62 Fniit Farming for Profit in California, 



that any enterprising man with, fair capital can bring 

 wealth to his family exchequer from an acreage of 

 French prunes. 



Firstly, the trees must be grafted or budded on plum 

 stock, and be one or two years old — I prefer one-year- 

 old tree">. They must be planted about 25 feet apart, 

 requiring 100 trees per acre. Good trees ought to be 

 had for 20 cent,:, apiece, or by the thousand for 15 

 cents. The holes must be dug from two to three feet 

 square, according to the nature of the soil. 



The fourth season after planting, and even the third 

 if your trees have been well taken care of, you will 

 obtain about 10 pounds of prunes to each tree, enough 

 to initiate yourself in the drying business. The fifth 

 year you will get about 60 pounds to each tree ; the 

 sixth year 120 pounds or more to the tree. After that 

 your trees are in full bearing, producing, according to 

 location and care, from 150 to 300 pounds to the tree. 



Do not pick the prunes by hand, as they do not ripen 

 all at the same time, but in about three weeks. Begin 

 to shake your trees towards the 1st of August, then 

 every week after, and at the fourth time pick them 

 clean. 



Now for drying. The only apparatus needed is an 

 iron kettle holding from 25 to 50 gallons of water. 

 To each twenty gallons of water add one pound of the 

 best American concentrated lye ; have the water boil- 

 ing, then take a wire basket of some kind — the home 

 made one will do best — put twenty pounds of green 

 prunes in your basket, dip them in the boiling kettle, 

 let them remain there about one minute, or till you 

 perceive that the skin of your prunes are cracked all 



