The San Francisco call., 1904-04-30
HAVE A CHERRY2"

MERICA is the land of mixed drink The
n sturdy, beef-eating Briton goes further in
that line than his haf-and-half, shandy gaf.
Otherwise he and his Continental neighbors take it
straight. But here mix Our cocktails are INFINITE
variety and the barkeeper asks Have cherry?
If we assent, get Bigarreau Maraschino, red
eshed and sweet, giving sort OF nutty farewell to the
mixed drink American cherry are often criti-
cized for producing such cherries compelling to
pay duty of I pound and IS per cent ad
vaorem, every time take an appetizer.
American Consuls abroad make stated reports the
and productions OF the countries to which
they accredited benefit of their
home Unfortunately these reports not generally
circulated and the often valuable information they con.
tain does not reach the most interested parties In the
issue of these consular reports for April is report
OF Consul Bordeaux Judge Tourgee, on the cock
tail cherries He says the opinion prevails in the United
States that these special kind OF cherry. This is
natural conclusion from the Uniform dark red color OF
The pulp. This color is artificial.
The cherries are picked when dead ripe and soft.
They arc smoked sulphur fumes until they are
oughened by the sulphurouS and bleached to pale
yellow. They then packed in solution OF salt and
sulphur and shipped the manufactured In this pickle
they keep indefinitely and may be manipulated at leisure
When needed they are washed, and dyed red with
anne soaked in alcohol and syrup, and are ready for
the American market These cherries are not used in
Europe all and found there i'll market They
all the United States and cocktail drinkers
get with every glass quantity OF anine and sulphur
The revelation is revolving and disseminating. Amer
leans always supposed they getting red cherry,
simply preserved aromatic syrup But instead they
getting fruit that first had taken from it every
natural characteristic picked in brine like cucum
Der and then dyed and sweetened to taste Judge
Tourgee has disenchanted cocktail, but has lifted
burden of blame from the American cherry If
his statement is generally circulated, the genial bar
keeper will get mo- for when he offers the
dyed but seductive cherry Bordeaux to be the
of this cherry picking industry, and Americans
who value their health will that industry decline
without regret and will the primitive innocence
of the cocktail when it consisted OF schnapps and
bitters.
Judge Tourgee, in the report, tells things
of interest the American prune grower Last year
the French prune crop failed and he says this would
have taken the control of the prune trade away from
France but for the foresight of the prune merchants
of Bordeaux, who secured large stock Of California
prunes, manipulated and repacked them and sold them
French, by that sustaining the supremacy of
French prunes
He traced these California prunes into Bordeaux
through the repackng process and export back the
United States, where, French fruit, they sold a
price that left good profit after crossing the
twice and paying duty OF pound for the privi
lege of returning their land The fine French
prunes we buy in San Francisco grown in the
orchards of Santa Clara County They have been re-
fined by foreign travel and come back to with its
gifts and graces for which pay round price Yet
pulp and substance and flavor they have gained moth
ing by the journey They have simply gained in super
fetal appearance.
These added charms external only and they are
Santa Clara prunes and nothing more, but the story
of their travels full of suggestion for prune rasers
We have compete with France, in the quality of
the fruit for these facts prove that quality good
To the palate the fruits the The difference
presented to the eye alone What is needed is that
and packers study the Bordeaux method of
manipulating and packing. There is no sorcery about
1t has in it the French instinct of appealing to the
eye. We do it well. if we try. When we do it
successfully. France will longer be able to take our
excellent but disappearing prunes teach them French
airs and andsuse them crowd us out of our
own market.
Judge Tourgee also reports that California navel
oranges hold the market in Bordeaux selling at cents
apiece perfect condition and of the best quality This
also is revelation. He is unable to tell how they get
there. But they there and find market after paw
ing the French tariff.
Our horculturists and cocktail drinkers will find much
food and drink for reflection in Judge Tourgees report
One thing is prune growers should either send
students to study French methods or should bring
French packers here
Representative Williams, acknowledged leader of the
IN sc