t be determined accurately except by a thermometer. Inexpensive
oven thermometers can be found on the market, or an ordinary
chemical thermometer can be suspended in the drier.

Drying of certain products can be completed in some driers within
two or three hours. When sufficiently done they should be so dry
that water cannot be pressed out of the freshly cut pieces, they
should not show any of the natural grain of the fruit on being
broken, and yet not be so dry as to snap or crackle. They should be
leathery and pliable.

When freshly cut fruits or vegetables are spread out they
immediately begin to evaporate moisture into the air, and if in a
closed box will very soon saturate the air with moisture. This will
slow down the rate of drying and lead to the formation of molds. If
a current of dry air is blown over them continually, the water in
them will evaporate steadily until they are dry and crisp. Certain
products, especially raspberries, should not be dried hard, because
if too much moisture is removed from them they will not resume their
original form when soaked in water.

The rotary hand slicer is adapted for use on a very wide range of
material. Don't slice your hand with it.

From an eighth to a quarter of an inch is a fair thickness for most
of the common vegetables to be sliced. To secure fine quality, much
depends upon having the vegetables absolutely fresh, young, tender,
and perfectly clean; one decayed root may flavor several kettles of
soup if the slices from it are scattered through a batch of
material. High-grade "root" vegetables can only be made from peeled
roots.

Blanching consists of plunging the vegetables into boiling water for
a short time. Use a wire basket or cheesecloth bag for this. After
blanching as many minutes as is needed, drain well and remove the
surface moisture from vegetables by placing them between two towels
or by exposing them to the sun and air for a short time.

A mosquito net is thrown over the product to protect the slices from
flies and other insects. Fruits and vegetables, when dried in the
sun, generally are spread on large trays of uniform size which can
be stacked one on top of the other and protected from rain by covers
made of oilcloth, canvas, or roofing paper.

A very cheap tray can be made of lath three fourths of an inch thick
and 2 inches wide, which form the sides and ends of a box, and
smoothed lath which is nailed on to form the bottom. As builders'