BUREAU OF PLANT INDUSTRY. 



77 



York. With but very few exceptions these fruits, even peaches and 

 plums, carried well and reached their destination in excellent condi- 

 tion. The exhibit continued to arouse great interest among visitors 

 at the exposition, and frequent inquiries were received for sources of 

 commercial supplies of American apples, oranges, and pecans. 



The awards made to American exhibitors in this class (No. 45 of the 

 exposition classification, "Fruit trees and fruits") were merited by 

 the quality of the products shown. These were 106 in number, com- 

 prising 6 grand prizes, 23 gold medals, 39 silver medals, 31 bronze 

 medals, and 7 honorable mentions, a total of more than 20 per cent in 

 excess of the awards to any other foreign country. 



The ultimate beneficial effect of this exhibit upon the future of our 

 export trade in fresh fruits can hardly be overestimated, as the mag- 

 nitude and duration of the display afforded convincing proof to deal- 

 ers and consumers of the practicability of handling many kinds of 

 American fresh fruits in European markets. Taken in connection 

 with the fair crop of winter apples in the Northern States and the 

 large crop of oranges in California, it may reasonably be credited with 

 a share of the gratif3 T ing increase shown in the exports of these fruits 

 during the year just closed. 



Exports of apples and oranges for the fiscal years 1899-1901, inclusive. 



INVESTIGATION OF THE PRUNE INDUSTRY IN EUROPE. 



As a result of the rapid development of commercial prune culture 

 in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon, Washington, and Idaho) in recent 

 years, some serious problems have been encountered, which have 

 appeared at times to threaten the future of the industry. Prominent 

 among these has been the difficulty experienced in producing a prod- 

 uct of uniform quality with the existing methods of harvesting and 

 curing. 



This difficulty is greatly increased by the fact that the variety chiefly 

 planted in the region referred to — Italian prune, synonym Felleri- 

 berg — ripens rather too late for good harvest weather in many sections 

 where large prune orchards have been planted, and is frequently 

 injured in quality and reduced in quantity by the occurrence of early 

 autumn rains. The most promising remedy for this condition appears 

 to lie in the line of originating or discovering a variety possessing the 

 desirable qualities of the Italian and ripening a week or ten days 

 earlier. With a view to determining whether a variety possessing the 

 desired characteristics is known in the prune-growing sections of 

 Europe, Prof. E. R. Lake, of the Oregon Agricultural College and 

 Experiment Station, was, upon my recommendation, appointed aspecial 

 agent on the roll of the office of the Botanist, with instructions to inves- 

 tigate this question in France, Germany, and Austria, the chief sources 

 of the European supply of choice prunes. This he accordingly did dur- 

 ing the summer and autumn of 1900, in the three countries mentioned, 



