Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1903-07-10
A NEW ENTERPRISE.
The Benton County Processing and Prnne
Packing Company Puts In Plant.

The Benton csunty Processing and Pran
Packing Company Pnts In Plant.
An enterprise is to be started il
Corvallis that is bound TO be o.
great benefit to the city and sur
rounding country, in addition to
the convenience it will afford grow
ers of fruit. It is the outgrowth OF
a proposition which Manager Robt.
johnson, of the Benton County
Prune Co., has had ir, contempla
tion for some time and which he
went to California last March to in-
vestigate. Practically all the pro
cessing of pruues in California is
done by one large concern, which
controls all the plants. This com
pany was considering the idea OF
extending operations into Oregon
by putting in a plant at Roseburg
and Corvallis. Mr.. Johnson was
offered the management Of the busi.
ness in Corvallis, but after mature
deliberation the Californians de-
cided to experiment BY simply put
ting in professor at Roseburg.
Mr.. johnson appreciated the
value of such a plant to local or
chardists, and organized company
to be known as the Benton County
Processing and Prune Packing Co.,
the purposes of which are indicated
in its name. The large three-story
building, a portion of which is occu-
pied by the Corvallis Creamery was
secured and an order placed for the
machinery. This arrived by rail
Monday and workmen began put
ting it in place yesterday. 1t con-
sists of grader 25 feet long, 6 feet
high and over 6 feet wide, arranged
to separate Italian prunes into five
grades; New Century professor,
IL feet long, 4 feet high and 3 feet
wide, the latest improved machine
of its kind; elevator, floor trucks,
wheelbarrows. and minor articles.
The grader will be placed on the
third floor. An endless-chain ele-
vator will carry the prunes from
the first floor and dump them into
the grader, AMI they will be lower
ed into bins on the second floor,
where the professor will stand con.
veniently near. The packing will
be done on the ground floor. The
building is splendidiy adapted to
the purpose and is convenient to
railroad and liver. The large boiler
and engine used by the creamery
will supply power. The plant will
begin operation about October 18th.
Besides the money that will be
distributed in this community in
the form of wages to the five or six
men and 25 or 30 girls, during the
season of three months, and to local
mills for the 10000 boxes that will
be used, much. benefit will accrue
to prune growers whose fruit will
be placed on the market in tempt
ing shape and Oregon will receive
credit for her product. Heretofore,
prunes have been shipped in sacks
and the processing was done in the
East, where the fruit has Leen Ia
beled "California." Some trouble
is anticipated in teaching girls the
art of packing the first season, but
some will soon become expert and
can earn good wages.
1t is Manager Johnson's inten-
ton to buy prunes outright, or pro-
cess them for cash or on shares.
He is in touch with the Eastern
markets, and there will be no spec
ulating on futures. The fruit will
be sold at the market price the next
day after it is brought in Corvallis.