500 



CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



crushing and expressing is used in the preparation of macaroons and 

 other confections. The shells are burned to a charcoal, which is 

 used in the gas masks. Peach pits are burnt for the same purpose, 

 and the Peach Growers' Association gathered quantities of them. 



The disposition of waste fruit by growers will, however, lie 

 chiefly in the line of feeding animals unless denatured alcohol enter- 

 prises which are now being exploited should consume it at profitable 

 prices. 



Waste Fruits for Stock Feeding. Refuse fresh fruit of all kinds, 

 and especially refuse dried fruits, have nutritive value which is now 

 being systematically secured. A statement of the value of cost of 

 handling. Refuse fresh fruits of all kinds, and especially refuse 

 dried fruits have nutritive value which should not be lost. A state- 

 ment of the value of various fruits as compared with various cattle 

 foods has been prepared by Prof. M. C. Jaffa, of the University Ex- 

 periment Station, in the adjacent table. 



A good average of the pitted fresh fruits is represented by prunes. 

 Using the equivalents in the table above for computation, it appears 

 that if wheat bran costs $15 per ton, fresh prunes would be worth as 

 a substitute $3 per ton ; likewise, if cottonseed meal is selling for $21 

 per ton, the prune value would be about $2.75. At the market price 

 of oat hay, the figures for fresh prunes should be nearly $3 per ton. 



A practical demonstration of feeding fresh cull peaches to hogs 

 was made by a Sutter County grower. About 110 head of hogs, 

 young and old, were kept for fattening on peaches. A sack of bar- 

 ley was fed twice a week and a few small potatoes bought at 25 

 cents per sack. About 25 boxes of peaches twice a day was the 

 hogs' capacity. The grower's judgment was that the hogs fed on 

 fresh peaches made such satisfactory gains that he hauled twenty 

 tons a mile and a half from another orchard to feed them. 



It is also claimed that hogs will leave milk and cocoanut meal to 

 eat cull oranges, but whether for food or tonic does not appear. 



The dried fruits naturally rank far above the fresh material as 

 stock feed. Of the dried fruits represented in the table, raisins lead 

 in food value ; containing one and one-fourth to one and one-half 

 times the nutritive ingredients of alfalfa and oat hays, respectively ; 

 100 pounds of the fruit being practically equal to the same quantity 

 of grain, but to only eighty-two and fifty-nine pounds respectively 

 of rice bran and cottonseed meal. 



Dried apricots rank slightly lower than raisins, because they con- 

 tain more water. Apricots are, however, of equal value as a feeding 

 stuff, with wheat bran and almond hulls about half as much as 

 alfalfa hay, bran or middlings. 



Concerning the feeding of raisins to hogs, the following state- 

 ments are made : "With raisins selling at 2*/ 2 cents per pound they 

 are much cheaper food for hogs than corn or barley. Raisins give 

 the hog a hard, sweet meat and are much sought after by the butch- 

 ers. Care must, however, be exercised in feeding raisins to hogs, 

 as they are full of sugar, and consequently too rich when fed alone. 

 They heat the animal up so that the hogs lose flesh and will kill 

 the little pigs of a farrowing sow. For fall and winter feeding, 



