1440 



PROTOPLASM 



serves its individuality, through the self-partition of 

 a single nucleus, no matter how near a neighbor of 

 another kind it may have, nor what that neighbor is. 

 The only reciprocal influences exerted are such as might 

 •come from soil or from physical conditions. 



If we canuDt s:iv tliut protoplasm is the physical basis 

 ,-.(■ lifr fi-nm tlir- rra^rMiiiiir that thr lattr-r is" sompthing 



il,',- -.'.'„!, uy' \n,'.'.i-L-:(iil/i'.l, 'liii-taMv ^..,',',.11, Hit; all 



luit plums du as liv- 

 Do tht-y select and 



atter into the bonds of 



organic substances — 



etc.? Are they 



iug things, pn'i'i|il:i-ni 

 assimilate food ami inn: 

 vitality? Do tiny main 

 starches, sugars, ..ih, > 



sensitive or do they possess irritability? Are they 

 capable of response to stimuli by movement or other- 

 wise? Have they the power of growth and of reproduc- 

 ing their kind? Then protoplasm is present and is 

 performing its wonderful operations. 



T. J. BURRILL. 



PEUMNdPITYS. See Podocarpus. 



PRUNE. Prunes are tin 

 ties of plums ( Pig. l9ti'A } . . 

 fully cured, without reniov 

 keeping product, may be u 

 chief requisite for a ijood 



i-d fr 



III! that can be success- 

 I- I'it. iiit<i a firm, long- 

 I- iiiakiijg Prunes. The 

 making plum is that it 



PRUNE 



and Prune Salute Catherine, but though the fruit was 

 produci-d it could not be cured, and the infant industry 

 soon .lir.l. 1,1 ls.-,(i, Louis Pellier, of San Jos(5, Cali- 

 foniia, IkhI ~hi|iii.il from Agen, Prance, cions of the 

 I'riiiM* 'i \u'iii. The fruit was small, and to distin- 

 guish it Iroiii a hirger plum, the Hungarian^juggosed 

 to have collie iroiu Agen, this was called th oTPetitetJ the 

 name now most commonly given to this tlie leading 

 Prune of the country. The first cured Prunes were ex- 

 hibited at the California State Fair in 1803. The first 

 commercial orchard was planted in 1870. In 1880 the 

 output per annum was about 200,000 pounds; in 1890 

 1G,()00,00() pounds, 80 times as great as in 1880, and now, 

 in 1300. the average capacity is certainly not less than 

 130,000,000 pounds, valued by the producers at $4,550,000. 

 There are three methods of curing Prunes: sun-dry- 

 ing, as is practiced in California and some parts of 

 Europe; curing in evaporators, the method in vogue in 

 the Pai-ifi.- northwest and parts of Calif.iniia; third, sun 

 dryiiiL; "!■ . vM,n,r;Mii,_' aTl. r flir fruil h,-,- l,r..ii partially 



iiical and 



jiroduccd 

 i changes 

 the fruit 



by the use ot evaporators, i 

 taking place more perfectly, 

 looks better, keeps longer, is 

 natural flavor than the sun i 



III - I hr half-cook- 

 ing is but little advoi'uted in the 

 more progressive Prune regions, 

 for the reason of economy; the pro- 

 duct is much darker colored, more 

 tender, and perhaps more palatable, 

 havmg a cooked flavor liked by 

 many. In California, evaporators 

 ire not now used in the leading 

 Prune districts. 



The nii'tliod of treatment in cur- 

 111.; Prunes varies greatly, but in 

 i;» ill ral it would be about as fol- 



Californ 



have a large proportion of solids, more particularly a 

 large amount of su-ar. Prunes are much valued in 

 cookerv. makini.' a nmritious food having demulcent and 

 laxativo .|imlii..s. IMi-a tine Prunes are sometimes 

 called prumll's; tins,, are often packed in mass as are 

 dates and are sold as a confection. 



