1440 



PROTOPLASM 



PRUNE 



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 cannot say that protoplasm is the physical basis 

 of life from the reasoning that the latter is something 

 apart from material substance, we must attribute to 

 this seemingly unorganized, unstable something all 

 those properties and activities which distinguish living 

 things <from dead bodies. All that plants do as liv- 

 ing things, protoplasm does. Do they select and 

 assimilate food and bring dead matter into the bonds of 

 vitality? Do they manufacture organic substances 

 starches, sugars, oils, spices, fibers, etc.? Are they 

 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. BUBBILL. 



PRUMNtiPITYS. See Podocarpus. 



PRUNE. Prunes are the dried fruit of certain varie- 

 ties of plums (Pig. 1963) . Any plum that can be success- 

 fully cured, without removing the pit, into a firm, long- 

 keeping product, may be used for making Prunes. The 

 chief requisite for a good Prune-making plum is that it 



1963. Prunes (X nearly K). 

 California Prune on the left (Imperiale Epineuse); common commercial on the right. 



have a large proportion of solids, more particularly a 

 large amount of sugar. Prunes are much valued in 

 cookery, making a nutritious food having demulcent and 

 laxative qualities. Extra fine Prunes are sometimes 

 called prunelles; these 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 state for the last five years of the nineteenth cen- 

 tury would be about 85,000,000 pounds, with a capacity 

 at the close of the period to produce an average crop of 

 130,000,000 pounds. France ranks second, with a yearly 

 average for the period given above of about 70,000,000 

 pounds, a capacity which is being increased but little. 

 The Pacific northwest, Oregon, Washington and Idaho, 

 is third in importance in the Prune industry with a pro- 

 ducing capacity at the end of the century of about 

 30,000,000 pounds per year; this will be considerably 

 increased from year to year. Bosnia, Servia, Germany 

 and Spain are other Prune-producing countries. The 

 most highly reputed Prunes come from the valley of the 

 Loire in France, but it 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 difficult 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 Australia and South Africa, regions 

 which may some time compete with those mentioned 

 above. 



The growth of the Prune industry in America is one 

 of the most remarkable industrial phenomena of agri- 

 culture. An attempt was made by the United States 

 Patent Office to start the industry in 1854 on the Atlantic 

 coast by the distribution of cions of Prune d'Agen 



and Prune Sainte Catherine, but though the fruit was 

 produced it could not be cured, and the infant industry 

 soon died. In 1856, Louis Pellier, of San Jose", Cali- 

 fornia, had shipped from Agen, France, cions of the 

 Prune d'Agen. The fruit was small, and to distin- 

 guish it from a larger plum, the Hungarian, supposed 

 to have come from Agen, this was called the Petite, the 

 name now most commonly given to this the leading 

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

 hibited at the California State Fair in 1863. The first 

 commercial orchard was planted in 1870. In 1880 the 

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

 16,000,000 pounds, 80 times as great as in 1880, and now, 

 in 1900, 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 Pacific northwest and parts of California; third, sun 

 drying or evaporating after the fruit has been partially 

 cooked, chiefly practiced in the European countries. 

 Without doubt sun-drying is the most economical and 

 profitable process where proper climatic conditions pre- 

 vail. Some think that a better product may be produced 

 by the use of evaporators, the slight chemical changes 

 taking place more perfectly, so that, as a rule, the fruit 

 looks better, keeps longer, is not so tough, and has a more 

 natural flavor than the sun-dried Prune. The half-cook- 

 ing is but little advocated in the 

 more progressive Prune regions, 

 for the reason of economy ; the pro- 

 duct is much darker colored, more 

 tender, and perhaps more palatable, 

 having a cooked flavor liked by 

 many. In California, evaporators 

 are not now used in the leading 

 Prune districts. 



The method of treatment in cur- 

 ing Prunes varies greatly, but in 

 general it would be about as fol- 

 lows: The fruit is allowed to re- 

 main on the trees until ripe enough 

 to fall to the ground, the maxi- 

 mum proportion of solids being 

 then produced. It is then passed over graders 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 evaporators the green product must 

 be dipped in boiling lye or pricked by needles in a prick- 

 ing machine, to check and make tender the tough skin, 

 thus allowing the moisture more readily to escape. The 

 first method is in most general favor. The dipping 

 consists of immersing the fruit for a minute or less in 

 a solution of lye in the proportion of one pound of com- 

 mercial lye to from ten to fifty gallons of water main- 

 tained 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-bottomed trays and are then ready for the ground 

 or for the evaporator. 



In the sun the time of exposure varies from five to 

 twelve days, depending upon the climatic conditions, the 

 size and the variety of the fruit. Treatment in an evap- 

 orator varies with the make of the machine. In general, 

 the temperature in the evaporator should be from 120 

 to 140 at the start, to be increased to from 160 to 180 

 when the Prunes are taken out. Too much heat at first 

 causes the cells of the 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, 

 the weight is lessened, the quality is injured, the Prune 

 is harsh and coarse, and has a dried-up appearance, 

 When sufflciently dried the Prunes are put in bins r>r 



