HORTICULTURAL PROGRESS 



that horticulture began to emerge from indi- 

 vidual control into state and national prom- 

 inence. During this period the growth has been 

 so rapid that there are, in 1906, more than 

 three hundred and seventy-five million fruit 

 trees growing in America, an increase in the 

 ten-year period 1890-1900 of nearly two mil- 

 lion trees, while, in the same period, the out- 

 put of fruit increased 1,500,000,000 pounds, a 

 suggestion of the impetus of the new industry 

 under new conditions. 



It was not until 1886 that prune-grafting 

 began, the first grafting being in San Jose', 

 California, in the Santa Clara Valley, now the 

 richest prune region in the world. Since that 

 date, in California alone the prune crop is from 

 150,000,000 to 190,000,000 pounds, while large 

 quantities are now raised in the adjoining 

 states of Oregon and Washington. It is of 

 interest to note in this relation that the impor- 

 tation of foreign prunes fell away from nearly 

 35,000,000 pounds in 1897 to less than 500,000 

 pounds in 1904, owing to home production, 

 and a very large proportion of this latter 

 amount, it is said, was first sent abroad from 

 California, treated over again in France, "pro- 



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