Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly vol. 7.pdf/56

50 one half cents base, and slow movement. California is in the hands of a combine, even at these prices, and the eastern market proposes to hold off and break the combine and get prunes yet lower. The few prunes that are sold now are sold outside the combine at lower figures. Canned goods and green fruits are taking the place of the prune. It remains to be seen whether the combine will hold or break. To hold possibly means that the opportunity to sell will be lost and stock held over. To say the least, the condition is not encouraging. The trade calls for a large black prune. The French prune grown in Oregon is small and light colored and can not compete with the larger dark French prune grown in the Santa Clara Valley, not to speak of their advantage in sun-drying. I have one thousand five hundred twelve-year-old French prune trees yet to work over; am growing wood of the Burbank sugar prune for scions. California is setting and top-grafting into this prune extensively. Everything is claimed for it. "Three weeks earlier than the French, much larger, sweeter, drying forty-five pounds to the hundred; ever bearing enormously; tree vigorous; free from blight or disease of any kind," etc.

In 1872 set three hundred Royal Ann cherries, three hundred Black Republican, and later, four hundred Bing, seventy-five Lambert, sixty Governor Wood, fifty May Duke, and one hundred Early Richmond; for some years the Royal Ann and Black Republican brought from fifty cents to seventy cents per pound, in ten-pound boxes for shipment East. This was fairly remunerative, but of late, on account of fungi, the Royal Ann has not carried well in the long haul; is easily bruised, turns black on the facing, and altogether is an unattractive and unsalable fruit in the eastern markets. We have discontinued shipment. Canneries have come to the rescue and now contract our fruit at three and one half to four cents loose, boxes returned.