The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-10-13

work going on in the fields and the roads
are Kept sprinkled by sprinkling carts.
mere are no flies SWGrming about the
Iru1t, that common sight we all have
seen at the farm house where the thrifty
farm wife dries her supply of Spples and
cutrants. Sun-cured fruit In California
means something entirely different from
Wh4t most persons have seen in sun
orylng OF the domestic sort.
AFTER remaining several DAYS on the
trays spread out in the sun the fruit is
permitted to dry several days longer in
the shade by stacking the trays Up in
ple IN such way that there shall be Il
free circulation of air. When completely
cured the bulk of the fresh prunes being
reduced at the ratio of from two to two
and half pounds to one pound the
prunes are taken to the packing houses,
where they are graded to the various
sizes by being run through a grading
machine, which automatically separates
the various sizes. Upon this grading tho
prlce OF the fruit depends, the grades be-
the pound. These run by tens from 20 to
80 to the pound to 80 to 100. The next
size is 100 to 120 and all above 12O con-
Stitute a distinct size. These little
skin and pit and sell at small rate per
pound as compared with the larger SECS
1t IS the cheapness of these small sizes
Which has led to their use so freely and
to their becoming so familiar a sight,
while the larger and finer fruit is not
known so well to the general public. The
price is based upon the size of 80 to the
pound. If this basis is cents every
size larger than that is half a cent more
Tor each size, andsthe smaller half a cent
less, though in years when the largo
sizes are scarce there is also a premium
price
Apparently the crop this year will sell
on 4-cent basis at the packing house
5O size, the most popular of the lar@e
sizes, and less than half that price for
sizes above 100: This expectation is based
upon the SmallnesS of the crop this wear
the sshortness i'll the apple crop every
Were and the general shortness in the
new supplies of canned and dried fruit
4he entire crop of the Pacific coast this
year will not exceed 90000,0O0 pounds,
which is but half the quantity grown
last year. This means a larger price to
growers, but7no to consumers, since the
ag.sll price IS little effected by the fiuctu-
satJens IN the price paid to growers.
II IS one of the grievances of the
pfs1ne growers that the fruit for which
tney receive 5A cents a pound is retailed
+ AZ, the. grocery stores at from - to 20
seats. No other food product takes on
such added value between the producer
ana the consumer when no work is done
upon 1t to give it this additional value
ana 1t is one of the objects of the prune
growers in forming cooperative asso-
cation to get prunes into the hands of
consumers at more reasonable advance
upon first cast, and thus stimulate con
sumption. When sold for market and
Gedore- being sent out of the packing
house. the fruit is ''processed" BY dip.
ping it in a liquid solution which soft
ems and swells it somewhat and renders
itgFeady for consumption. This also gives
ian attractive and glossy appearance :
Ills then packed in boxes of various
sizes from five pounds up the. box of
twenty-five pounds being the standard
size. In packing the prunes are sur
RACED on the top by working them by
hand into the fiat smooth layer seen at
the top of the box.
FMS, with the lining of white futed pa
per gives an exceedingly attractive APP
pearance Those who are accustomed TO
Duylng the best quality of fruit know
now much more attractive in appearance
ana better in quality is this fruit tnsln
the small, hard, dry and sugary prunes
sold in bulk from bags.
Last year, realizing that the prune
growers We're giving away to commercial
packers and spectators the bulk of the
pronts Of the industry by selling to them
their crops in bulk and at the low prices
those who thus had control of the CHAM
ne1ss OF marketing were willing to offer
phefprune growers of California organized
cooperative association embracing the
lenpre state and having in it's member
SNIP about 80 per cent of the growers
1fe object of this association was to
saFe to its members the profits made by
those who were but leech on the bust
ness, to get higher price for their fruit
and at the same time to introduce meth
ouS OF marketing which would reduce the