The oasis., August 24, 1893, Image 1

About The oasis. (Arizola, Ariz.) 1893-1920

Image provided by: Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records; Phoenix, AZ

Vol. I.
ARIZOLA. ARIZONA, THURSDAY, AUGUST 24, 189:
No. 16.
IV I i.NKH.
A CHtAT Kr.SOl K l: K SOITHF.KN
Altl.ONA.
A letllel Account of the Curing l'ro.
Prune product Ion Is one of the la
tent resources of Southern Arizona,
development of whlcln U It liin the
hcxt few yetH wiil prove a source of
vtdth. The niiirket for dried prunt's
is widely extended, covering the en
tire count ry, and it will bo many years
before domest ic production can over
take foreign iuqiortation. The best
and most merchantable prunes are
produced in scml-tropic elinu'S! and
the curing of the dried article Is more
t'ompleleiy iind perfect ly managed in
ttrld localities. The per contage of
sugar in the cured prune Is much
greater in fruit raised in the semi
tropics, great ly increasing the value
of the fruit for the purposes used.
There are several varieties of the
fruit. The Silver prune Is the largest
Und bears more llesl In jit'oportlon to'
lh pit. Tib' experience of most
growers is that the trees are more
hardy and vigorous when grafted ti
011 K'Hch or wild plum roots-the lat
ter iK'ing generally preferred. A
further advantage arising from this
plan of grafting lies in t lie fact that
either of the almve mentioned roots
is absolutely free from the attacks of
gophers.
Curing tiie prune is a process inclu
ding considerable detail, and requir
ing close attention. II is t In- careful
attention to these details upon which
the. value of the cured article de
pends. Prunes should not be gathered until
the, fruit. Is ripe enough to fall of its
own weight, or, at most, from the ef
fect of a slight jar. If gathered in
this condition, fruit being of first
class quality and properly handled
subsequently, a rirst-elass dried fruit
will Ih- the result. t.'cnerally it is
gathered by spreading a large canvas
under the tree ami shaking it, re
)eal ing the process from time to time
until all has fallen. Usually two piec
es of canvas, each bx20 feet are laid
together. The corners are taken up
ami the fruit rolled to the center,
where it is easily taken up.
If the objects sought are the great
est quantity and best quality, the
fruit is graded lie fore drying. It is a
custom wit li some driers to grade the
fruit into two or four grades before
drying, and after drying regradeit in
to six or seven grades, tirade the
fruit before drying it. into six or sev
en grades, the number the trade
wants. If this work is properly done,
no grading alter the fruit is cured
will equal it. Then grading the fruit
before drying it costs less than grad
11 after it is dried.
Fruit of m arly the same size, condi
tion and quality is placed together
whin put on the trays, and kept so
until sold. Kach grade can be cured
as much as required, and no more.
Then a port ion of the prunes on the
same t ray will not be tit to "take up"
before another portion has reached
the half-way point. They will come
upas they went down all together
and none of them need be "bone dry."
Kerdried fruit lias not only lost too
much in weight, but also too much in
quality. The bn t quality of fruit
must not be, bout dry." Thus, retain
ing a due pi'ojHirtlon of the weight is
also adding to the quality and hence
to the price.
The fruit is t lien dipped in a solu
tion of weak lye to break the skin and
facilitate Its curing. There are sev
eral machines for this purpose. I!e
cently the end sought by this process
has been effected by perforating the
fruit, in a machine Invented for this
puriose, which passes the prunes over
a bed of needles. The advantages
claimed for the machine porforatcr
over the lye process are as follows:
1. It breaks the skin more generally
and consequently prunes dry more
evenly and in less t inie.
2, The prune retains its sugar and
fruity substance and presents a richer
and more glossy appearance than the
partially Ijc-eolnrcd skins of other
prunes.
3. It yields a bravier prune, dried,
for its size, the crop drying substan
tially two pounds to one.
4. Puyers and coiisuinersae better
satisfied with the needle perforated
prune, and willingly pay higher prices.
The lengt h of t Ime for curing varies
according to the degree of humidity in
the atmosphere. In Southern Arizo
na a week would be amply sutlicient.
In some localities along the Califor
nia coast and in Oregon driers are
necessary. They do not produce so
good an article as that dried in the
sun.
After dipping or jH-rforution the
fruit is spread on trays, which are
generally made .'txS feet, and of Ore
gon pine for the frames and redwood
shakes for the lxittoms. The mater
ial of the frame should be lx:j incites.
The following directions for making
the trays are given by a prominent
grower.
Make a rough table .Ixli feet, and as
high as convenience in nailing may
require. On this construct a tray
holding frame in this manner: Fast
en firmly to the tables top two side
pieces. 2x3 inches and 7 feet 10 inches
long. The inner sides of these pieces
should be parallel with the side edges
of the table and respectively 11 inch
es from these edges, their ends being
respectively 7 indies from the ends of
the table. The distance lietweeri
these pieces is .'Nil inches. Place two
."1-foot end-pieces, 2x3 inches, the inner
sides of each being respect i vol v 5 in
ches from aim! parallel with the ends
of the tabic, and the ends of the end
pieces on a line with the inner sides
of the side-pieces, and U inches from
theendsof those pieces. This com
pletes the outer port ion .if the tray-,
holding frame, the dimensions of
which are ."itil inches by feet i inch,
being t inch larger on b t.h the sides
and ends than a :tx$-foot tray. Put
the tray frame into this incomplete
tray-holding frame and nail it togeth
er with eight 25 inch w ire nails. The
inner portion of this tray-holding
frame may be made of 2x2 inch mater
ial. Place the 1 wo side pieces, 7 feet
10 inches lung, within i of an inch of
the inner sides of the tray-frame, and
t he end-pieces the same distance from
the ends. Make the end pieces 15 in
ches long, leaving I inches unoccu
pied in th" middle of ih" 1 ray-hold ing
frame.
Fill this four-inch space through
