The Calhoun chronicle. [volume] (Grantsville, W. Va.) 1883-1984, 1897-09-14
THE HARVEST OF PRUNES.
AN INDUSTRY OF GREAT MAcNl.
TUDE IN CALIFORNIA.

Investment of S2O.O0O.OOO - How
Prunes Are Gathered and Dried.
The magnitude of the prune indus
try of California is little realized by
the people i'll the Eastern States. In
a decade the growing of prunes has
gone forward i'll California by leaps
and bounds, and to-day 800, OOO. 900 is
Invested in it-that is, in lands. trees.
irrigation systems, agricultural tools
and packing houses. Notwithstanding
damaging frosts last spring through
out the lower part of the San Joaquin
Valley, and all over the horticultural
valleys of Pomona, San Gabriel and
Santa Anna, the total product of green
prunes now on the trees in this State,
says Los Angeles letter to the Chi
cago Record, is estimated at SO, 600
tons. OF this quantity about one-fifth
will be shipped East as green fruit for
sale Mt fruit stands and for canning
purposes; the remaining four-fifths
will be dried for market, making about
"a, 200 tons of dried prunes.
Ten years ago the total area of bear
ing prune orchards i'll California was
less than 1000 acres. In 1890 the to-
tai area of bearing prune orchards was
$4,000 acres, and there was an enor-
nous planting of prune trees that wear
III all the fruit growing valleys of Cali
fornia, because of the large profit in
the industry. Twelve thousand acres
OF prune orchards were set out in the
winter of 189191, and $4,000 acres
more We're planted in the next two
years. These orchards have now come
into bearing and the State Board of
Horticulture finds that there are 80. =
600 acres of bearing prune orchards in
California to-day and about 5000
acres more to come into bearing. Con
servatlve estimates put the total crop
of California prunes in favorable
year at not less than 80, 600 tons.
The value of the crop has gone down
very rapidly i'll the last three wears.
In the season of 1892 good prunes
fresh from the trees sold for $50 ton.
In 1894 the same product brought S25
ton. This year the very best prunes
bring SIS ton, but the general mar
ket price is $15 ton.
When the prune crop is harvested
IN August the scenes in the orchards
and in the drying fields are long to be
remembered. Thousands of men.
women and children throughout the
valleys of central and southern Cali
fornia are busy i'll the prune orchards
and at the fruit-packing houses in
these days. 80"
a prune orchard in itself is one of
the most beautiful things in the realm
OF horticulture and when the thronps
OF workers are there it is an interest
ing sight. The thousands of trees are
planted in long rows, so euuidistant
one from. the other and in such SYM
metry that one may look in any direc-
ton among them and the alignment is
perfect The ground is soft and even.
and the years of monthly cultivation
and care have made it so smooth that
not even pebble or clod or n blade
OF grass or the smallest weed NAV he
seen anywhere
When the fruit grower. who has
been daily watching the process of
rlpenlnS of his crop, finds that the
fruit IS so thoroughly ripened as to be
soft to the touch he employs n force of
workers. Great sheets of cheaD cloth
are laid on the ground beneath the
trees. Strong men shake the trees
and boys shake branches so that the
prunes may fall. The sheets are
gathered up at the ends aud the fallen
fruit poured into padded boxes, SO as
to avoid handling rs much as possible
Tree after tree is treated i'm this way
once each day, until the crop is gath
cred. The operation is often repeated
once day for twenty days before all
the prunes are harvested
Meanwhile the gathered fruit has
been carried to the washing boxes and
the dripping caldrons. The prunes
are put into great heavy wire CAGES
holding several hundred pounds each
and are first dipped into running
water, where the dirt and dust are
washed away. In moment more the
cage is elevated on crane and let
down into n caldron of hot water
heavy with concentrated I've. The
purpose of this operation is TO remove
the bloom aud crack the skin that on
velops the flesh of the prune in order
that the drying process may take place
more rapidly. In its natural state the
SKIN IS so smooth and tough that il
would take week to dry the fruit
properly for market
From the caldrons of hot I've
water the cages of prunes are lifted
again and once more plunged into hot
clean water, so that the I've may he
washed away and gloss be given 20
the fruit.
Then comes the drying process
tirls and boys come with shallow
wooden trays n yard square and. MS
the prunes pour down from homer
INTO which they arc dumped from the
cages, dcit hands spread the product
over the trays in the twinklinp of nm
oye A little tramway carries the
trays and fruit out into the DRIVING
yard every minute and there on the
ground, covered for two or three
acres with some cheap fabric, tho
prunes are placed for drying by tho
sun. There is strong sunshine
twenty-ninc days out Of thirty in each
summer month in tho valleys of cen
tral aud southern California, aud so IL
rs the rule that prunes arc well dried
IN two and half or three DAYS.
A little army Of workers is always
busy IN the pruno season in gathering
tho IrfnI t.w,.,T,,..A.. e..