146 THE PRUNE. 



merits is in order. Lye dipping, as practiced in Oregon, is about as follows: 

 One pound of concentrated lye is dissolved in from ten to fifty gallons of water, 

 the proportion of lye and water differing greatly with the various prune growers. 

 The primitive way is to keep the solution boiling in a large kettle, into which 

 the prunes, placed in a wire basket or a much-perforated metal vessel, are im- 

 mersed and there kept in motion, by twirling or swinging, for from thirty to sixty 

 seconds, depending upon the condition of the fruit. A more modern way is to 

 have the fruit run from the grader to a set of endless chains with carrying 

 aprons, and by them carried through a pan containing the boiling lye solution, 

 heated with submerged steam-pipes; from the lye the prunes are carried on 

 through fresh water, preferably running water, and then spread on trays. If 

 the operation is well done the prunes on coming to the trays should have their 

 skins bright and shining, and present, upon close examination, a finely checked 

 condition. Over or under immersion causes the fruit to dry unevenly; when 

 too much scalded the skin tears and becomes ragged, and the fruit becomes soft 

 and mushy, making a sticky, nasty mess on the trays. Pricking machines me- 

 chanically cut or perforate the skins of prunes. The fruit is fed over a shaking 

 table that has needle points projecting above the surface, these cut and perfor- 

 ate the skins of the prunes. The needle table can be regulated, so that by hav- 

 ing different slants the skins may be cut more or less, as the condition of the 

 fruit requires. The dirt and leaves are separated by a screen, and the fruit is 

 washed, either by having it pass through hot or cold water or by having a stream 

 of water play on the fruit as it comes on the pricking table. The pricking ma- 

 chine may have grading and spreading attachments, so that the fruit from the 

 time it is poured from boxes need not be handled until on the drying trays. 

 Each of the two methods is championed by experienced and practical men, 

 some of whom have tried both, and seemingly have obtained directly opposite 

 results. We must, then, come to the conclusion that a choice between the two 

 methods rests either upon prejudice or that there is a place for both, depending 

 on the product desired or the fruit that is to be handled. 



Final ProceHHCH. — After dipping, or pricking, the prunes are ready for the 

 evaporating chamber. It is impossible to give detailed directions for treat- 

 ment in the evaporator, since the process must vary with the character of the 

 evaporator. The time required for drying prunes differs with various varieties, 

 and with each variety depends much upon the circulation of air, since circulation 

 governs the degree of heat allowable. Lye-dipped Italian prunes require from 

 twenty-four to thirty-six hours: Petites, twelve to twenty-four hours; Silvers, 

 thirty-six to forty-eight hours. All three varieties are cured in less time, but 

 seldom well cured. A common fault is to hasten the process too much. A prune 

 is well cured when it feels soft, smooth, and spongy: the pit should be loose, but 

 should not rattle; the flesh should be yellow in color, elastic, and "meaty": the 

 skin should be bright and lively and free from drippings and exudations. An 

 overcured prune is harsh and coarse, and has a dried-up appearance. In prunes 

 not cured enough there is risk of loss through molding or fermenting. The 

 Petite prune, well cured, is of a clean, bright, amber color; the Italian, very dark 

 red, approaching black in color. The Silver must have a beautiful golden hue. 



After the fruit is taken from the evaporator it is put in bins or piles to sweat. 

 The sweating room is generally kept at a temperature of from seventy to eighty 

 degrees. To facilitate the process, the fruit is occasionally turned with a scoop- 

 shovel. The sweating is sometimes omitted, but at a risk, as fruit will often- 

 times discolor and possibly ferment if not allowed to "go through the sweat." 



Preparatory to packing, the fruit is graded to sizes, the various grades indi- 



