PRUNE 



1741 



outer skin, making it easier for the 

 moisture in the fruit to escape when 

 subjected to heat. If left too long in the 

 lye the checking will extend into the 

 flesh of the fruit. This is very undesir- 

 able. If properly dipped and rinsed no 

 trace of lye is left on or in the fruit. 



Another object in dipping is to remove 

 dirt, as our prunes are allowed to ripen 

 and fall upon the ground before being 

 gathered for the dryer. 



Evaporation of fruit is not a complex 

 process, nor is it difficult to acquire skill 

 in the work in a short time. It affords 

 a promising outlet for lower-grade fruit, 

 and may be made a valuable adjunct 

 to the business of shipping fresh fruit. 

 I look for a large increase in use of the 

 evaporators in the Pacific Northwest. 



Future of the Prune Industry in Oregon 



* Fifteen and twenty years ago the prune 

 industry was overdone in the Northwest. 

 This was due to the fact that prunes were 

 often planted under conditions that were 

 not congenial. We did not understand 

 handling the product properly. Often the 

 prunes w^ere dried too much, and again 

 the product was rough and very unat- 

 tractive in appearance; a great deal of 

 the product was insufficiently dried, so 

 that it became mouldy and decayed, and 

 we tried to force this then unknown 

 product upon the world's markets. 



The present outlook for the prune is 

 very encouraging, and more people 

 should become interested in this industry. 

 It offers one of the most attractive in- 

 vestments in this state at the present 

 time. It can probably be said that when 

 one considers the cost of land, cost of 

 production, etc., the prune offers one of 

 the most attractive investments to be 

 found in Oregon. One of the prominent 

 prune men this year remarked that we 

 could have sold twice as many prunes as 

 we had without lowering the price. The 

 present indications are that the prune 

 will pay larger dividends in the future 

 than they are even paying today. 



The world's markets are thoroughly 



* Oregon Experiment Station Bulletin 111. 



familiar with the Oregon prune, and are 

 demanding more and more of the fruit 

 They are easy to handle and can be put 

 up in an attractive way. 



The principal prune grown in Oregon 

 is the Italian, though some Petite, Hun- 

 garian, Silver, etc., are grown. At The 

 Dalles and parts of Eastern Oregon like 

 Cove, prunes are raised largely for ship- 

 ping green. In the Willamette and Ump- 

 qua valleys the prunes are raised prin- 

 cipally for evaporating purposes, although 

 much of the product is being shipped 

 green. Undoubtedly years of light prune 

 crops in the East will find trainloads be- 

 ing shipped green from the valleys of 

 Western Oregon. Salem is perhaps the 

 center of the prune district, although 

 one finds large areas in the vicinty of 

 Newberg, Sheridan, Dallas and other 

 cities. 



The prune likes a well-drained loam, 

 and does especially well on rolling foot- 

 hills when deep and provided with good 

 air and soil drainage. While they can be 

 planted 15 to 16 feet apart at the time the 

 orchard is set, by the time the trees come 

 into heavy bearing they will need greater 

 distance — probably 25 feet would not be 

 too great a distance at which to plant. 

 The ground should be given especially 

 good preparation in the spring, followed 

 by frequent summer cultivation. Where 

 extra good care is given up to the middle 

 of July many of the growers cease cultiva- 

 tion from that time on, claiming that by 

 this method they get a standard prune 

 and one with tender skin. This can be 

 done only where good care has been given 

 to the orchards during the spring months. 



Prunes are allowed to drop upon the 

 ground and are picked up in boxes. Gen- 

 erally five cents a box is paid for such 

 work. They are then usually dipped in 

 boiling water, rinsed in cold water and 

 graded. The fruit is then placed on trays 

 and put in a dryer, where evaporation 

 takes place. There are many types of 

 dryers. Average heat is started at from 

 80 to 120 degrees and gradually increased 

 to 180 degrees. It will generally take 

 about 36 hours to dry prunes well. After 

 drying, the fruit is taken to the packing 



