The daily journal. (Salem, Or.) 1899-1903, 1901-09-20

THE JOURNAL printed in the last issue
] statement of the shortage in the
French prune crop, and the fact that
prices were already quoted at double
what they were a year ago. Comment
ing on this the San jose Mercury has
these remarks on prunes:
According to an Oregon paper the
prune growers of that state are receiv-
ing this year $l2 ton for fresh prunes
delivered at the driers, which is 50 bet
ter than the price last year. These
prunes, most OF them, dry to sixties or
better. What would the prune growers
OF Santa Clara valley think of the bust
ness if they would get only sl2 green for
their fruit delivered at the drier2 Prices
of green prunes in this valley approxi-
mate $50 for the average orchard this
year, which is 216 times the Oregon
price. This difference is represented in
part by the lower value of the Oregon
prune in the market, averaging -
cent pound dried less than the Cahfor-
mia prune, and partly by the greater ex-
pense Of curing in that state, where
Glow and expensive process Of drying by
artificial heat is necessary, owing TO
the absence of he warm sun and dry air |
of California. The Oregon growers have
the advantage of a somewhat greater
weight per tree OF the Italian prune,
which is the one most grown in that |
state, but this does not equalize the
great difference in the price paid for
green fruit. That difference is repre-
sented by the smaller value OF the dried
product and the greater cost OF curing
the fruit.
Oregon prices for the new crop are
somewha indefuite, yet they are sus.
tanned about the three cent basis, which
means three and one-half cent basis
for California fruit. The feeling among
growers there lie much the same as
here, that prices will rule high because
of the grneral i,uit shortage, not only
OF the prune crop itself, but OF other
fruits and particularly apples, the chiet
competitor Of the prune in the dried
fruit market. Advices from the East
show a continued shortageof fruit OF all
kinds except peaches. There isj just now
a glut OF peaches in some markets, par
ticularly Chicago, Milwaukee and other
ports supplied by steamer from Mich.
igan. New York land Boston are
swamped by the record.breaking crop
of Connecticut. Great quantities of
peaches are spelling, yet in the districts !
where peaches are canned and dried, !
especially in the Baltimore district, the |
market is not oversupplied aud the out.
put is likely to be less than usual. The
present glut OF peaches does not promise !
TO affect materially the conditions in
the dried fruit market, and cannot at
all affect the demand for prunes that
will result from the very large shortage
OF apples next winter and spring, both
fresh and dried.
In this connection IL may be we'll to
call attention TO fact which many grow
ers are apparently overlooking.
This fact is that hspresent and pros
pective high prices are not due alone to
our small crop Of this year, but more
particularly to the general fruit short
age, and especially to the shortage in
apples. All these influences combine to
produce the situation. Therefore it is
not viewing the matter in the right light
TO say that the excessive crop Of one
year which makes low prices is compen-