Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1909-06-26
H. S. GILE IN BETTER FRUIT
TELLS OF PRUNE INDUSTRY
How the Great Crop Is HarveSted-ProtS of the 0rcha
The Popular Package, Etc.

Apples, pears, cherries and wal
nuts have been so much to the front
during the past few years that the
man who would venture to advocate
any other variety Of fruit would, to
say the least, bo worry much out Of
| fashion, II indeed he could expect
to receive any attention whatsoever.
The writer has been from the very
inception of tho industry firm be-
lievor in the oregon pr1ne and has
never forsaken nor been turned
aside by the fabulous tales of wealth
in growing and marketing six-dol-
lar apples and tcn-dollar pears.
That this great northewest Is pc
culiarly adapted to the production
of many varieties of fruit T. no lon
ger questioned, and experience has
clearly. shown that certain localities
are especially adapted to certain
fruits, and still further that certain
varieties OF thec1 special fruits do
better in specifi. localities and at
different elevations, hence there is
no occasion for rivalIy-certainly
not for iealousy-becaus that Hood
River di-trict may grow to perfec-
Nibn ttEldlu NgDt VI dDDlo anu
Medford district may produce to
Just as great perfection Comice and
Bartlett pears, and, while apples,
pears and all of the deciduous fruits
| berries, nuts, etc, ere produced In
a great abundance and to a more
or less perfect degree in the Will
annette valley, II also remains for
this great vclley to win and hold the
reputation OF growing, preparing and
solling the finest prunes grown any
whore in the vide world.
The growing of this fine fruit Is
still in It's infancy; We have only
touched tie fringe Of that which will
be done IN the future as the real
merit OF this fruit becomes more
widely and more generally known.
Salem is the most important CEN
| Ger for bot' marketing and grow
ing tho Oregon prune Orchards
cover many OF the elevations sur
rounding tho city and especially in
the Libcrty-Rosodale district from
four to eight miles south OF the city
where the country 10 given over al
most entirely TO prune orcharding.
Fine land in this district, splendid
\ ly adapted 10 this particular branch
OF horticulture, can still be had for
500 per acre, and les', according
to location. In fact, full bearing
orchards can be bought for less
money than they are actually worth
simply because the owners have not
yet awakened to the great failure
which Is surely In gtore for this in
dustry. and have not yet learned. 10
ak the fabulous prices which are
being paid for orchards OF other
varieties OF fruit In other districts,
J and possibly they have scarcely even
| figured the actual returns upon any
fixed acreage valuation for their or
chards. Western Washington may
be classed with the willamette valley
\ In the production of a high grade
cured prune, though not able 10 pro-
duce crops so regularly as the higher
elevations In the best valley district.
Z Eastern Washington. Idaho and GER
| tain sections of Eastern oregon
also grow prunes (Ellensburg plums)
which pos ess less merit for curing
! but have fine carrying qualities In
their fresh state and consequently
are shipped green almost entirely.
For green shipping the fruit must
be very carefully picked from the
treeE and shcnld be so handled as to
retain as much as possible Of the
natural bloom OF the fruit. IL Is
then carefully placed in baskets
holding about Ave pounds each; four
Of these ba7kets constitute what Is
called a crate. The crates are then
as quickly as possible placed in re-
frigerated cars, spaced and stripped
haN aNaf. ghan haua n Frnah
circulation of cold air upon all
sides of Il, and In this condition
prunes will carry I'm perfect condition
10 almost any market In this or for
elgn countries. On the other hand,
fruit of tho same variety grown In
Western Washington and in the
willamette valley will not carry SO
we'll, but possesses all of the ele-
ments which go to make up a rich
cured product, and 1t is grown ex-
clu iyely for that purpose.
The ordinary orchard contains
from fifteen TO forty acres, although
there are two or three tracts in the
valley much larger.
For an ordinary sized family a
thirty-fiye TO fOrty-acre orchard is
about the most profitable size One
man and team viii do the work OF
cultivation comfortably and have
time for other work, Outside help
will be required for a few days dur
ing winter praying, and possibly
some help assistance will be needed
at pruning time, but very little
money will be expended for labor
outside of the one man and one
team until the time Of gathering and
curing comes on The orchardist
will then pay from five to six cents
per bu-hel 70 the men, women and
children OF his community, includ-
ing possibly those of his own fam
lily, to have the prunes picked up,
having allowed them to remain upon
tho trees until they have taken on
all the sugar posi- ible and have OF
their own accord dropped, or been