Pas'c 10 



BETTER FRUIT 



September 



and Hemskirk varieties, as grown in 

 Santa Clara Valley, give best results to 

 the canner. They have high color, 

 flavor, firm texture and are usually 

 clean and of good size. Moorparks 

 have a flavor preferred by many and 

 they grow to a larger size, but they 

 ripen unevenly, one-half ripening be- 

 fore the other, and the upper jjortion 

 about the stem is usually green and 

 hard after the lower portion is full ripe. 

 Most of the fruit is simply washed, 

 halved and pitted. The fruit grown in 

 the interior as well as the southern 

 part of the state is not so desirable in 

 color, flavor or texture, although there 

 arc exceptional locations. With aiiri- 

 cots the growers have three ojjportuni- 

 ties for disposing of their i)ro(luct, as 

 the canner must compete with the ship- 

 per and the dryer. 



As with apricots and apples, so with 

 most of the important canning varieties 

 of cherries. The dealer and consumer 

 demand a clear, transparent svrui). For 

 this reason our Hoyal Ann is wanted 

 for its size and firm texture. \Yhen it 

 rinens in the sun and takes on its beau- 

 tiful red color it is not so desirable for 

 the canner as the waxy-white ones 

 which grow in the shade. The hiah- 

 colored ones turn a russet brown after 

 processing and the uninformed buyer 

 thinks the fruit is bruised. Cherries 

 are stemmed, washed and canned whole 

 without Hitting. Skin blemishes, bird 

 I)ecks and cracks are accordingly very 

 conspicuous and undesirable. They 

 grow to perfection in the north-central 

 counties of the state, are bought by 

 .shippers and by ijackers in Maraschino, 

 as well as by canners. The so-called 

 soft white ciieri-ies are less desirable 

 because thev have not the firm texture, 

 do not stand handling nor processing 

 so well as the Royal .\nns and are 

 smaller in size, although some varieties 

 like the Rockport and Buttners are 

 ouite su])erior to other soft white varie- 

 ties. Black cherries are not popular in 

 cans, as the color darkens the syrup 

 and the canner must sell at a much 

 lower jjrice and then only in a limited 

 wav. About 1,8(10 tons of Royal Anns 

 and whites are used annually for can- 

 ning, and probably >")00 tons of blacks. 



The Muscat or raisin grape is canned 

 to a limited extent. The fruit is merely 

 stemmed and washed. About l.OflO tons 

 are used annually. 



Nectarines are used in a ver\ limited 

 way. Some varieties have a hii'h color 

 at the pit, which discolors the flesh of 

 the fruit when processed. All varieties 

 must be well ripened to secure the 

 flavor, and yet in this condition the 

 fruit is so soft and .juicy as to make it 

 imsuilable for canning purposes. A 

 very lindted (|uantity is used and the 

 fresh and dried fruit markets are moi-e 

 desirable for this variety. 



The canner wants a peach of golden 

 color, of good and synunetrical size, 

 without color at the pit and the pit 

 .small. For these reasons, of the free- 

 stone varieties he jjrefers the Muir and 

 the Lovell. The latter usuallj- com- 

 mands a ])rennum over other freestone 

 varieties. The chief objection to it is 



that it ripens in late August when the 

 canner is overtaxed with many differ- 

 ent varieties of fruit. If a peach sim- 

 ilar to the I.ovell could be develoj^ed to 

 ripen in July or in the middle of Sep- 

 tember it would be in lugh favor, .\bout 

 24,(100 tons are canneil annualh'. Other 

 varieties which may do well for shii)- 

 ping purposes, like Alexandeis, Hales 

 Early, Mary's Choice and Piccpiets Fate, 

 are not desirable for canning. In spite 

 of tlie increased trouble and expense of 

 removing the pit. Yellow Clings are the 

 most desired of all California canned 

 fruits, and more of these canned than 

 any other variety. Fortunately dilVer- 

 ent varieties have been [iropagated 

 from the old original Lemon Cling, so 

 that the canner gets an almost con- 

 tinuous season from late .Inly until late 

 September. Beginning with the Tus- 

 cans, Orange, McDevift. Sellers, Phil- 

 lips and ending with the Late Levi 

 Clings. Owing to the congestion of 

 peaches, pears, plums and berries in 

 .\ugust the Early Tuscans and Late 

 Phillips and Levi are preferred by can- 

 ners. The Phillips is perhajjs the most 

 popular bv reason of the firm texture, 

 golden color, small pit and uniform 

 symmetrical size. As with the free- 

 stone varieties, the clings are graded, 

 washed, peeled, halved and pitted, al- 

 though in the case of the clings a con- 

 siderable demand has developed for 

 slices. About 2.'i,0(IO tons are used for 

 canning. The White Heath Clines were 

 formerly ciuite popular, but they ap- 

 parently did not bear well enough to 

 suit the growers and inferioi- varieties 

 of white clings like the George's Late 

 were ])lanted, which were not at all 

 satisfactory to consumers. They were 

 tough, flavorless and red at the nit. 

