174 THE MONTHLY BULLETIN. 



Besides these older trees, there are three younger plantings of 500 

 trees each now 4, 5 and 6 years old. In 1914, the 4-year old orchard 

 produced 50 pounds per tree, the 5-year old orchard 200 pounds per 

 tree, and the 6-year old orchard 160 pounds per tree. The 5-year old 

 orchard was allowed to bear too heavily, which was evidenced by small 

 fruit and lack of wood growth. They should have been thinned to about 

 ]i)0 to 150 pounds per tree, which would have resulted in larger fruit 

 and a Ijetter crop in 1915. 



The Royal variety seems to be the standard here and nothing could 

 surpass it for "regular and heavy bearing. If not allowed to bear too 

 heavily, and if there is sufficient moisture in the soil, the fruit will be of 

 good size. The Moorpark variety will not bear well in this district, 

 and although the Blenheim has not been thoroughly tested, it does not 

 give promise of doing as well as the Royal variety. 



FRUIT DRIED. 



All the apricots in this section are dried and most of them sold 

 through the Ventura County Cured Fruit Association, which is affili- 

 ated with the California Cured Fruit Exchange. Like all newly 

 organized associations it has had many obstacles to overcome and 

 retui-ns in all cases have not been entirely satisfactory to the growers, 

 l)ut it is sure ultimately to be of great benefit to the industry. Before 

 we had an association it was almost impossible for a grower to get 

 any higher price for large fruit than for small, as it was the custom 

 for the buyers to offer every grower in a section about the same price, 

 irrespective of quality. We now get about two cents more per pound 

 for the best grade fruit. By use of a moisture test the association has 

 discouraged the injurious practice of taking up dried fruit too wet 

 or wetting it artificially to gain weight, which was a common practice 

 under tlie old method of selling. These associations have also done much 

 to discourage the drying of green or oversize fruit, which was practiced 

 by growers who were a little short of help and therefore started to 

 pit before the fruit was ripe, and continued after it was too ripe, only 

 a part of their product, therefore, being of the best quality. By all 

 these means they have improved the standard of the product. They 

 are also in a position to advertise and increase the consumption of 

 dried apricots in the United States, which is very important now 

 that the foreign market which used to take 75 per cent of the crop 

 is injured by the war. There are thousands of people in the United 

 States who have never tasted a dried apricot. 



PICKING. 



It is very important that apricots be picked at just the right stage 

 of ripeness, as green fruit is sour, light and poorly colored when dried, 

 and over-ripe fruit flattens out and sells for less. 



In picking for dried fruit, the fruit is shaken with a pole and picked 

 from the ground. It is important to have only one or two reliable men 

 do the poling, for it is very important to be careful not to pole off 

 green fruit or leave any ripe fruit on the trees. If several do the 

 poling and fruit comes in in unsatisfactory condition, it is hard for 

 one to tell who is responsil)le. An orchard is usually gone over several 

 times during a season, each time only the ripe fruit being picked. 



