinued.
The Growth OF Green Folders.
The following interesting statements
on this subject are from the pen of