 With a good white cling like the 

 McDevift, particularly one ripening in 

 September, this trade can be graduallv 

 recovered, and there is a need for this 

 fruit. Canners will pay a prcnuum 

 over the price of yellow clings, .\bout 

 !)00 tons are used for canning. 



Bartlett pears are in good demand 

 and canners use ordinarily about 20,000 

 tons per annum. Canners usually buy 

 on si)ecificafions re(|uiring the fruit to 

 be free from scab and worms, to be of 

 svnmietrical shape and not less than 

 tw(5 and a tpiarter inches in diameter. 

 In preparation the fruit is peeled, 

 halved and cored. The pear is a very 

 satisfactory fruit to handle because the 

 fruit is picked before ripening. It is 

 shiuped when firm and is accordingly 

 delivered to the cannery free from 

 bruises such as often come to other 

 varieties. In the cannery the fruit is 

 giailed over and worked up as it ripens. 

 While there has been serious difficulty 

 with the pear blight, this variety seems 

 to promise the grower the best residts 

 for \ears to come, assuming he has suit- 

 able land. He has a good market for 

 shipping fresh, as the pear arrives in 

 good condition, probably the best 

 "shipi)er" of all California fruits. He 

 has a ready buyer in the canner and a 

 good market for the dried article if 

 well handled. The tree is thrifty and 

 hardv. Scab, scale and worms can be 



prevented with reasonable care, and if 

 the blight has no terrors the grower 

 located on suitable soil seems in best 

 position for years to come. 



Fgg plums. Green (iages. Golden l)ro|) 

 plums and similar varieties are used to 

 a limited extent for canning. Buyers 

 object to the colored varieties as they 

 discolor the syrup. The fruit is merely 

 stennned, graded and washed and 

 packed whole without peefing or pit- 

 ting. About 2,.")00 tons are used for 

 canning. 



The varieties mentioned constitute 

 those of greater importance to the can- 

 ner, although the small fruits and 

 berries are used by him as well as by 

 the maker of jams, jellies and pre- 

 serves. It should be remembered that 

 while there may be a shortage on some 

 of these fruits of minor importance it 

 might not require much to create a sur- 

 plus, and a grower should consult the 

 manufacturer before planting any of 

 these varieties on a large scale if he 

 deiiends upon the canner for a market. 

 California enjoys a fine position with 

 Royal Ann cherries, Bartlett pears, 

 a])ricots, yellow cling and white cling 

 peaches. There is a strong export de- 

 mand and there are none better, if so 

 good, but conditions are diU'erenf with 

 our berries and small fruits. We have 

 to admit it right here among ourselves 

 that thev are no better than those 

 grown elsewhere, and we are accord- 

 inglx dejiendenf ujKin local trade. 



Blackberries have been ijroduced in 

 large (|uantities chiefly in Sonoma 

 Count\ and are used extensivelv by 

 canners. The Mammoth and the Law- 

 ton varieties are most common. About 

 2,000 tons are used by canners and 

 makers of i)reserves. F'ar better results 

 aie secured from loganberries, as they 

 are growing in favor, bring better 

 prices in the fresh-fruif market, from 

 the canner and from the bu\ er of dried 

 fruit. Cariuers use about 7.50 tons. The 

 Phenomenal variety seems to be pre- 

 ferred. In the dried form, loganberries 

 are likely to supplant the Eastern dried 

 raspberry in many markets. 



From the point of view of the canner- 

 and maker of high-class preserves, Cali- 

 fornia needs strawberries and raspber- 

 ries of firmer texture and higher color. 

 The varieties commonly grown are 

 comparalivefy soft and juicy, suitable 

 for jams and jellies but not for pre- 

 serves. Such are the Dollar and .lessie 

 varieties of the Florin district — the 

 Banner and Malinda berries of the 

 W.itsonville district. The Longworth 

 of the .\lviso and Santa Clara districts 

 has become too small to give much sat- 

 isfaction to the canner or consumer. 

 The Clark, Wilson and similar varieties 

 grown in Oregon are i)referre(l. They 

 are apparently more hardy, more 

 thrifty, better for shipijing and for the 

 table as well as for canning. About 800 

 tons are used by canners and pre- 

 servers, but a nuich larger (luanfity 

 could be used of better varieties. 



Simifarly with raspberries, canners 

 find better results from Oregon fruit 

 because it is firmer and higher in color. 

 The fresh market seems to yield a very 



