PRUNE 



PRUNING 



1441 



piles to sweat, which takes from one to three weeks; 

 they are then ready for the finishing processes grading 

 and packing. In grading, the Prunes are separated into 

 sizes indicating the number of Prunes required to make a 

 pound, as 30s to 40s, 40s to 50s and so on to the smallest 

 size, 120s to 130s. Processing is done by dipping the 

 Prunes in boiling water and glycerine, or by steaming, 

 or by using some special preparation in the final dip, or 

 by rattling in a revolving cylinder. Processing is repu- 

 table if it adds beauty to the color, or kills insect eggs, or 

 sterilizes the Prunes ; it is disreputable when the object 

 is to secure weight. Packing is an art which must be 

 learned by experience and is varied to suit the taste of 

 producer and consumer. The best Prunes are packed in 

 boxes, though much of the product is put up in sacks. 

 Lining with paper, filling, facing, pressing and label- 

 ing are important details. A well-cured Prune is soft 

 and spongy, the pit is loose but does not rattle ; the 

 skin is bright, lively and free from drippings and exu- 

 dations ; the flesh should be meaty, elastic, and of bright 

 color. 



All light-colored Prunes are bleached with sulfur 

 fumes. The process injures the quality of the Prunes, 

 and makes the product somewhat poisonous, but the 

 market is sometimes better for a light-colored, sul- 

 fured Prune than for the darker unsulfured ones. In 

 other cases, however, the dark Prunes find the best 

 market. The sulfuring is done by placing the trays of 

 fruit, cured or uncured, in a small chamber in which 

 sulfur is ignited by hot coals, or otherwise, the fumes 

 distributed by ventilators, and the fruit allowed to be 

 fumigated for from a half hour to two hours. 



In curing, if all conditions are not right, several diffi- 

 culties are encountered. In a poor evaporator, the fruit 

 drips, i. e., a syrupy liquid oozes from the Prunes in 

 the process of curing. If a poor product is produced, or 

 if the conditions for keeping are poor, the Prunes be- 

 come covered with globules of sugar, rendering them 

 sticky and destroying the luster called sugaring. 

 Fruit grown on poor soil, or on unhealthy trees, or 

 picked before ripe, may cure into small Prunes of an 

 abnormal shape, called "frogs; "or they may ferment 

 and swell up in large, soft Prunes called "bloaters." 



VARIETIES. There is much confusion regarding the 

 nomenclature of the Prune-making plums. In the seat 

 of the industry the green fruits as well as the cured are 

 called Prunes, and the names of the varieties are in 

 many cases different from those given in other than the 

 Prune-producing regions. For several of the leading 

 Prunes there are a number of synonyms, and some sorts 

 have not a few distinct races. Each region, as a rule, 

 has a favorite sort grown almost to the exclusion of all 

 others. The following is a discussion of the varieties of 

 Prune-making plums now well known in America. 



Petite Prune (syns., Prune d'Agen, Prune d'Ente, 

 French, California, Robe de Sergeant, etc.). Of medium 

 size, egg-shaped, violet-purple; flesh greenish yellow, 

 sugary, rich ; trees hardy, very prolific, sure bearers. 

 Well cured, it is of a lively, bright amber color. This is 

 the Prune most widely grown in California. It has a 

 large proportion of solids, cures the easiest of any 

 Prune, and shrinks but little in curing. In cooking, but 

 little sugar is needed; hence it is the poor man's Prune. 

 There are several types of this variety, differing mostly 

 in size and shape, due largely to varying soils and cli- 

 mates. It is at present the favorite in the market. 



Italian Prune (syns., Fellenberg, German Prune, 

 Swiss Prune). Large size, oval, dark purple; flesh yel- 

 lowish, juicy, subacid, delicious ; trees somewhat ten- 

 der, subject to disease, capricious bearers. Ctired, the 

 fruit is very dark red, approaching black in color. This 

 is the leading sort in the Pacific northwest, more than 

 four-fifths being of this variety; but it is now found 

 that it is difficult to grow, and that, while a better sort 

 has not yet been found for that region, yet one that 

 would produce as good a fruit without the weaknesses 

 of the Italian tree is very desirable. 