Until within the last decade, France was the leading 

 Prune-producing region of the world ; now first rank 

 must be given to California. The average yearly output 

 in that stato for the last five years of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury would ho ahoiit s.'.. lino, 000 pouuds, with a capacity 

 at the clov,. ,,t I hi |„ riod to produce an average crop of 



130.001), iH.iinils. |-|ani-e ranks second, with a yearly 



averau'e for tin |.i limi u-iven above of about 70,000,000 

 pounds, a ia)iai-it\- whi'-li is lining increased but little. 

 The Pai'iiin mnrhwnsi, I iii;,'oii. Washington and Idaho, 



is third in iin|.oiiai in tlm I'nuie industry with a pro- 



ducini; .■:ii.,iiit\ .n iIh- mnl of the century of about 

 30,000,111111 I "il I - vrar; this will be considerably 



increasi .1 :. vnar. Bosnia, Servia, Germany 



and S|i:i ii I ! 'ill ue-producing countries. The 



most lii'jli, . n III I 1 I ■nil ins come from the valley of the 

 .Loire in 1- lainn, inn II, is doubtful if these are superior 

 in quality to the best grades from California and the 

 Pacific northwest. 



Attempts have been made to start the Prune industry 

 in many regions other than those mentioned, but although 

 it has not been found difBcult to grow the trees and pro- 

 duce an abundance of fruit, the climatic conditions have 

 proved too unfavorable for curing the product, and the 

 attempts have for the most part failed. Notable excep- 

 tions are parts of .\iisiialia and South Africa, regions 

 which may sonm lim.' romiinir with those mentioned 

 above. 



The growth of the I'miin imlusfry in America is one 

 of the most remarkable industrial phenomena of agri- 

 culture. An attempt was ma<le bv the United States 

 Patent Office to start the industry iti 18.1-1 on the Atlantic 

 coast by the distribution of cions of Prune d'Agen 



. the 1 



then produced. It is thin passed ovnr urailms in 

 order to remove all rubbish and to secure several 

 sizes, evenness in size being essential to attain uni- 

 formity in curing, since the small fruits dry more 

 rapidly than the large ones. Machines run by hand or 

 by power do the grading. Before going to the drying 

 grounds or to the evaporatoi-s the gmcii prodiu't must 

 be dipped in boiling lye or pricked by iimdlis in a jirick- 

 ing machine, to check and make tender thn tnuj.'li skin, 



lit- iiMil.il I. in most general favor. The dipping 



II i^ing the fruit for a minute or less in 



a , I I ; . ill the proportion of one pound of com- 

 1111 !■ Ill Ki I,, lima ten to fifty gallons of water main- 

 tuined at the boiling point. The fruit is carried me- 

 chanically, as by an endless chain, through a vat, or 

 is placed in wire baskets for the dipping. After a 

 thorough rinsing the Prunes are placed on wooden or 

 wire-Iioitoiin .1 Hays and are then ready for the ground 



111 ihe ^nii tlie lime of cxposure varics from five to 

 t\M l\ e ilin ~. ill |ii iiiliiii;- upon the climatic conditions, the 



size I ih. ■ M I. I' e! til, fruit. Treatment in an evap- 



oi-aior X IN 1. ii hi i' I l>e of the machine. In general, 



the lemi" r: !■ i \ aporator should be from 120° 



tollo ai li i im-reased tofrom 180° to 180° 



when till I'liiiii - .ire I, I, ell out. Too much heat at first 

 causes the cells of tlie fruit to burst, producing drip 

 and discoloration. Other important factors entering 

 into the process of evaporation are the circulation of 

 air in the machine, convenience and cost of fuel and 

 power. The time required for curing ranges from 12 

 hours for a small, heavy Prune to 48 hours for a large, 

 juicy one. Much depends on the machine. A common 

 fault is to hasten the process too much. If not cured 

 enough, fermentation and mold result; if too much, 

 tlie wiiL'lii i-i h-seiied, the quality is injured, the Prune 

 is haivli ami ei.arse. and has a dried-up appearance. 



Wlieii siUlieieiitly dried the Prunes are put in bins or 



