The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1901-10-13

over the finest OF roads. kept sprinkled as
| carefully as the streets of the city.
Every few hundred yards there is a break
in the orchard and a fine residence ppears
surrounded by well-kept lawn. ornamental
trees, flowers and all that go to make up
the home of luxury and refinement in the
suburb of a city. Such are the homes of the
prune gr)wers and they Indicate the char
acter of the men who have made n business
of prune growing. So popu!ous is the or
chard district that graded schools are to
| be found throughout the valley. where the
little country schoolhouse is found in the
ordinary farming district. In fact, the en-
tire valley presents more the appearance OF
a city suburb than it does of Il rural dis
trict.
1t is in the fall when the crop is gath
cred that the greatest activity is witnessed.
Beginning about the middle OF August and
extending into October the picking, curing
| and housing of the crop call for the labor
OF a large number Of persons. Usually the
fruit. which Is Of rich reddish purple when
ripe, Is permitted to fall to the ground.
either when shaken from the tree by the
wind or when the tree Is purposely shaken.
The soft ground prevents injury from fall
ing, and the fruit lies until picked up and
placed in boxes, generally several days.
Squads Of pickers go through the orchards
and fiji the boxes. and then wagons are
driven through to gather them UP and carry
them to the clearinghouse or yard.
II Is not necessary in California to dry by
expensive artificial heat. as is the case in
Oregon and other prune-growing sections.
The fruit is cured naturally in the sun and
is consequently of better quality than that
evaporated by heat In drying-houses.
1t Is first dipped in a weak solution Of I've
to cut the skin slightly to facilitate the dry
ing process, and is then spread upon trays,
u-hicl, r fhroa hv eight feet In size Those
trays are then spread out upon the ground
and permitted to remain there several days.
\ drying yard Is an interesting sight.
Often 1t covers several acres of ground,
ra,nifed by little railways upon which fiat
cars piled high with trays Of fruit are
pushed by hand to and from the sheds or
house where the fruit is handled. Should it
rain. which seldom happens during the dry
ing season, the trays are stacked up during
the shower and spread out again at its
close.
1t is remarkable how free the drying yards
are from dust, owing largely to to the fact
that there is no work going on In the fields
and the roads are kept sprinkled by sprink-
ling carts. There are no flies swarming
about the fruit, that common sight We all
have seen at the farmhouse where the
thrifty farm wife dries her supply of apples
and currants. Sun-cured fruit in California
means something entirely different from
what most persons have seen In sun drying
of the domestic sort.
After remaining several days on the trays
spread out in the sun, the fruit is per-
mitted to dry several days longer In the
shade by stacking the trays up in a pile
in such a way that there shall be. a free
circulation of air. When completely cured,
the bulk of the fresh prunes. being reduced
at the ratio of from two to two and a half
pounds to one pound. the prunes are taken
to 1.-THE packing -houses. where they are
graded to the various sizes by being run