Silver Prune (syn., Coe Golden Drop). Very large, 

 oval, one side enlarged, necked, light yellow, dotted 

 with red; flesh yellow, firm, juicy, sweet, rich; tree pre- 

 carious grower, but very productive when all conditions 

 are favorable. Properly cured, the Silver is of a beau- 

 tiful golden hue. The cured product is larger than that 



of any other variety, is of superior flavor, and brings 

 the highest market price. Must be bleached. Always in 

 demand as a fancy product. 



Most of the other varieties now grown are sold when 

 cured as one of the above three varieties. All black 

 Prunes are sold as Italians; all amber ones as Petite; 

 and all light-colored ones as Silver. The Italian will 

 usually grade three or four sizes higher than the Pe- 

 tite, and the Silver two or three sizes higher than the 

 Italian. The price paid the producer is usually from 

 one-tenth to one-half cent greater for each higher 

 size. Extras, as the very large sizes of any variety are 

 called, command an additional premium. The follow- 

 ing is a list of plums grown more or less for Prune- 

 making: Green Gage, which makes a fancy product; 

 Yellow Egg, sells as the Silver when evaporated; Ger- 

 man Prune, a class name for several races making a 

 product much like the Italian; Hungarian Prune, a 

 very large sort making a fancy product, but hard to 

 cure; Robe de Sergeant, much like the Petite and con- 

 sidered the same by some; Bulgarian Prune, of the 

 Italian class; Tragedy Prune, a very early sort of the 

 Italian type; Golden Prune, much like the Silver and 

 possibly better; Champion Prune, an early strain of the 

 Italian. The Willamette, Pacific, Tennant, Steptoe, and 

 Dosch, are all of the Italian type; the Dosch has much 

 to recommend it as a substitute for the Italian. St. 

 Martin's Quetsche is a late sort which sells as the Sil- 

 ver, as do also the Brignole and Datte de Hongrie. The 

 Giant, one of Burbank's seedlings, is much like but 

 larger than the Petite. Imperiale Epineuse is popular 

 in California (Fig. 1963). Sugar Prune, one of Burbank's 

 seedlings, is also becoming popular. 



See also Plum and Evaporation of Fruits. 



U. P. HEDRICK. 



PRUNELLA. See Brunella. 



PRUNING. Under this denomination are comprised a 

 multitude of practices and ideals. It is impossible to 

 give any advice for pruning until one has analyzed the 

 subject and knows the objects for which he is to work 

 and the underlying principles on which his practices 

 must rest. The larger part of the writing on pruning 

 gives mere advice or direc- 

 tions, or details some per- 

 son's experience, without 

 analyzing or elucidating the 

 subject. The practice must 

 differ with every person and 

 every condition: the princi- 

 ples are universal. The 

 ideals that are associated 

 with pruning may be 

 grouped around three cen- 

 ters : ( 1 ) pruning proper, or 

 the removal of a part of a 

 plant for the purpose of bet- 

 tering the remaining part or 

 its product; (2) training, or 

 the disposition or placing of 

 the individual branches, a 

 practice which is ordinarily 

 coincident with pruning pro- 

 per; (3) trimming, or the 

 shaping of a plant into some 

 definite or artificial form. 



The principles that under- 

 lie pruning proper may be- 

 associated with two ideals 

 the lessening of the struggle 

 for existence amongst the 

 parts of a plant, and the cut- 

 ting away of certain parts 

 for the purpose of producing 

 some definite effect in the 

 formation of fruit-buds or 

 leaf -buds or in modifying the habit of the plant. There 

 are more branches in the top of any plant than can per- 

 sist; therefore there is struggle for existence. Those 

 which have the advantage of position, persist. Nature 

 prunes. Dying and dead branches in any neglected 

 tree-top are illustrations of this fact. Whenever the 

 struggle for existence is greatly lessened, the remain- 



1964. 



More limbs have perished 

 than have survived. 

 Nature's pruning. 



