53° 



Prune Growing in the United States. 



twenty times that of the amount shipped in 1883. There 

 were 251 dairy factories and 255 creamery stations in the 

 Colony in 1901, in addition to 372 private dairies for butter- 

 making and 78 for cheese. A dairy commissioner was 

 appointed in 1900, with a staff of graders, instructors, and 

 clerical assistants, who are stationed at the various centres 

 of production to advise producers, and grade the products 

 for export. 



Prune Growing in the United States. 



The prune industry of the Pacific North-West, including 

 the States of Oregon, Washington, and Idaho, has attained 

 considerable dimensions of recent years. Beginning with a 

 few trees in i860, the plantations have increased until at the 

 present day there are 50,000 acres of commercial prune 

 orchards in these three States, and they form the leading 

 fruit industry of their sections. It has been estimated that a 

 light crop from the present acreage would yield about 

 40,000,000 pounds of the evaporated product, while a full 

 crop would amount to not less than three times that 

 quantity. The approximate value of the trees, together with 

 the equipment, including apparatus, evaporating and pack- 

 ing plants, is estimated at about ^4,000,000, while it is cal- 

 culated that the aggregate value of an average year's crop 

 from the orchards would not be less than ^"500,000. 



Nearly 80 per cent, of the plants in the Pacific North-West 

 are of the kind known as the Italian prune, the remaining 20 

 per cent, being nearly all of the " Agen " variety. The peach 

 is the common stock for the plum in this district, though, 

 during the past few years, the Myrobalan plum has been 

 used to some extent. 



With the rapid increase in the prune-bearing acreage in 

 the Pacific North-West since 1895, there has been a great 

 decline in the average market price of the product. During 

 1 880- 1 890 prices ranged from about 4d. to 6d. per pound, but 

 in 1900 the crop of Italian prunes only realised a little more 

 than 2d. per pound. Moreover, recent improvements in fruit 

 refrigeration have affected the dried fruit industry by 



