-5- 



That prunes, steamed before dehydration, produce a dried prune very 

 similar to the fresh prune in color? These new prunes have the pink to red 

 skin color of the fresh fruit and the flesh is a golden yellow. The steamed 

 fruit dries much more quickly than that treated in the usual manner, and after 

 drying it cooks quickly. It is believed that the new product, if produced 

 commercially, will make new friends for the already popular dried prune. 



That the number of days between bloom and fruit maturity for a given 

 variety is remarkably similar from year to year? The Geneva New York Experi- 

 ment Station reports the following time intervals for several fruits j Early 

 Harvest apple, 77 days; Oldenburg, 98 days; Uclntosh, 127 days; and Rhode 

 Island Greening, 135 days; Montmorency cherry, 62 days, Bartlett pear, 121 

 days, and Elberta peach, 128 days. 



That Vitamin C is being extracted from green vralnut hulls? These hulls 

 have 20 tines the vitamin C potency of orange juice. This extract is used for 

 fortifying food products. Incidentally, Vitamin C is now being made syntheti- 

 cally and can be sold for about i^l per ounce. 



That the average prices received by farmers for fruits of various kinds 

 in 1943 were just about double those received in 1941? The average index mem- 

 bers for the past four years are as follov;s: 1400 - 73; 1941 -. 85; 1942 - 114; 

 and 1943 - 179. For the first month of 1944 the index number was 204, 



That the War Food Administration will establish support prices on cer- 

 tain fruits in order to encourage the utilization of prospective 1944 supplies? 

 These support prices will apply to producers and processors of peaches and 

 pears for canning and for the following dried fruits; Apples, apricots, 

 clingstone and freestone peaches, pears, prunes and raisins. 



That a decided shift from apples to nut crops has occurred in Oregon 

 during the past few years? The apple acreage declined between 1910 and 1943 

 from 73,000 to 15,300 acres. During this time the walnut acreage jumped from 

 7,500 to 24,100 acres while filberts increased from 100 acres to 15,200 acres. 

 Cherries increased during that period from 8,800 acres to 15,200 acres. 



That the total supply of processed foods available in 1943 was 321,000,000 

 standard cases, a decrease of 38,900,000 cases from the 1942 total of 360,700,000? 

 A standard case of fruit contains 24 No. 2^- cans each holding approximately a 

 quart. Production of processed canned fruits decreased 16,800,000 cases in 

 1943, the total supply being 41,400,000 cases compared to 58,200,000 in 1942, 



IN TODAY'S MAIL - A letter has just been received from the district manager 

 representing the manufacturer of one of the commonly used orchard sprayers 

 asking that v/e refer to him, for prompt attention, any case in which a grower 

 is having difficulty with that particular make of sprayer. He says, "If you 

 know of any service problems of any particular grower I wish you v;ould tell 

 me about it. Vlhenever you have done this in years past it has been a service 

 to the grower and to myself." This is too good an offer to pase up. Regard- 

 less of the make of sprayer, it should be put in first class working order be- 

 fore the beginning of the spraying season. 



