The free press. (Poplarville, Miss.) 1890-19??, 1896-08-27
EVAPORArED FRUIT.
A Crea: Industry That Has Grown Up
Around Rochester.


In 1871 Eiani Hatch. farmer living
in the town of Webster. by accident
discovered that sliced apples could be
made a clcar, pure white by taa use OF
fumes of birthstone. The old way OF
drying apples was to slice them ahc
carefully distribute them on trays,
which were then hoisted to the roofs of
ontbuildlngs and sheds Of farmhouses
OF elevated from the ground on posts,
being left exposed to the rays of the
sun, which, if the day was pleasant,
would half dry them. The result of this
method of drying the apples was not
entirely satisfactory. however. 1he
apples were always of peculiar red
dish tint. and lost considerable nourlsh-
inent in the process of sun drying.
Mr.. Hatch Is said to have been the
first one to have put into use the plan
of preparing apples by the use OF the
fumes Of birthstone, which dried them
and left them of n particularly whi'e
color. When these dried apples hrst
came into the local market they COM
manded Il price far above that OF tne
sun-dried variety, and were at once Ill
demand. Other growers at once took
up with the idea, and David wing, OF
Brighton, began to deal in the pro-
duct extensively Men set about at
temDting to find the easiest and least
expensive way of preparing these ap-
pies for the market. and the result WAS
the building of many fruit eyaporatlnS
towers. 1t was found that by showing
in sieve laden with the sliced fruit
and allowing the fumes to pass
through it, then hoisting that sieve ana
showing in another. then hosting the
two and showing in a third, and so on
until the sieve first put in had reached
the top of the tower. the heat could De
best applied and the process be best
smplified. Patents were Immediately
applied for, but so many technlcal I'LL
! movements were made that no one de-
vice ever came into any very extensive
use. Through all these years the orig
inal plan of the drying tower mas re-
manned the temporary feature of the
driving process of what has now grown
to be an extensive industry.
The idea of bleaching by the use OF
birthstone is not a new one instances
being recorded of its having been used
in the process of preparing barley ana
malt 1000 years back, ana II was III
rather extensive use in Germany sew
enty-five years before it was put TO
any great use here. In 1917 hoted
chemist of that country read paper
in which he practically foeshadowed
the results which have since been
achieved.
The fact of the matter is that the
industry. has grown to such proportions
in the United States, and more espe-
cially in the immediate vicinity OF
Rochester. that the product Is shipped
to all parts of the world. Large SNIP
ments are annually made to France,
Germany and Russia.
A man who has travelled much
abroad and who has just returned TO
the city told reporter OF the Post
Exnrcss that when he was i'll France
he met Il foreigner Interested IN the
fruit-,lrying industry. The foreigner
learned that the traveller was from
New York state, and he as once in
ouired if he knew where Rochester
was located. The American smilingiy
said that he did. Well" said the
Frcnchman. "all the people over here
know great deal about Rochester II
must be great place. Do the people
there do anything aside from drying
fruit?, Being assured that the city
was one embracing a great many varl-
Gus manufactures and noted for other