Page Fourteen 



BETTER FRUIT 



June. 1922 



Shipment of Green Prunes 



By W. H. Wicks 



Director Bureau of Pla7it Industry and Markets, Idaho Stau Department of Agricultu 



A S THE state of Idaho has become the 

 -^*- largest shipper of fresh Italian prunes 

 it is of interest briefly to survey the com- 

 mercial prune industry of the state from 

 this angle. 



An orchard survey made by inspectors of 

 the bureau of plant industry, state depart- 

 ment of agriculture in 1919, showed 

 3,962 acres devoted to commercial prune 

 orchards. There is a strong demand for 

 nursery stock and an increased acreage is 

 manifest in our various sections adapted to 

 prune growing which will result in enlarg- 

 ing the production of this delicious fruit. 

 There apparently is no reason whv southern 

 Idaho, with its favored climatic conditions, 

 soil, and already established markets and 

 reputation for quality prunes, should not 

 increase this industry to the fullest pos- 

 sibilities. 



Experience has shown that prunes can 

 be shipped from Idaho throughout the 

 United States in fresh form with safety, 

 and a number of cars have been marketed in 

 English markets. Records show the number 

 of carloads shipped out of Idaho during 

 1919 as 1,450 carloads of fresh Italian 

 prunes, with a valuation of $1,104,900. 

 During 1920 there were 1,500 carloads 

 shipped, bringing a return of $1,143,000, 

 while in 1921 there were 2,200 carloads 

 shipped out with a valuation of $1,760,000. 

 For the past three-year period the total 

 number of carloads shipped was 5,150 hav- 

 ing a total valuation of $4,007,900. 



The major part of these prunes are 

 grown in the Boise, Emmett, Payette and 

 Weiser valleys and along the Snake river 

 in various valleys in the vicinity of Parma, 

 Caldwell, Nampa, Bliss and the Twin Falls 

 section. The elevation, volcanic ash forma- 

 tion of the soil and climatic conditions all 

 unite in producing the Italian prune to its 

 highest state of perfection, both for ship- 

 ping fresh to the market or evaporating and 

 selling as dried prunes. 



The suit-case pack and the four-basket 

 crate have been standardized for shipping 

 prunes, although there is a tendency on the 

 part of some to use a lug box, while others 

 have shipped in half and bushel baskets. 

 During 1921 there were shipped as shown 

 by the carloads inspected by the state de- 

 partment of agriculture, 1,225 carloads of 

 suit-case pack, 194 cars of four-basket 

 crates, 24 cars in lug boxes, 30 cars of half- 

 bushel baskets and 20 cars of bushel baskets. 

 The three and one-half inch suit-case is the 

 Idaho standard for suit-case pack. One 

 thousand, three hundred eighty-six suit 

 cases per car is the rule, with a minimum 

 weight per suit-case of 17 pounds. The 

 general range is 17 to 22 pounds, mostly 

 averaging 18 pounds net weight and the 

 four-basket crate averaging 20 pounds net. 



The standardization of farm products 

 and shipping point inspection as conducted 

 by the state department of agriculture, co- 

 operating with the United States bureau 

 of markets and crop estimates, has devel- 

 oped an inspection and standardization 

 service which is being extensively used bv 

 growers, shippers and the trade, and h.is 

 done much to standardize the quality and 

 marketing of the Idaho prune. 



'X'HE markets for fresh prunes have been 

 -*■ generally strong and good, with an 

 increasing demand as shippers learn to dis- 

 tribute this fruit over the markets in the 

 middle west and eastern states, instead of 

 putting large shipments on the Chicago and 

 New York markets, which may oftentimes 

 become unable to consume such large quan- 

 tities. The Idaho prune is marketed bv 

 individual growers, several large independ- 

 ent buyers, organizations, and an attempt 

 h.is been made to market co-operatively. In 

 1921 cash f. o. b. sales were the rule, with 

 consignment business practically nil. 



