The Pioche weekly record. [volume] (Pioche, Nev.) 1877-1900, 1894-05-31
To TILLERS OF THE SOIL
Hints That May Prove Of Benefit to
Our AeIghbOIs'
Articles Of Undoubed Worth 10 the Farmer Collected
From Reliable Sources,
THE TIME TO GRADE.

As growers are, one by one, giving up
the old idea OF turning the refuse that
could not be disposed OF otherwise into
dried fruit, and planting with that mar
ket in view, they are slowly beginning
to realize the importance of putting
their product in the shape most attrac-
tive to the consumer as well as choosing
such varieties as will not only yield best
percentage, but most desirable quality
OF the cured product.
A large share have not yet realized
that as soon as fruit is just dry enough
to keep safely, it has more weight and
more OF every other valuable quality
than when the curing goes on until 1t is
like sun-bleached hay. 1t seems as
though the majority OF dealers in Cali
fornia products had been pursuing
policy of present gain and death to the
trade. The dried fruit business is no
exception when they demand that the
fruit shall be done dry to rattle like
marbles and delivered to them in sacks
so that they can grade, repack, moisten
and realize profit sometimes large, but
profit that ought not be between pro-
Queer and consumer. Now, to dry uni
formly and just enough, it is either nee
essary to grade fruit before spreading or
assert when on the tray.
With several OF the grades carload
of peaches, plums, apricots or nectarnes
can be run through in few hours at a
nominal expense. When a peach three
inches in diameter lies side by side with
one half that size, we all know that the
one will rattle when the other is hall
dry. You either dry the small one to
death waiting for the other to cure or
have mouldy fruit by taking up the
whole tray in time to save the small
fruit from injury.
Again, in prunes, they find it neces
sary to grade before dipping as the
smaller the fruit the longer it must re-
main in the dip to cut the skins, so that
they will dry. Again, in selling fruit,
it is rule of general application that in
case three sizes are made instead of one,
the first is likely to bring fancy price;
the second quite as much as the whole
if mixed and, whatever you get for the
third, is clear gain over what you would
have received had the whole been mixed.
When business is new there are always
buyers who will not discriminate in
quality; but this rule will hold in any
good market where goods are rated on a
fair basis. Again, pitting machinery is
steadily coming into general use and
destined to be greatly improved in the
near future. All such machinery will
work much better upon fruit OF uniform
size, and the common thumb-and-tinger
machine works better on that kind, too.
Grading is likely to pay at least once in
cost of pitting, several times in loss by
shrinkage, and again in quality of pro-
duct.
Finish Curing in the Shade.-It has
been noticed that those who pride them
selves on the flexible and uniformly
cured fruit, in which the jelly is nicely
retained, are particular to stack the trays
toward the close Of the drying process;
also to finish by stirring in the curing
room when passing through the sweat.
We very seldom have nights so dry
but that fruit is just little better when
kept covered, especially when newly
cured, and it is essential to successful
curing that conditions should be such
that it will dry rapidly when first spread.
Hence it is practice with the best fruit
dryers to avoid spreading fruit late in
the day. They prefer to keep it in the
sulphur box over night and spread the
first thing in the morning.-Frdnk S.
Chaplin, in Rural Press.