Pueblo chieftain., 1921-03-21
By Frederic ]. Haskin.

By Frederic ]. Haskin.
Washington. d. c.. March 1s.-Ea,
Prunes!
This behest is endorsed by II. p
Gould, n pomolog!st OF the Department
OF Agriculture. who has devoted much
of his life to the study OF pruncs and
prune culture. He asserts that the
prune is being neglected In this coun-
try TO the detriment OF both tho prune
and the eating public
This. Of course. is all good propa-
Eanda for the prune growers. But the
prune growers. II appears. are not in
immediate nessd OF any help. Finding
that the American public Is turning
away from the prunc. they have pro-
tected themselves by the simple cxped-
lent OF not raising so many. In few
years the prune crop has been greatly
reduced. As a result, the price Of
prunes has gone up. and the prune
growers arc more prosperous than
ever. And there is another reason
why they need not worry. In Europe
An enormous appetite for prunes awaits
thcm as soon as the conditions OF in
tcrnauonal trade are settled.
II is therefore the American public
that is TO suffer and not the prune
grower. Tho prune is becoming scarce
on the American market. and there
forc high priced. Above ALL. the best
prunes win go abroad. and America
VIII set mostly the small and measly
prunes. In this way one OF the most
valuable fruits produced in this coun-
try Is upt to be taken away from us.
For 1t is generally agreed by ex-
perts that the prunc has a high value
in the diet. The trouble with our WIN
ter diet Is that 1t does not contain
enough fruit. Fresh fruit is vaSy cx-
pensiyc in winter. So Is canncH fruit
of a good grade. Dried fruit Is the
poor mans bes; hope OF a healthy
winter diet. And tho prune Is tho
prince OF dried fruits. I, Is the most
delicate. tho most easily prepared. and
the one which can be most easily re-
stored TO condition like that OF fresh
fruit Tako large, hlgh-grade prunc.
soak II In water over night. and in the
morning you will have practically
ripe plum.
The Prune's Bad Rep.
Why. II IL has all these virtues. 1.
the prune fallen from favor7 There are
several reasons. American housewives
have never learned to cook prunes
properly. for one thing. For another.
imported prunSs OF small size and POOR
favor long held the market here. before
prunes began TO be raised in this coun-
try. and that gave the prune a bad
name. II is that bad name. acquired
long ago. which keeps the prunc out
OF It's proper place in tho American
dot.
The problem Is psychological ono.
The prune has come TO be considered
a plcbian dish. There can be no doubt
OF that. To call a man full OF pruncs"
is to malign his intellect and his So
eial standing. The Implication is that
any one who eats prunes is somehow
damned. This curious connotatIon
which tho word rrunc carries with II
is vague. hard to define. yet unmls-
taxable. This is a democratic coun-
try. In n democratic country 1, IL al
ways the great object OF everyon, TO
appear aris,ocratic. The theory OF
democracy is that we arc all equal
For that reason each OF us is trying to
prove that he is a little better than
somebody else. We avoid ag we
would avoid the garment OF n lepcr.
everything that is supposed TO ho pro-
lctarian. And the prunc has come to
be considered proletarian fruit in this
country. BE 1t ever so luscious. It cam
not i've down its humble reputation
When your rich aunt comes to visit
you, you would not think OF Offering
her prunes for breakfast.
The pruno long was cheap. tho prunc
was a subject tor vaudeville Jokes. II
is IN the same class with red flannel
underwear and chewing tobacco. ri
simply isn't used by the best people.
II has fallen under tho terrible taboo
which our unconscious snobbcry places
upon so many good things.
The Fail In Production
As result of this anti-prunc senti-
ment the 1920 prune crop In the four
great pruno-producing states fell off
more than 20 per cent. California in
1919 produced 2so.co,Ooo pounds of
pruncs, but in 1870 only $1,000 600
pounds.
prune is merely a plum having cer-
tain qualities not possessed by other
plums. All prunes are plums, but no,
all plums arc prunes.
This close connection between the
rrunc and plum has been tho means
by which some prunc growers have
overcome the popular prejudice against
the product. A prune in its fresh state
is sold as a plum
The growers and dealers realized that
a sign announcing fresh prunes for
sale would only arouse mirth. and so
sold them under the general family
name. As piums the prunes have been
enormously popular, the housokceper
as rule pTeferrng them for preserves
and marmalades to other plums. Mil