AGGRICULTURAL NOTES.

Bruce Herald, Volume XXIX, Issue 2957, 3 May 1898, Page 3

AGGRICULTURAL NOTES.

; "' ■ to!-— — —^.-"--~- — ■■ ..;, i :r '^'"y i&r~1 :..!;. Ltv&iiGtq -ny. From (ke^grlcifitUrdkOa^tte^fiJ^^v. ■-I ■ :^ j %>'■'^l& TMiFifaxSih^vS Mm< 0 Waie^fst £B? yjgtjuhkhoWnj . B f xce}btJb'y? thg&cE fteoplef ... rxrho- are drying in ,amall, quAuliijtka, f^r t - their own. use • ajidl thinfc a "few notes -6ta ths subject rniglit feaft to f ifii^eirfg v! takenup as a profitable means of livglUg Mi .hqpd.; :Peqple mayaskv^why dry fruit?' Its;real tmi ,'fjcnit may )>e tfaftqufi 'of Reason a n placed %frerV fresh- 'fruit 2 - cannot be-shipped -bt^Kept for;any.?Jeng|h ; ,pf time* and? all ths characteristics, >of ihe; |re4h:fruit. retained. . To Sesdribeall !tW = methbda followed otit -ih Li would require oonaiderable space? *o that: f . in. this- flhorfc^ paper only,. tUe.moßt ap^. " proved aiid, moat easil j-appiied 'mefchbde ' ' ; will : be:treated."''^ *■■ % '■-*" * J "'^^i^'V'^ r : I wo\ild v fir^fc adviB9-intehding dryers ? to aeetthat their land is adapted to, the v class|oj fjcuit they intend producing. As x an example, peacliW will thrive oh almost any soil, apricots do best? on^'tt heavier jsoil, prunes require a loamy soil in order , , to produce fleshy fruit, whilst . vines ?vill j Tiear, well on almost auy ' soil.' "Saying" flaleoted your, site and planted your' , varieties, do not run away ;wjthj th©;. idea. - that'ilj is only a matter .pf .wiaiting . for crops j yjiir real work Ti'ai only com-; • menberd. Proper cat>e arrd-attehtiidn mus£ be, dxercised in order to produce... good. ■; fruit fqr, drying., Goodj, fresh^|ruit will" : makfe good'dnea" friait; aiid '''%a& ii&fik--■■•'fc'uit bad dried*' frdit. --''^ 2;,'?j.>^ Peaches "and hpricots are, .so far, the moss widely culfciyfrfced in Australia^ and "it would be-as weljto treat th mil first of = -all.! A dry climate' is first required — no , fogs n.or dews^so.-thajj. d.ry : ing. catx be, done night and day. ;ATOoiat climate is likely to strengthen 'foe ch^nce i 'o J r < motlitj' ! '-an4 insects depositing Hheir-'egg* in : the.?: ■ ■; -fruit when exposed. Again, in a dqrv climate the trays can be emptied sooner," and fewer trays will be required, which is somewhat of consideration. • : Care must be exercised in choosing the varieties best adapted for drying. In peaches, the best; varieties are 'Muir^" Lady PalmeWton, Elberta, OPoeter, Salway, Early -Crawford, Susquehana, and : Globe; in.. apricots, Moore Park,Jßlen- . heim, Hetnskirke, Rojal, Alsace," and Onllin's Early. Any one' of fcheso will: - prpduce a first-class dried frait. Picking i the fruit is another point requiring care. Only pick the very ripest, and do- not break or bruise the f ruitsi Some kinds of peaches oan be shaken on to sheets, placed beneath the trees, and lifted by four men, one at each corner, theni rolled ' gently into picking-boxes. A 1 picking--1 box Bhouldi.not' contain mt>re than, from | 25 to 301b. of fruit, otherwise the weight ■■'■ will bruise the lower layers of fruit. The ■ -fruifcflhould betaken from^th^otehardi .;- :and carried aa-Carefully as poS3|ble,tp the cuttingrshed. Hure .the fruit is out in half, a clean cut right roifnd, so that thepifc is taken ; 'out without -breaking Ithe fish. These halves;are.plaeed on. trays, cut side up. .Ay_pid~,aa much* as, possible exposing the c»vt fruit to tha air Until' after sulphuring* The most convenienced sized: fumigator. ia 12f t,, x 10fi>.^, A ;rqom. 'that size Bhould contain 300 to 350 trays,' Hiid can be moved to any part of' the "* orchard. ' -^PeachW. require about two • " I) ours aulphuringi. apricots about twelve, but the fumes should not be kept up longer than to set the colour. Thefruit should be taken out when the cup?, 1.--r forirfed by feh'a Temoyal ofithe^it, is, .fxi.ll* of juice. This must always be -taken. 'as a guide in sulphuring. If the fruit is thoroughly rip* ; itift'-ftiir- eafey- matters)to: 1 bring the juice upland: in exposing to the sun it.lposes v les.s- weight, and is easier to dry. Peach fes dry away in' the propor- J j .-. tion of from five to six and a half to one, [: according to variety. -Apricots in the proportion of four and a half to six io one. The exposure must be regulated according to; the evenness of the climate and : the tempsrature. Usually peaches and apricots jtake from two and a naif to foiir dtiys. As-soon as : they are. dry they | ' must be put intoepleatl calico bags, made to hold from 40 ; tp 601b. When, tied up, the bags should be taken at once to "the packing-shed, allowed to stand a day, and then paeked. as desired. {■■„ . ;Figs are the moat .difficult of, all fruits to dry, and up to. the present Australia has not been able to compete With the Smyrna 'dried fig. In Victoria novy, thanks bo the methods introduced by the dried-fruit expert, Mr. C. Bogue' Luff : man, from Smyrna, the Mildura growers are fast bringing their figs , up to : tK« standard of the imported article-:. Figs should be picked in the early morning, and put on trays with the ' bloom end pressed down, thus preventing, insects from enfreringvthe ends,.and keeping them ' from souring/ When dry~they r sli6uld be dipped in a solution 6fcaustic'sod*dnfche proportion ofs'llb. ofev<?»ust-ic jsoda. to 3: ' gjallonajof w^ter; After .dipping, they, should be allpwed to stand but for a day' to a day and a half. - Then pack ! in a-sweat-box, and allaw them to stand for a fortnight before packing. „ As inuch pressure as possible should be applied, so as the air may be thoroughly squeezed put and the flesh brought together. FigB dry in proportion of 2lb, of green fruit to lib. of dried- ' . " ..' . (To be Coritiriu'ed.)