STATE HOETICULTURAL SOCIETY. 59 



store, Quincy, Illinois, to inspect the dried fruit for sale. I found a 

 nice assortment, mostly California, some Eastern. 



The following is a list of stone fruits, dried or evaporated, prices 

 added: Golden Drop Prune, evaporated or raisin cured very fine, look 

 like very large raisins, California fruit, sells at twenty cents per 

 pound; California Silver Prune, very fine and large, evaporated, 

 twenty cents per pound; German Prune, California, large evaporated, 

 twelve and one-half cents per pound; small California German Prune, 

 ten cents; unpeeled California Peaches, evaporated, seventeen and 

 one-half cents per pound; unpeeled California Peaches, , sun dried, 

 fifteen cents per pound; peeled California Peaches, large, halves, 

 evaporated, twenty-five cents per per pound; California Apricots, 

 evaporated, twenty cents per pound; Pitted Cherries, evaporated, 

 twenty-five cents per pound; peeled Eastern Peaches, large, halv^es, 

 evaporated, twenty-five cents per pound. 



The French or German Prunes, imported, are now superseded 

 to a great extent by the California Prunes. 



The Turkish Prune, imported in large hogsheads, is the cheapest 

 dried fruit on the market. The Turkish Prune is not very good eat- 

 ing. The sugar recjuired to make the Wild Goose or Chickasaw 

 plums good sauce would more than pay for the same quantity of 

 prunes. This Turkish Prune is usually retailed, in Quincy, at five cents 

 per pound, sometimes as low as four cents. The wholesale price laid 

 down in New York is three to three and one-fourth cents, and 

 delivered here, in Quincy, is about four cents. Large quantities of 

 this fruit are no doubt consumed in the United States. I did not 

 take time to look up the Mills' Tariff Bill to see if it is imported free 

 of duty. It looks as though these fruit growers over the water must 

 surely work for nothing and board themselves, tarifE or no tariff. 



Mr. Riehl — We have this year gathered a crop of peaches for 

 the first time in seven years. Some have failed, even this year, on 

 account of unproductive varieties. I have discarded the Crawford's 

 and all varieties of that grade of hardiness. Amelia, Smock and the 

 Chinese family are large and showy, and hardy in tree and bud. I 

 had specimens of Wilkin's which measured twelve and a half inches 

 in circumference. I did considerable thinning from many of ray 

 trees, taking from half to two-thirds of their fruit. 



Mr. Hay — Can anyone explain why the Damson plum is in 

 such demand and sells at such high prices, when there are so many 

 better plums in the market ? 



Mr. Pearson — The Damson has a character of its own and 



