The Opelousas courier., 1888-06-16
California Fruit.

"We handle exclusively Amer
lean fruit" recently said q large
dealer to a New York Mail and
Express reporter.
"You don't mean to say that
these raisins are a product OF
native industry -
Eyes, sir, | do. They come
from the West. The California
raisin industry is growing into
greater prominence every year.
The Muscat grape is generally
used for making raisins. When
the grapes are sufficiently ripen-
ed Cinnamon go into the vineyard
with wooden trays five feet
square aud three inches deep,
cut off the branches and lay
them in the trays, being careful
that the grapes do not lie upon
each other. The trays are then
laid in the sun and left there.
Ten days later the Cinnamon go
into the vineyard again, each
one with an empty tray. They
find the exposed sides of the
grapes cured, and of a rich pur-
plish color. The empty trays
are now laid bottom up on the
filled ones, and they are turned
over together, so that the I'M
cured side is exposed in the new
trays. They are left there in
the Sun for another ten days,
and are then taken to the cool
ing house where they are kept
for about two weeks. They are
then 57placed in boxes for the
market, in what is known as the
London layer style. There are
no better raisins in the world ;
indeed, there are few that equal
them. The production last year
was SOC, 1000 boxes. In 1873 it
was only 5000. This year it is
expected the figures will reach
nearly 100000"
The San Francisco Call says
The crop of prunes and plums
promises to be a good average.
Our prune crop promises to be a
most important resource. In
parts of Alameda they are grow
ing a prune which last year &C
tually commanded more money
in the Chicago market than the
German or French prune. There
is no reason why growers should
not be equally successful every
where they would be, if every
body was satisfied that it is the
poorest policy in the world to
handle and dry the fruit care
lessly. California is on proba-
ton; her fruit-growers cannot
afford to ship East any but the
very choicest fruit. %
Some alarm was created a few
weeks ago by statements that
the apricot crop was going to
be a failure. Messrs. Meade
have investigated the subject
closely and they report that
while the crop will be short in g
few sections, it will be large in
> others, and, as a whole "large
enough to go around" Las
year, it will be remembered, the
) yield was estimated as high az
$4,000 tons, which was probably
an exaggeration. A crop o
5000 or 1O,O0O.tons is probably
as large as we can market atpres
, ent without breaking down thu
. price. The apricot crop is onl.
/ second, if second, in value to tn
raisin crop. Nature has givel
California a monopoly of thi
delicious fruit noWherd else il
: the world can it be grown as al
. article of commerce. Apricot
are grown throughout southern
. Europe, but to talk to a Pari
dealer of a ton of apricots is lik
talking to a jeweler of a bushe
" of diamonds. It is here, an
only here, that the apricot j
!, grown by the ton. And frox
4 the fact that, unlike other fruits
the apricot improves by canning
not a pound of the crop need b
lost. An apricot orchard il
good condition is a family es
tate.
!, N. O. City Item: 1t is a fac
not generally known that if on
4 holds his breath, wasps, bees an
q hornets can be handled with in
Y punity. The skin become
sting-proof, and, holding the il
f sect by the feet ald giving
full liberty of action, YOU ca