The record-union., 1896-12-10

Some years ago the writer, while act
ing as Worlds Fair Commissioner for
Santa Clara County, originated de-
sign to advertise her leading industry,
known as the famous prune horse, 1t
having been one of the features of the
Worlds Fair The Board of Trade of
Santa Clara County has adopted the
prune horse as their trademarke, to
be placed on all shipments as guaran-
ty that they are as represented, prod
uctS OF the county, and will be the
means Of compelling other sections to
san under their own colors. The advice
not to dry but to sell green to the near
est dryer has not been followed to any
extent for two reasons: First, the nat
ural disposition on the part of the aver
age grower to follow the example of the
Southern Pacific Company and get out
OF the business 'all the traffic will
bear; and, second, because the dryers,
owing to reverse low prices and other
causes, are fast becoming only mem
ory OF better times. These conditions
are unfortunate for the reason formerly
given, that concentration of the prod
uct IN as few hands as possible tends
10 steady and strengthen the market
10 the advantage of all concerned
IL we had strong firms at the various
prune centers able to handle and pay
LOT the crop as soon as it was ready
10 PICK the grower would get a better
pflce and be saved the time, risk and
expense of doing his own curing and
marketing, and if it We're known that
certain nrmS held a hundred or more
carioads each the occupation of the
cliy-tongued solicitor of consignments
would be gone, and the business put
on paying basis. ForeSeeing the con-
uIlioh that the business was drifting
INTO, the writer in connection with a
lew other public-spirited growers met
IN San Jose in 1892 and organized what
IS known as the Santa Clara Fruit
Exchange"
SO long as each individual grower
thanks he must do his own drying, the
NlSeSt course he can pursue is to bring
MS product to this or similar exchanges
which nave since been organized in
other sections, get such cash advances
as ne may need and await his account
safes. some years they may be prompt,
others SLOW, but always sure, and in
lHe long run Will average as we'll or
pelter than individual effort. There are
some things nearly every grower has
10 learn for himself, and one of them
is the fallacy of consgnments. They
are SO universally disastrous in their
results that no better application could
De round OF the adage that "a fool and
MS money are soon parted" If YOU
VIII be your own salesman at least in
slst on making your sales for cash f.
your neighbors: then why not with
strangers? And why not f. o. b.. SO as
10 AVOID future controversy and the in
eVltable rebates that ensue when the
goods get out of your control on any
other terms? The time has now come
When it is a survival of the fittest."
ana not only the curing and marketing
put proper cultivation demands our
| pest efforts With prunes at 3 cents per
pound, only the grower of large ones
can survive; the grower of small ones
must certainly fail Formerly the
same price was paid for green prunes
| TO all alike, a manifest Injustice to
careIul growers, which the writer tried
to overcome by buying according to
grades at corresponding prices, but he
was ahead of the times 1t is now be-
--NS NCA4~ W ooilIS tAlenl, ana must
soon be the universal rule-the sooner
the better, as it will drive the grower
| cf small prunes out of the business. In
ofoer TO grow large prunes continuous
~ two things are particularly neces-
sary-pruning and fertilizing.
The writer's advice to continue pr,1n-
Ing alter the trees began 20 bear caused
considerable adverse criticism. which
h0 tod Frl.a
were as follows: Don't get ratified on
the subject of pruning, which has
proven a most prolific breeder Of crank
no two alike" Prune, prune when
the trees are young. prune when they
are old; never, of course, to excess, but
until you have a stout. stockv trunk
capable of sustaining large crops with
out bending or splitting. Then keep on
pruning and you will never regret it,
A magnificent tree with it's branches
spraWllng all over the ground, splitting
and cracking under its load, is a scene
TOO shiftless and degrading to dwell
on. The experience of later Years has
put served to intensity that feeling.
NO grower disputes the necessity of Sc
Vereiy thinning peaches and apricots
by hand, but it is generally conceded
In the same way. l am not so sure
or that, because, even if 1t cost / cent
per pound to thin, it would nav on
account or the enhanced price of the
product. The same result is obtained
oy constant and Judicious pruning and
trees must be pruned every year to con-
tinue bearing good fruit. The shift
less growers who are so law as to
allow their frapS 70
their limbs sprawling all over the
ground, and consequent splitting of
trunks, must expect to have their fu-
ture crops ruined, the fertility of the
soil exhausted, and deprecated and
unsuitable orchard on their hands.
1t is almost as important to fertil;ze
thoroughly after the crops begin to
bear, as an average crop of pr11nes
takes out of the soil about six mounds
or potash, nearly four pounds of phos-
phoric acid and about one-haIf pound
OF nitrogen, or nearly 4 per cent. of the
entire crop. Onehalf of this is potash.
which must be returned through the
medium of commercial fertilizers rath-
er than by manure or you cannot raise
big prunes. Unpruned and unferti,ized
orchards do sometimes bear heavy
crops, but it is their diving effort. Ii,xa
chicken with its head cut off. if does
not last long. Small prunes are no
credit to the grower and no use to the
consumer, and should either be sold n
the distillery to make brandy. which
is the very worst possible uea tbav
| could be put to, or used to fatten hogs
for which purpose they are worth more
than the current price of 1 to 11a cents.
The S11CGpStinY, f,,