LUTHER BURBANK 



it was customary in New England to make lye 

 for use in the manufacture of soft soap by perco- 

 lating water through barrels filled with wood 

 ashes. The lye thus made is closely similar in 

 composition to the fluid that is now used in pre- 

 paring the prune. It seems a reasonable conjec- 

 ture that the discovery of its value in this connec- 

 tion may have resulted from observation that 

 plums which chanced to drop into a bucket of lye, 

 when removed and thrown aside were more 

 resistant to decay than other plums. 



Such a chance observation would have sufficed 

 to give the clue to some ingenious person, and the 

 value of lye as an aid in making the plum into a 

 dried fruit would thus come to be understood. 



But whether or not this was the manner of dis- 

 covery, the fact remains that the lye bath is an 

 essential part of the process of curing the prune. 

 Therefore the quality of skin that adapts the fruit 

 to respond properly to this treatment is one of the 

 absolute essentials that the fruit developer must 

 have constantly in mind. 



How SUGAR AND LYE CO-OPERATE 



It may seem rather curious at first glance that 

 a high sugar content should be essential to the 

 preservation of the prune, when we reflect that 

 sugar is a very fermentable substance. Everyone 

 knows, for example, that starch is transformed 



[92] 



