Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1907-09-10
PRUNE
PICKING
BEGINS
Crop Is First Class In Both Quality
and Quality

earnest, and as prices are at good,
remunerative figure you can tell the
owner of a prune orchard half a
block away by his Illuminating smile,
chesty pose and naughty strut. From
all over the valley reports show the
crop is an excellent one, as to guam
.ity, and about perfect as to quality.
Italians are said to be of rather un-
der-size, but otherwise of splendid
quality. The petltes, however, are
said to be remarkably large. One
grower this morning said the ex-
tremely hot weather of the last two
days had done some damage, and, II
continued, would become serious, as
the fruit would cook on the trees.
The cool weather today, however,
and the promise of more like 1t to
come, removes all worry on that ac-
count The fact that not nearly so
many are required to handle the hop
crop as usual. has made available la
Dor more plentiful, and the crop will
be handled without trouble. The Al
bany Herald, speaking of conditions
in that neighborhood, says:
With the prune season in full
swing, Laselle Bros. are very busy
nowadays. They ore now the most
extensive prune shippers in Oregon
and the Northwest. This year the
firm has Ia prune dryers working,
and they are all busy now, and will
continue for the next 1 8 or 90 days.
The daily drying capacity of the Ia
dryers under control of Lasselle
Brothers is 1915 bushels of green
prunes, which amounts to about fou;
cars when dried.
This year Lasclle Brothers will
ship out over $50 cars of dried
prunes TO Eastern markets, principal
ly New York. The prospects this
year are especially bright for the
prune crop. and growers as well as
shippers will all receive the best
prices in years for their prunes.
Some difficulty is being expert
enced among growers in obtaining
plckers in the orchards, and while
seven cents is being paid for picking
in many rcLc rds, there others where
as high as ten cents per box is being
paid. With the present warm wealth
er the prunos are ripening fast on
the trees, and the necessity OF pick
ing them quickly is becoming great,
which accounts for the high prices
being paid for pickers.
Lasello Bros. have six prune dryers
in operation now in Linn county. In
Benton county the Arm has three
more operating, and then in McMinn-
Vile they have dryer. At North
Yamhill the Arm has two more dry
ers. In Cove and Union, in Eastera
oregon. the Arm owns two more
plants.
The largest dryer in the world is
by Laselle Bros. II is the
dryer in Benton county at Granger, !
This dryer handles the product of
the l60-acre prune orchard adjacent,
and has a capacity per day OF 1000
bushels. This year the big orchard
at Granger will yield at least IS, 900
bushels of fruit, or ten carloads of
dried product. Last year the crop
was short. end only fivo carloads
were obtained.
Another largo dryer is the Lasselle
dryer. situated southeast OF town.
having a daily capacity OF 500 bush
els, Other dryers In Linn county.
with their 6aily capacity. are as fol-
lows: l.
Faley dryer, IS bushels: Tryon
dryer. goo bushels; Thompson dryer,
100 bushels; Peebler dryer, ESQ
In Benton county. aside
from tho large Granger dryer. Lasel-
lee Bros. are operating what Is
known as the Little dryer" Just
across the river from this city, with
n capacity OF 100 bushels per day, 1,
and the Missall dryer, daily capacity
ESQ bushels. The dryer at McMinn-
Vile has daily capacity OF 400
bushels, and the two dryers at North
have a combined capacity Of
l0OO bushels per day.
In Eastern oregon the dryer at
Union has daily capacity OF $50
bushels. and the dryer at Cove a ca
pseity of 400 bushels.