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