The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-09-12
TONS AND TONS OF PRUNES.
THE GROWTH OF THE INDUSTRY ONE
OF CALIFORNIA; MARTELs.

Ios ANGELES, Cal, Sept. 9.-The growth Of
,ho nrune industry In California is ono of the
nsryols Of the state. Along with Its monster
yose bushes, enormous trees, towering noun.
t,,ns. fields OF wheat Of thousands OF acres
s.ch. big hotels. and monstrous sea hsh, II has
tv far the greatest pruno orchards In the world.
while prune orchards Of ten and twelve acres
4, France and Italy arc considered large, there
arc A dozen In the Santa Clara and Sacramento
cr,,sys that comprise moro than 100 acres
e,ch and 1900 trees. Ono or two cover 0
acres, and comprise $4,000 trees. Several In
i,yidunls and firms have each moro than Sl75,-
400 invested in prune orchards In central Cali
tnrnla, In 1880 there were less tina 1000
acres OF prune orchards In California. Whom
me census was taken in 1890 It was found
there were $4,000 acres and 1900, 900 pruno
trees planted. That year there was a dearth
NJ fruit In tho Eastern States caused by blast.
,nr frosts late in the spring. and there never
IA, such a season Of money making among the
fruit growers in California. Hundreds Of
mowers in 1890 sold prunes on the trees for
Gao a ton. A dozen men made 5000 clear
that year from ten-acre orchards of prunes,
and men who got $4,000 from such orchards
vsrc COMMON. That condition Of tho market
and the Mckinley Tariff law, which put an
s1tra duty on French and Turkish pruncs in
The same year. gave q phenomenal boom for
urunes. In the following winter and spring
more than 2+.oOo acres were planted to the
fruit, and in 1892 somo 1 $1,000 more acres were
planted. The Los Angeles Times recently esti-
mated that there are now $4,000 acres Of bear
ing prune orchards in this state, where there
were 1000 seventeen years ago. Besides this
there are about 1900 acres yet to come into
k..Lny Iaaf war the nrpitrt ~ prr,noa In
California was sl,o0o tons, and but for frosts
that damaged the crop last April when the
tree, were In full bloom. the total product
would probably be more than 10000 tons this
gunner. The Los Angeles Times reckons that
about $50, 900. oOU is invested in the prune in
dustry. That estimate includes the value Of
land, trees, irrigation systems, tools, packing
houses and harvesting devices.
This Is the noon OF the prune harvest In Cali
furniA, and although the crop is n short one,
the daily scenes in the great prune orchards are
lively and interesting. Many thousands of
men, women. and children throughout the val
lays Of central and southern California arc busy
h the prune orchards and at the fruitpacking
houses. A pruno orchard in itself is ono OF
the most beautiful things in horticulture.
The thousands Of trees are planted in long
ows In such symmetry that ono may look In
any direction among them and the alignment
b perfect. Tho ground Is soft and even, and
years Of cultivation and care have made It SO
smooth that not Q pebble or q clod, q blade Of
grass or the smallest weed may be seen any
Vhere. The sweet scent Of the ripened fruit,
the music of the birds. the laughter and songs
Of the workers, all combine to make q harvest
scene in an extensive prune orchard q mixture
Of romance and commercial thrift.
When the fruit grower. who has been daily
Watching the process CT ripening Of his crop,
finds that tho fruit Is soft to the touch, he ON.
poys q force of workers. Great sheets Of cloth
are aid on the ground beneath the trees, while
gruns men shake the trees and boys shake tho
branches so that tho prunes fall. The sheets
ere gathered up at the ends, and the fruit Il
poured into padded boxes. 90 as 70 avoid much
way once each day until the crop IL gathered.
Iae operation is repeated once each day for
T,n $1,000 9ess On 'S Mesp VIII ef sSs r All s ! PF flnit
bsrried 10 tho washing boxes and the dipping
e.ltrons. The ,prunes are put into heavy
sch. and arc first dipped into running water,
where the dirt and dust arc washed away. In o
moment more the Gag Is elevated on q crane,
heavy With concentrated iye. Thu purpose Of
.kin TIA: ~enyelops the flesh of the prpnes. in
order that the drying process may take place
% smooth and tough that It would take q week
Z df e.i shs fruit Of properly hop lye for rs the m sS = s.I r.0 of
Hrunes are lifted again and once moro plunged
INTO hot clean water. containing a clear white
T.H Up. % 2. thSt the iye may DO washed away and
Then comes tho drying process. Girls and
boys come with shallow wooden trays q yard
hopper into which they arc dumped from the
eSeA, deft hands spread the product over the
ssyS in the winding Of the eye; a little
Tie drying yard every minute, and there on
ground covered for two or three acres with some
SS'; p. fabric bril- The a.. prTnes are placed for drying
t-aine days out of thirty In. each summer
Gc N In the valleys Of central and southern
se well dried in two and a half or
lways busy in the prune harvesting sea.
te trays and carrying it in baskets to the sweat
eo1es, where, after q. week or ten days. the
Sampness that arises from quickly dried fruit
- evaporated. Often a prune grower on an
extensive scale may have In bins at tho close Of
ts harvesting Of the crop 800 or 700 tons Of
sass % RlSnf g. so SH eonP Dls s5yt Covered ssGf With II s' traSs
a 70 look az II smeared a purple black. The
pore extensive prune growers In California
DAY. 1t takes from two and one-half to three
Ror1ds Of the green fruit to make ono of the
The active work of the harvest over, the
EoWer looks about for buyers for his yield.
There are always scores Of purchasing agents
lf Eastern wholesale fruit dealers and com
mission honses throughout the horticultural re.
Eons OF California In the fruit season, and
nero are hundreds of local fruit shippers in
Ee State. The fruit Is sampled and tested for
" Saccharine qualities, the hrmness OF tine
nosh, and the gloss Of the skin. Little bags OF
ample fruit are sent here and there. When a
s.e 10 made IT Is done on the basis Of the sizes
I me dried prunes. Thus there are six sizes:
= Those ranging from forty to nifty to tho
pound; 2, nifty to sixty to the pound; 3, sixty to
tT1'entI; =, seventy TO eighty; 8. eighty TO nine,
PGane grower and buyer can tell at a glance
nanAt size OF fruit no is looking Mt, and. OF course,
We size OF fifty to sixty is.the most marketable.
:, men come the grading and lacking or boxing
y me prunes. The fruit Is shOvellcd into a
copper with a prodigality that makes one VINO
~ neen used only TO buying a pound or two Of
Eluhes at a time open wide his eyes, and al
oNed To- run through a patent machine that
nsaos the fruit into the six sizes. Tho best
smceS or prunes are packed carefully In
wooden boxes, while the smaller and cheaper
p.aes arc put up in white mu, lin sacks.
"a hoat OF people who have bought prunes all
1eI hves will DO surprised to know that there
~ lhirty,two distinct varieties OF prunes In
Europe and America, and as many moro varie-
W. mat are classified as plums. There is a
kc.shnlal argument at all the conventions OF
Sni%mcuiturists as to what are prnnes and what
ttttea members OF tho same family. While
Iefe arc eleven varieties OF prunes In Califor-
fun,, the rank and file o. the orchardists know
S n lour. Tho variety known US tho Califor-
IA or petite prune d'4Oen. Is by far the most
teherally grown In this State and forms the bulk