Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1915-10-19
FoHouing the Prime
On Its Long Journey

boxes, by laying fruit carefully OF
the bottom, first applying a lining Of
oiled paper. Then ten or twenty-five
pounds of prunes, according to the
size Of the box, are forced into it.
and pressure applied The lid was
nailed on and the end of my prune
was in sight. A carrier took the box
down stairs, loaded it in a car and
the shipment was ready for the king
of England and the queen of Sheba.
Prunes are an unknown delight in
English markets, Mr.. Peterson tells
me, and it is necessary to label every
box of the good, old stewable prunes
that leave the plant, as plums. "It
would be the same as trying to sell
dried plums in Dallas if we labeled
these as 'prunes, >" said Mr.. Peter
son. Consumers wouldn It know
what merchants were trying to hand
them" Therefore the 10000 boxes
of Polk county and Oregon prunes
that are being prepared for shipment
to Europe bear label classifying
them as columbia Oregon Plums,
packed at Dallas, Oregon, by the J.
K. Armsby Company" Which, Incl
dentally, and considering the great
number of boxes that will find their
way to every corner of the land, is
very good bit of publicity for Dallas.
The packing season at the plant
started September 25, and about a
million pounds of prunes have been
handled, or are ready for the packers.
Half of this amount has already been
shipped to the many distributing cen
ters. New York City alone has re-
ceived 100000 pounds, or about three
carloads of the fruit, for distribution
in that territory. European markets
are taking share of the product al
so, and the order for 10000 boxes is
actually being packed at the plant
this week. 1t will go forward by
water about the middle Of November.
half the prunes han
died at the Armsby plant are grown
in Polk county. But they come from
all parts of the state, including south
ern Oregon; practically all Of the
crop there being sent to Dallas for
packing. The majority of the fruit
handled is the familiar Italian prune,
but one large shipment consists en-
tirely of French petit prunes. About
So people are employed at the plant
at the present time, and of that num-
Der 40 are girls engaged in facing the
boxes. Labor saving devices are ev-
srywhere in evidence. Boxes are built
at the rate of many hundreds each
lay by mailing machine that nails
each side and the bottom to the ends
With one automatic blow. Lables are
burned in the wood as rapidly as the
)ox ends can be handled.
So many and different crimes have
,een committed in the name of the
tewed prune; so many reflections
lave been cast upon its perfectly ir-
eproachable character, that / have
ong Stunned the delightful delicacy ,
Is an economic Wand, or as a rare
nd pleasing condiment for my dinner
able. But the tide has turned since /
saw the sterilized, deodorized and ,
together perfect prunes that were
nut in clean, dustproof boxes at the 4
Amsby plant. No better could be :
one if old Prof. Wiley superintended j.,
he job personally. So greatly has :
he tide turned that I ordered six
en-pound boxes to send to my good ,
riends at Christmas time. Mr.. Peter {
on agrees to accommodate anyone de {
iring boxes of the fruit for holiday
hipment. 1t would be an excellent o
yay to boost Polk county's principal .
ndustry. aiding both grower and
acker, and would insure to those who
lade present of the prunes the iron h
lad friendship of the recipients g
lroughout at least one more year.