THE PRUNE. 137 



NOTES ON PRUNES AND PRUNE RAISING. 



The prune was first planted or grafted in California in 1856, and it 

 required about twenty years to get mvich of a foothold, it being 

 about 1876 before the crop of cured fruit began to assume any size. 

 Captain Bradley planted ten acres as a venture, and wdien it came in 

 bearing realized $16,000 from it in four years. This set people wild, 

 and California is to-day prepared to show a crop of from 100 to 125 

 million pounds of cured fruit the first year when all conditions are 

 favorable to a fair yield. We now see the time when orchards that 

 do not produce well are taken out, but expect the planting to go on 

 until some year Californians will have a crop of 200 million pounds 

 to try their wits on to dispose of. 



MONEY IN PRUNES. 



A recent issue of the Colusa (Cal.) Sun says a Mr. P. V. Berkey 

 shipped 560 sacks of cured French prunes, grown and cured on his 

 ranch three miles above Colusa,, on the east side. These prunes 

 weighed when they reached the city 54,300 pounds. They were 

 grown on 600 trees nine years old, making an average of 225 pounds 

 of fresh fruit or 90 pounds of cured fruit to each tree. This, at the 

 low estimate of four cents per pound, will return Mr. Berkey $2172, 

 or $3.62 per tree. 



THE FRENCH PRUNE CROP. 



A correspondent of the Cal'ifornia Fruit Orov^er, writing from 

 Bordeaux, France, says : 



The annual blooming of prune trees here generally takes place during the first 

 two weeks of the month of March, but this year, in consequence of low tempera- 

 ture, the trees did not blossom until about April 10. This explains, despite the 

 very high temperature which has prevailed for the last three months, the de- 

 lay in the maturing of the fruit. Harvesting is being done under the most favor- 

 able circumstances. The gathering of the fruit commenced in the first week of 

 September and will not be terminated before the end of the month or the first 

 week of October. 



The crop is said to be very abundant; pessimists figure it at from 700,000 to 

 800,000 quintals (French quintal 110 pounds), and optimists figure it at from 

 900,000 to 1,000,000 quintals. The fruit will be of average size only, from 60-65 to 

 120-125 to the half kilo (a kilo is 2.20 pounds). It will be of excellent quality, 

 sweet, of good skin, and of excellent conserve. We shall certainly find a little of 

 40-45 and 50-55 size fruit, but in so small a quantity that it will be impossible to 

 quote them, as they will be sold at fancy prices. 



Taking it as accepted that the crop will be 800,000 quintals, you can estimate 

 the output of different sizes as follows: 



60-65 fruits to the half kilo 75,000 French quintals. 



70-75 " " 200.000 " 



80-85 " " .300,000 " 



90-95 " " 100,000 " 



105-130-140 " " 125,000 " 



