Glossing Dried Prunes.

Will you give the method for giving the gloss to dried French prunes?

There are various methods.  One pound of glycerine to 20 gallons of water; a quick dip in the mixture very hot gives a good finish.  Where a clear bloom rather than a shine, is desired, five pounds of common salt to 100 gallons of water, also dipped hot, gives a good effect.  Some use a thin syrup made by boiling small prunes in water (by stove or steam) and thinning with water to produce the result desired.  Steam cooking avoids bad flavor by burning.  The salt dip is probably the most widely used.

Price of Prunes on a Size Basis.

Explain the grading in price of prunes.  For instance, if the base price is, say, five and three-fourths cents, what size does this refer to, and how is the price for other sizes calculated?  Also, what is the meaning of the phrase “four-size basis”?

Prunes, after being sold to the packer, are graded into different sizes, according to the number required to make a pound, and paid for on that basis.  The four regular sizes are 60-70s, 70-80s, 80-90s, and 90-100s, which means that from 60 to 70 prunes are required to make a pound, and so on.  The basis price is for prunes that weigh 80 to the pound.  When the basis price is 5 3/4 cents, 80-90s are worth 1/4 cent less than this amount, or 5 1/2 cents.  The next smaller size, 90-100s, are worth 1/2 cent less, or 5 cents, while prunes under this size are little but skin and pit and bring much less to the grower.  For each next larger size there is a difference of 1/2 cent in favor of the grower, so that on the 5 3/4-cent basis 70-80s are worth 6 cents, and 60-70s 6 1/2 cents.  This advance continues for the larger sizes, 30-40s, 40-50s, etc., but these quite often command a premium besides, which is fixed according to the supplies available and the demand for the various sizes.  The sizes for which no premium or penalty is generally fixed are those from 60 to 100, four sizes, so that this basis of making contracts and sales is called the “four-size basis.”  The advantage that results in having this method of selling prunes can be seen by the fact that on a 5 3/4-cent basis the smallest of the four sizes will bring but 5 cents a pound, while 30-40s would bring, without any premium, 8 1/2 cents, and with 1 cent premium, 9 1/2 cents.  This size has this season brought as high as 10 and 11 cents a pound.  It may be noted here that no prunes are actually sold at just the basis price, as they are worth either less or more than this as they are smaller or larger than 80 to the pound.  No matter what the basis price is, there is a difference of one-half cent between each size and the sizes nearest to it.

Pollinizing Plums.

How many rows of Robe de Sergeant prune trees should be alternated with the French prune (the common dried prune of commerce) to insure perfect fertilization of the blossoms?