The herald., 1894-01-01

For sulphur box or closet is pre-
pared of toueue-snd-grooved wood,
with tight-fitting door, and OF any slze.
When fruit drying is done on large
scale this box ia made with tracks upon
which small cars loaded with trays may
be run in and out. For small ecaie dry
ing cleats are put on the sides OF the
boxes upon which the trays rest.
Where no box is used, or it ls not de-
sired to build one, very good results
may be had by stacking the filled trays
upon scsntling laid on the ground,
leaving space of six inches or so be-
tween each stack. In the center q
small space is scooped out of the earth
beneath the scantling. Empty trays
top off each stack and over the whole a
tarpaulin or canvas tent is spread.
The edges of this lap on the ground
for some distance and dry earth is
shoveled on them to hold them down.
A convenient form is 200 trays, stacked
in piles OF 80 each. Then in the SPACE
under the center is put any old metallic
utensil, with two or three handfuls OF
powdered sulphur, which is ignited by
sprinkling it upon piece OF lighted
paper. Two hours OF exposure to the
fumes under canvas will suffice, though
with a tight box into which the air can
not penetrate, an hour or even less is
sufficient. Some dryers on a small
scale stack up all the fruit cut each day
and sulphur it at night, leaving it until
morning before spreading it out on the
drying ground. If only moderate
amount of sulphur is used this method
answers very well, and it saves the
labor of attending to the sulphuring
through the day.
In midsummer it only requires about
three days to sufficiently cure the fruit.
This 10 one of the most important
points, and it is one where there is the
greatest tendency to err. Beginners
almost invariably make the mistake of
drying the fruit too much. AS soon as
it has well ehrunken the contents of
several trays should be mingled and
stirred up, giving the whole an equal
chance to dry and allowing the warm
air to circulate freely through the macs.
The exact stage of dryness can only be
learned by experince. But the fruit
must be of leathery consistency, not
dried 80 it will rattle, but pliable and
with the juice well jellied. When this
stage is reached, the custom with many
is to give it momentsry bath in boiling
water to kill any insect eggs that may
have been deposited upon it, and then
spread it out in the sun for Jew nours.
or perhaps deposit it at once in an airy
room with doors and windows guarded
against the entrance of insects. Here it
should remain some time, being occa-
sionally stirred up and turned over to
equalize the moisture and prevent heat
ing. In week it will be ready to pack
in boxes or sacks for shipment.
II unpeeled peaches are the product,
it pays to pass them through tanning
mill, which will remove much of the
fuzz, which is so Objectionable to many
with this kind OF fruit.
1t may be added, in conclusion, that
outside of the cost or value of the fresh
fruit. 2 cents pound of the dried covers
all the cost of production 90 that where
a man handles the fruit raised by him
self. he is certain OF good wages and
fair profit in putting up his own crop.
Even with prices at the lowest ever
known here, there would still be COM
Portable balance.