HORTICULTURE. 



855 



Witli a view to ascertain in;; whothor there were any European varieties possessing 

 better (pialities than tlie Italian, and adapted for culture in the Northwest, a study 

 was made of the prune inchistry of France, Germany, and Austria. The report 

 covers FAiropean varieties and methods of culture, evaporating, utilizing, and market- 

 ing prunes. The following table, showing the chemical comi)Osition of French and 

 Oregon jirunes, is appended: 



Composition of evaporated prunes grovm in France and Oregon. 



a Steamed, and packed hot. 



b Not steamed. 



In general, Europeans give much less attention to the culture of their prune trees 

 than is observed on the Pacific coast. The trees are mixed with other fruits and 

 crops, planted along roadsides and in isolated patches. Only in Bohemia do large 

 orchards of 20 acres or more occur. All the prunes in France, Germany, an<l Austria 

 are grown on plum stock instead of the peach, as is common in the Northwest. St. 

 Julien is the usual stock. The universal European practice is to head plum trees 

 high so that some crop may be grown underneath. The leading plums of France are 

 the Agen and Mirabelle; of Germany, the common German prune, Mirabelle, and 

 Italian; and of Austria, the common German prune. The Italian seems to be grown 

 only to a limited extent in any i)lace. 



The ^lirabelle type is held in high esteem in France and is believed to be worthy 

 of more attention by Pacific coast growers. With the exception of the Reine- 

 Claudt» type, which is grown for consumption in both the fresh and conserved state, 

 the Mirabelle is the type receiving most attention by French growers. It is dried 

 an<l canned and used in preserves, jams, and jellies, and distilled to make plum 

 brandy. 



luu-ojjeans prefer prunes preserved in jars, cans, or bottles to the evaporated 

 product, and there is a steadily growing demand for pitted prunes, especially of the 

 larger sorts like the Italian. As in America, there is a large quantity of second- 

 grade fruit unfit for drying. Nine-tenths of this low grade fruit is distilled and put 

 upon the market as "Prunelle" or "(inetschc" liquors (i)lum brandy). This low 

 grade of fruit also enters into jams, jellies, nuirmalades, and fruit Imtters, either alone 

 or mixed with other fruits. 



The Euro]tean methods of marketing are described. The jdan of having large 

 factories rather tlian small evaporators is favored by the European dealers. A more 

 uniform grade and better use of the crop can be made at less cost. An objection to 

 the prune i)roduct of the Northwest is that it is not uniform in size, quality, or pack. 

 The use of l)etter packages and cleaner methods of handling are a<lvocated. One 

 fi;ature in which iMiropean plum growers excel American commercial growers is in 

 the better provisions made f<jr utilizing all the inferior fruit, and the preparation of 

 various secondary jiroducts, as iioti-d above. 



The fig: Its history, culture, and curing-; with a descriptive catalogue of 

 the known varieties of figs, (J. Eiskn ( U. S. Ikpt. Agr., rHri.wm nf Pomohxjii Bid. 

 'J, pp. 317, }d.y. l'>,jiiix. 9-i). — This is an exhaustive account of the fig. The iustory 

 of this fruit in various Old World c(»untries is traced from the earliest times, and an 



