The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1894-09-28
AN INTERESTING SIGHT.
A Visit to Hugh Finley's Prune
Orchard and Dryer-How
the Crop is Cared For.

the Crop is Cared For.
PROBABLY the most interesting signt to
be seen in Oregon at this season of the
! year is dryer in operation. At least this
Is the opinion of a GAZETTE representative,
who, In company with Jesse Spencer, w.
I'll. HAIRLESS. M. Schmidt, Robert johnson
and +. l.. Miller visited the Hugh Finley
| orchard and dryer last Sunday. The work
is IN charge of Henry NJ Stone, who has
seventeen ASSISTANTS. Ten men are en-
ployed in picking the fruit and receive five
| cents per buehel for their services. The
other seven are kept busy about the dryer
and are paid at the rate of $l5O per day.
The fruit is packed in boxes and hauled to
the dryer, where it is run through grader.
| This machine is operated by foot power and
sorts the prunes into four grades. The
first or smallest grade is unused for drying.
| AS this operation is performed, the fruit is
| dipped into solution of hot lye, which
gives the prunes good cleansing and also
| cracks the skin. After the hot bath, the
fruit is given a thorough riusing in cold
water and placed on the trays.
The dryers are the Kertz patent and Mr..
Stone says they are giving perfect satisfac-
faction. They are built in cylinder shape
| and set on foundation of brick. Each
dryer contains 2l0 trays and each tray holds
one.half bushel of green fruit. Tho trays
| set one above the other and are turned by
means of an endless chain. As the DRYER
revolves and passes an opening or door in
the cylinder, each tier of trays is raised
sufficiently to admit tray of green fruit
which is placed at the bottom of the tier.
This process takes place every hour and a
| half. l6 to Is hours are required in cur.
| ing the Petite prune, while it takes "a
hours to dry the Italians. By the time the
fruit is cured, the dryer has made fifteen
revolutions. thus bringing the trays of cured
fruit to the top OF the evaporator, where
1T is taken out and emptied into large bin.
The temperature in each dryer is kept at $50
| degrees. The heat is generated by the use
OF ash wood from furnace under the brick
foundation of each dryer. The combined
| capacity of the two dryers is 200 bushels
every "a hours or 1000 pounds of cured
| fru it.
The Petite prunes are averaging about
three bushels to the tree, while the Italians
| will yield only about three pecks to the
tree. The total crop from 600 trees will
be between 5000 and $500 bushels This
| will make in the neighborhood of 10000
pounds Of dried fruit. The outlook for
market this fall is not at all flattering, al
| though Mr.. Stone has an offer of Al cents
for Petites and 81 cents for Italians.
Mr.. Finley's orchard presented one of the
grandest sights ever witnessed. The Petite
| and Hungarian trees were loaded with large
| luscious fruit and in many instances the
weight has been so great that the trees are
broken to the ground and not few of them
are entirely ruined. Last July Mr.. Finley
disco vered that the trees were overloaded
| and pruned them back, but for all that he
has suffered considerable loss by reason of
| the excessive yield. This trouble is largely
due, however, to the fact that the first few
years the trees were not pruned back sutfi-
ciently and the top has grown out of pro-
portion to the trunk. The orchard was
found in excellent state of cultivation,
free from weeds, which evidenced much
hard and patient toll. Mr.. Finley is of the
opinion that prunes can be profitably grown
for three cents per pound. If this be true
he will have handsome profit on his crop
this year.
The choicest fruit property in Benton
county is the Is acre orchard owned by
Messrs. J. H. and ]. w. Heron, adioin
ing the farm of Mr.. Finley. The trees are
now five years old; they are in perfect
state of cultivation and evidence unmistak.
able signs of thrift and scientific care. Aside
from 400 Early Crawford peach trees the
fifteen acres planted about equally to
Italian and Petite prunes. Two or three
years ago borers began working on the
peach trees and were raising sad havoc
among them when one Of the boys read
in the Examiner that mixture of lime and
| salt placed about the roots of the trees
would exterminate the pests. The recipe
had the desired effect. so far as the borers
were concerned, but several hundred trees
were lost by the operation. The boys will
have about 300 bushels of prunes this year
| which they have arranged with Henry
| Stone to dry for them. They also raised
several bushels of choice peaches this sea
son, which sold for s. so per bushel. I'm.
mediately adjoining this orchard, the boys
| own Is acres of ten year old prunes.
Superintendent Holm and Prof. George
Denman made trip over into the Alsea