The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1890-05-26
A WASTE PRODUCT USED
What Becomes of the Fruit Pits.
Children Spectators.

II you need any evidence that fruit sea-
son is here" said gentleman who was
walking with CALL reporter, "just look
about you on the sidewalks"
The one addressed cast an lnouirinp gaia
over the walk, but to his eye there appeared
nothing that gave evidence of fruit or of
aught but plain stone pavement. His
companion noticing his amazement, thus
broke in upon his scrutiny:
ION. don't mean that you are to find
produce store at every street corner. What
l have reference to is the multitude of
cherry pits that are scattered all over the
sidewalk. To me they exert an irresistible
fascination. 1 can't go by one without
stepping upon it and crushing 1t to a mass
of tiny fragments. l often try to fatter
myself that l am actuated by praise
worthy motive, and that the reason that
crush the cherry-pit is to afford the tiny
sparrowS and other small birds something
to eat, and give them a chance to deyour
the choice morsel that may be wrapped up
have often stopped to watch the
sparrows hop down and pick out every
scrap OF the kernel, and yet as much as
l enjoy seeing them profit by my attempt to
add something to the store of available
food in the world, know that in my own
heart / simply crack the stones for the
pleasure OF hearing them pop, and of feel
ing the consciousness of my own power
when tine stone yields to my weight. Do
you know, think that we never really get
over the pop-gun period when we really
enjoy making some sort of a noise. That,
to my mind, is one of the best proofs that
men are but children of a larger growth.
Why, have seen many gray headed man
blow up paper bag and then without
warning explode it near the ear of some
!uckless, unsuspecting fellow being, who
Will not get mad because he knows that he
would do the same thing if he had the
chance.
" But to return to my cherry-pits. | am
not alone in MY fondness for crushing them
under foot. | have yet to see the man who
is SO absorbed in business that lie will not
notlce the cherry-pit in his path and go out
of his way for the pleasure of stepping
upon it.
And let me tell you, too, that there is
considerable art in this same stepping upon
trnlt-pit, for you must know that we do
not c0nfine our attention to the cherry-pit,
but the plum, the apricot stones are also
prime fayorites. The peaeh-pit is a little
too nard Tor even veteran like myself to
tackle. 1t Is hard to crack, and if in the
attempt to crack it one fails, he is very apt
to get sprained ankle into the bargain"
what do you mean by there being an
art IN treading down the fruit-stones?
You step upon them, and that is all; what
More than you might imagine" was the
reply. "Of course cherry pit will crack
wherever you may step upon it, but with
the heavier stones 1t is much easier to pro-
dnce good result if you regulate your tread
i'll such manner that the heel aud not the
sole OF your foot comes in contact with the
obstacle, otherwise you'll have an unpleas-
ant sensation in the flat of your foot, ex-
tending up into your inStep, which will be
very hard to get rid of. can tell YOU too
that the ladies a of
the pits as any man can be. in fact, if Pm
not mistaken, they do it with even more
Zest. But there is good deal more in a
cherry pit, or In any other fruit kernel, than
you might suppose Hundreds of children
devote themselves to the task of collecting
the pits"
What for?"
Well, I'll admit that 1 had curiosity
enough TO stop one small gatherer and
question her. She told me that she was
going to sell them to a druggist near by,
and that he would give her two bits for 200,
which must be all neatly cracked, and not
broken, either. in the operation Then
went to druggist and asked him about il,
anu ne tod me that there is sale for the
kernels OF apricot and of cherry pits among
some German druggists. who use them in
stead OF bitter almonds to make the emul-
slons so much more prescribed by foreign
than by American physicians. He also told
me-" continued the informant, "that he
all through the fruit season, who wanted
him to buy the pits that they had collected"
remember peach pits" said the other.
chiefly as game that we youngsters used
TO play. 1t was for keeps, and was worked
after this fashion: The banker started
with tin can. or better yet a cigar-box
with hole cut In the top. This was placed
upon the ground, and we gamesters were
invited to shy our pits at the hole. II
one stone went in the banker had to
pay out five stones for every fortunate
cast. but all those that failed to enter the
hole were gathered up by the banker as be-
longing to him. 1t was lots of fun, but I
never connected any commercial idea with
the thought Of fruit-Stones, although. now
that come to think of it, am sure that /
nave eaten them many times in cheap candy
While they were masQuerading as al
"As for their being without a commercial
value, said the first speaker, lust let me
been proved in Vaca Valley that peach
stones Will make as good a fire for house,
hold purposes as the best kind of coal in
the market. The fruit-growers, it is said.
dispose OF them at the rate of So a ton a
sack OF the stones will weigh about eighty
pounds. and will last as long as an equal
NUMBER Oh pounds OF coal aud give greater
intensity of heat. The apricot-stone does
not burn as readily as the peach.
NOW. II all this be true. just think what
field is opened. The fruil-growers will
have another source of revenue, and the
cannerles Will get something for what was
otherwise rubbish, TO be paid for when it
was carted away"
Il should be glad to see it in operation"
said the other. There may be something
in it."