the ceiiterof the tiay-holding frame
with a piece of timber 2i in lie I hick,
-i invho wide and J (fit " inche, Juih'.
covering iU uitift upper surface with
a strip of sheet iron one-eighth of an
inch thick. The tray-holding frame
is then complete. The space to be oc
cupied by the tray-framo is H inches
wide. It is well to have it that width
as some of the sides and ends of trays
are more than an inch thick, besides,
if the space were less the work of put
ting them in and taking them out
could not be done so quickly.
Make a mark in the center of the
out side endsof the tray-holding frame;
t his will show just where to place the
central lath and thus prevent loss of
time that would otherwise occur. The
unoccupied space along the sides and
ends of the table is intended for hold
ing nails. Partition this space into
four apartments, each the full length
of t ray-holding frame, to le occupied
by nails of as many lengths. The ends
will each need one space for nails,
which should be as neiir the ends of
the central lath as possible, as it is to
contain t lie nails used in the endsof
that lath. I'se 4-inch clout nails in
the central lath, except the ends of it;
use wire nails there and all other pla
ces. 1 think '11 inch nails for the tray
frame: two sizes, Hand 2 inches, for
shakes and side lath, are large enough.
Six nails arc required for each six
inch shake two at each end and two
in the middle.
After the tray frame has been nail
ed together with 2f-inch nails, put on
t he Jti shakes required to cover the
ljottom. Fa.-ten these in their places
with one W nail at the end of every
shake, an inch or so from the same
edge. These nails are large enough,
since Ihey are prevented from coming
out by the lath being placed over
them.
I'se 2-inch nails, or a little longer,
inputting on the side lath. Drive
these nails through the side lath, so
as to pass thioiigli the shakes alout
the same distance from the edge as
did the H inch nails and directly oj
posife them. Next nail the central
lath with H inch nails at each end,
taking these nails from a receptacle
made as near as possible to the place
the nails are to be used.
All the other nails used in the cen
tral lath Miould be seven-eighths inch
clout nails, driven at a slight or very
acute angle. If so driven they will
clinch themselves on striking the
strip of sheet iron. That is the ob
ject of the sheet iron. If not so driv
en, the point may stop when it strikes
t his iron strip and fail to clinch, t bus
causing a waste of time and nails, be
sides rendering the sheet iron strip
worse t ban useless.
These trays are tilled with fruit and
spread on the drying ground.
When properly cured"' the prunes
are taken up. This condition is de
termined to a great extent by exper
ience, the experienced curer telling
by feeling. The water should be all
out of the prunes to the extent that
they no longer feel watery or mushy
but soft and still pliable. If trays are
in abundant supply so they can be
stacked, it is good to do so when the
fruit is about two thirds cured and let
it tinish curing in 1 lie stack. The
trays are stacked with alternate edg
es projecting, to give free circulation
of air.
When the fruit has been properly
cured it is luinped into a pile in a
elo-e apartment to sweat" after
which it i. dipped in.i bit h con -i ,tiru:
o hot, water and glycerine. Tbi Si .'to
it a handsome gloss and preserves it
from mould and insects. It is then
ready for packing and shipping.
Jnterrulture.
California Cultivator.
'Tnterculture' is a new title for tin;
custom of growing crops of any kind
in orchards of standard fruit trees.
It is at this time receiving a great
deal of attention from the horticul
tural press, and, as usual, has its ad
vocates and opjioscrs, who argue front
their respective standpoint with
much apparent force. Where trees
are planted twenty to thirty feet
apart, as is the custom for all orch
ards (if standard fruit, there must
necessarily be a large area of ground
unoccupied by the roots of trees for
several years, and it is, in our opin
ion, simply nonsense to say that this
space can not be used profitably and
without injury in the growing of some
annual crop of vegetables until all the
territory is required by the fruit trees.
On the contrary, all experiments
prove that a proper use of this space
for such purpose results in a decided
benefit to the trees when their roots
ultimately reach the cultivated
ground. Even nursery stock and
small fruits, like the blackberry and
raspberry, mig'it le grow n for a few
years w ithout decided injury, but we
would not recommend them, for the
permanent character of such plant
ings prevents the perfect cultivation
of t he soil: and they take from it more
of the elements of standard tree
growth than vegetable. Therefore,
from long observation and much ex
perience, we can say to all who con
template anything of the kind, that
they can for several years grow vege
tables a,nd strawberries in their newly
planted orchards of standard fruits
by observing the following rules, viz.:
Thoroughly prepare the soil before
planting the crop: leave ample space
for cultivation between the rows of
trees and the first rows of vegetable
plants, and restore to the soil (as
much as possible.) in the shape of a
complete fertilizer, all the elements
taken off by the crop cultivated.
i;'(iilMtes fur Sucrnmful Fruit Culture.
In a public address on successful
fruit culture, President Williams, of
New Jersey, is reported as laying
down the following seven conditions
as necessary, the substance of which
we give:
1. Adaptability of soils to varie
ties. 2. Adaptability of the man for the
business.
;5. Fertile soil and clean culture.
4. Productive varieties of showy
appearance.
5. Fruit carefully handled and hon
estly put up.
(i. Plant sparingly of novelties.
7. Study how to feed the different
crops, as the farmer does his animals
to produce the best results.
The cinnamon tree is said to be as
hardy as the orange or the camphor,
and certain nurserymen of Florida are
propagating it on a large scale for ex
tensive plant ing.
Thorough saturation of the soil, and
at regular intervals, according to the
nature or composition of the soil, and
the t h tract i r of the plant.-, grown, i
t lie true method of. irrigaUoa. .