The evaporator industry in Idaho is well 

 established and is capable of taking care of 

 much of the prune crop in case the market 

 is not satisfactory for fresh prunes. More 

 evaporators, however, could be built to the 

 benefit of the prune industry and the 

 owners operating the same. The output of 

 dried prunes for 1921 was 95 0,000 

 pounds. 



Of all the tree fruits grown commer- 

 cially in Idaho, the prune is one of the 

 surest and foremost money-makers in which 

 one can engage. The problems of orchard 

 management, such as soil fertility, irriga- 

 tion, cultivation, pruning and spraying are 

 being enthusiastically studied by prune 

 growers and much progress is being made in 

 the betterment of the prune orchards at 

 this time. The highest record, which we 

 are able to obtain for the production of 

 Italian prunes in Idaho, is fifteen cars on 

 nine acres. This orchard was seven years 

 old at the time (1915) and located in the 

 Emmett valley. The average production 

 for the state is one car per acre. 



The 1921 prices for fresh prunes ranged 

 from $40 to $45 per ton. From all indi- 

 cations it seems reasonable to predict a rapid 

 development of the Idaho prune industry 

 and increased prosperity to the state as con- 

 tributed by this substantial branch of 

 horticulture. 



Tree Surgery 

 By Joseph F. Teevin 



'T'REE surgery is like medical surgery — 

 -■- the greatest care must be exercised in 

 its operation. All diseased parts must be 

 removed. The smallest piece of mycelium 

 or trace of growing fungi left in the tree 

 will grow. 



The heart rot is the worst fungus disease 

 that fruit growers have to contend with. 

 Of the two species, the black and the white, 

 the latter is far the most destructive. TEe 

 spores, blown by the wind, alight on a 

 wound, but in dry weather will not grow. 

 The ideal weather for its growth is warm 

 weather. 



The growth rapidly spreads, vertically 

 sending its mycelium downward more 

 rapidly than upward. As the growth con- 

 tinues it spreads horizontally until, in a 

 badly diseased tree, nothing is left but a 

 shell of sap-wood and bark. 



Heart rot has to be cut out of the wiod 

 The best tools for this work are a car- 

 penter's chisel and a farrier's knife. Care 

 must be taken not to cut out any more of 

 the good wood than necessary. Cut a narrow 

 slit in the wood right over the rot with 

 the chisel, following the mycelium up and 

 down until it is all clear. In cutting the 

 rot out there must be care not to disturb 

 the bark, for if it dies around the wound 

 it will take longer to heal over. The 

 farrier's knife is used to smooth up the in- 

 cision. The open wound is then painted 

 with Bordeaux paste, a mixture of lime and 

 copper sulphate in equal parts. 



When wounds are made on a tree bv 

 pruning or by accident a good coat of 

 Bordeaux paste applied will save trouble 

 later on. At the time this may seem a 

 waste of time and money, but let the disease 

 get a start and it will take far more time 

 and money to get rid of it. 



The beautiful blossom scene picture 

 which adorns the front cover this month 

 was taken in the Yakim_a Valley, famous 

 for the production of its fine apples and 

 other fruits. 



AAA 



Kindly mention Better Fruit when an- 

 swering advertisements. 



Land Clearing With 

 Dynamite 



/COMPILATION of the actual figures 

 ^— * in land clearing demonstrations cover- 

 ing all the western counties of Oregon and 

 Washington during recent months has 

 shown that the average acre of logged-off 

 land to be cleared contains not to exceed 

 more than 1,000 to 1,200 diameter inches 

 of stumps to be removed. This represents 

 about 85 to 100 diameter feet of stumps 

 per acre and is equivalent to a maximum of 

 33 stumps averaging three feet in diameter 

 or 25 stumps averaging four feet in dia- 

 meter. 



Figures on the amount of explosives re- 

 quired for clearing an acre of land are 

 given in a recent report by E. I. duPont de 

 Nemours Company. This states that 250 

 pounds, representing a total of 650 sticks 

 of the new stumping dynamite, will easily 

 remove either 33 stumps averaging three 

 feet or 25 stumps averaging four feet in 



