The caps are then placed on wooden trays, cap nost in a layer, and the trays are racked on to trolleys and placed in the sulpho shed. 2. 5kg of sulphur is burned for each tonne of fruit loaded in the shed The exposure time is 4 to 5 hours or such time as is required to obtain a sidual SO, level of 2000 to 2500ppm at the end of the The trays are stacked singly in the drying yard, on racks about 25 cm from the ground and exposed to the sun for 10-12 days, according to climatic conditions; the fruit is dried to about 18 percent moisture in this period. After sun-drying the fruit is transferred to curing or'sweatingboxes to equalise the moisture. Alternatively, it may be spread out on a clean concrete floor and turned regularly. Any wet fruit is returned to the trays and pread on the racks again for further sun-drying Secondary Processing After preliminary inspection of the halves, they are washed in a rotary reel washer torender the fruit pliable, and in the course of this washing about 10 percent moisture is re-absorbed The fruit is finally spread on the sulphiting trays again and then eturned to the sulphuring shed, where it is exposed to the burning sulphur for a further 4 hours Final moisture is controlled at 22-25 percent. The fruit is graded again into six sizes determined by the diameter of the caps (4)Drying The drying method described is sun-drying, as the drying cycle is: prolonged as to make artificialdryingin tunnels too protracted Experiments have been conducted, however by the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture on drying by the DBD method(Dry-Blanch- Dry)with some success-using tunnel dryers. Whilst this method has been proposed for commercially drying apricots, based on the authors practical trials, no personally collated data on DBD is available, hence sun-drying The US trials on dbd disclose the following information Sulphiting Time lst stage drying Blanch 2nd stage drying Product Analysis. Moisture so, 3%sO, Dip 8 mins 4.5hours nins17hrs@68℃ 16%1100 @100℃ The R esearch Institute reports that no commercial drying of peacThe caps are then placed on wooden trays, cap uppermost in a single layer, and the trays are racked on to trolleys and placed in the sulphuring shed. 2.5kg of sulphur is burned for each tonne of fruit loaded in the shed. The exposure time is 4 to 5 hours or such time as is required to obtain a residual SO, level of 2000 to 2500ppm at the end of the cycle. The trays are stacked singly in the drying yard, on racks about 25 cm from the ground and exposed to the sun for 10-12 days, according to climatic conditions; the fruit is dried to about 18 percent moisture in this period. After sun-drying the fruit is transferred to curing or 'sweating' boxes to equalise the moisture. Alternatively, it may be spread out on a clean concrete floor and turned regularly. Any wet fruit is returned to the traysand spread on the racks again for further sun-drying. Secondary Processing After preliminary inspection of the halves, they are washed in a rotary reel washer torender the fruit pliable,and in the course of this washing about 10 percent moisture is re-absorbed. The fruit is finally spread on the sulphiting trays again and then returned to the sulphuring shed, where it is exposed to the burning sulphur for a further 4 hours. Final moisture is controlled at 22 - 25 percent. The fruit is graded again into six sizes determined by the diameter of the caps. (4) Drying The drying method described is sun-drying, as the drying cycle is so prolonged as to make artificial drying in tunnels too protracted. Experiments have been conducted, however, by the Agricultural Research Service of the US Department of Agriculture on drying by the DBD method (Dry-Blanch￾Dry) with some success - using tunnel dryers. Whilst this method has been proposed for commercially drying apricots, based on the author's practical trials, no personally collated data on DBD is available, hence sun-drying only has been proposed. The US trials on DBD disclose the following information: Sulphiting Time 1st stage drying Blanch 2nd stage drying Product Analysis. Moisture SO, 3% S 0, Dip 8 mins 4.5hours 68'C 6mins 17 hrs 63 68'C 16 % llOOppm @1Oo"C The Research Institute reports that no commercial drying of peaches I82