Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1892-09-29

lieve that, with proper care and prun.
ing, the prolific age may be prolonged
indefinitely. The young trees require
little pruning to shape them properly
but they are seldom touched with shears
or knife after they begin to bear until
the age of Is years, when the Old
branches are thinned out, affording room
for new and vigorous growth.
Money in the Business.
Big money!" actual or potential, does
not cause the people of the apple belt to
neglect little things. They guard as
carefully against waste as does the
Chicago pork packer, who is supposed
to find a profit even in the curl Of a
pigs tail. While certain that they have
discovered a royal road to wealth, they
do not neglect the economical turnpike
Every apple, big and little, is turned to
profit, and even the parings and cores
are transmitted into yellow gold. Apples
that cannot find a market with their
jackets on are evaporated. and thereby
become a. standard article of commerce.
\ few large growers have their own
evaporating establishments, but most
Of this work is done by independent en-
terprise. The largest evaporators are
located at Flora, in Clay County, and
at Noble, in Richland County. These
evaporators have a capacity of about
900 bushels per day each. Last season
bushels of APPLES. When running
to it's full capacity it employs sew
enty hands. The cuttings and drop
pings are bought by weight, the price
paid ranging from 40 cents to 70 cents
per 100 pounds, or 20 cents to 35 cents a
bushel. A great many thousands Of
dollars are annually paid out for fruit
that, but for the evaporators, would be
utterly worthless, and would be allowed
to rot in the orchards. The fruit is first
pared and cored by machines operated
by girls. 1t is then subjected to a
bleaching process, which consists OF the
smoke of burning sulphur. 1t comes
out almost as white as a sheet Of note
paper, and then goes to the slicing ma
chimes, after which it passes into the
driers, where it subjected for an hour or
more to a temperature Of 22O degrees
Fahrenheit. 1t is then ready for boxing.
The chief markets for the product of the
evaporators are st. Louis and Chicago,
A great deal of it eventually finds It's
way to foreign countries. The peelings
and cores are drie d, sacked and shipped
to Chicago, where they command a
ready sale. In years when the general
apple crop is light they frequently sell
for cents a pound. There are several
factories in the United States that use
these dried cores and parings in the
manufacture Of jellies, but the great
bulk Of it goes to Europe, and especially
to France. where it enters into many
food products and is extensively
used in the manufacture OF
wines and brandies. 1t is said
that many of the French wines, SO pop
ular in America, and especially the
champagnes, are made from the refuse
of American apples-including rotten
spots and worms. Perhaps it is the
latter that gives to French wines that
exquisite bouquet" so much admired by
American epicures. 1t would be diff
cult to imagine anything more fragrant
than a sack of apple parlngs that had
been bleached and dried. They certainly
seem good enough to become the basis
of the best champagne. A great many
tons of this fruit refuse are shipped an
nually from Richland and Clay Coun-
ties, netting very pretty sum. The
evaporated fruit of this section is re-
garded as being equal to any known to
the trade. More than 900 worth OF
evaporated fruit was shipped from Flora
alone last year. The evaporators usually
begin operations about the middle OF
July and run day and night, and Sun
days, until November l. Some vinegar
and cider is produced, but evaporated
fruit is conceded to be the most profit.
table way of working up the cuttings.
Winter apples are picked in October
and everybody is expected to assist al
the ceremony AS the trees branch low
fully two thirds of the crop can be
picked while the operators stand on the
ground. To prevent bruising a large
hopper is made of strong muslin, with
an opening at the bottom through which
the apples pass to table covered with
many sheets of some strong cloth.
This is placed where the pickers from
four trees cali throw into it. AS soon
as the table, which holds perhaps a
bushel. is filled, the upper cloth is re-
moved by taking it up by the four cor
ners and emptied into barrel or pile
upon the ground, and this process is re-
peated until the supply of cloths on the
receiving table is exh austed. Buyers
come from st. Louis ard Chicago and
contract for the apples, sometimes by
the barrel, but frequently by the lot.
AS the orchards develop it will be neces-
sary for them to take entire charge OF
the gathering and barreling, as the
amount of labor necessary will be far
greater than the local supply The
great bulk of the fruit is sold as soon
as it natures, or even before that
time, but some growers keep a portion
of their crop for the spring market The
fruit, where SO kept, is stored in what
are called cold storage houses, being
simply buildings where, by means OF
double walls and sawdust fill ng, an
equable temperature is maintained.
Some of the fruit grown in this section
has been shipped, via Chicago and st.
Louis, to Europe and South America.
It is said to stand the changes Of climate
better than that grown elsewhere.
The orchards present a beautiful ap-
pearance in the spring when in full
bloom, and again in the autumn when
laden with the luscious fruit. Many
trees are so covered with bloom in May
as to resemble pyramids of snow, and
fry1i+ in 0afnhor