Fortune in Two Old Trunks (ca 1951)

[Music] in a corner of a deserted Adobe shed covered by the accumulated dust of many years rest two old battered trunks not far away deserted and all but forgotten rest the bones of a man the tombstone lies flat in a field in California but the gentle climate has done little to weather the stone and the legend is there for all to see Louie peler a Frenchman you see but we are going to call him as he was known to his fellow Americans Lewis peler born 1817 died 1872 a man who sleeps in the soil he loved and two old battered trunks this is our story [Music] from the hill above the deserted grave a valley stretches out before us this is the famed Santa Clara Valley Opening out from the south end of San Francisco Bay near the center of the valley is San Jose first capital of California and its oldest city stretching out from the city as far as the eye can see are the immense fruit orchards this is the spring of the year and the fruit trees are in full bloom bearing the promise of a fruitful year [Music] this is the valley today but it was not always so in 1848 the valley presented a far different sight it was then a flat uncultivated plain covered by wild grass and dotted with Oak cattle roamed peacefully over the Lush grass and while some gardening was carried on by the early settlers there was only the feeble beginning of a fruit [Music] culture then in this year 1848 a thing happened that was to change the life in the valley up to the north gold was discovered gold in the earth of California gold the lustrous metal that has changed the lives of men and the destiny of Nations gold in [Music] California across the country like a prairie fire swept the word and there was magic in its very sound gold in [Music] California [Music] [Applause] [Music] across the Atlantic to Europe and around the world rode this phrase that quickened the pulse of all men gold in California then onto the shores of the Pacific they moved the gold hungry hordes three principal routes of travel were open to the adventurers first across the North American continent following the Wagon Trails of earlier Pioneers across the endless prairies the steep slopes of the Rockies the biting Alkali of the deserts they fought their way to the Sacramento Valley the second route was by ship to the ismus of Panama then across the disease infested jungles of Panama to the port on the Pacific side from there if they were fortunate enough to get passage by ship again to San Francisco the Third Way was the long tortuous Trip Around the Horn endless days of sailing through some of the foulest weather in the world up the coast of South America toward California sailed every type and design of ship that could be pressed into service from every Walk of Life came the adventurers and One of these was a Wanderer who had left France to see the world he worked for a time in South America but when he heard of the discovery of gold he was off again by ship to California the name of this man was Lewis peler San Francisco focal point for the gold seekers in the unforgettable year of 1849 was a wide openen RI roaring Boom Town the miners who made a Lucky Strike found gold easier than water and they let it slip through their fingers just as easily but back in the Hills it was a different story caught in the dead of winter men were paying with their lives for a few ounces of dust suffering the hardships without finding any of the rewards LS peler soon decided that this was not for him he now heard that a few of his French countrymen had settled in San Jose to the south in the warm Santa Clara Valley this was news to reach the heart of a man who had found that gold can't cure homesickness so he wasted no time in forsaking the gold fields [Music] this was the last time that LS poer was to travel he had come home in San Jose he found what he had been seeking the climate was gentle and the Earth was good so like his fathers before him he turned once more to the soil leis P's great dream was to start a nursery but fruit trees were scarce in the valley then and he had to depend upon children to bring him a few seeds to get his [Music] start yes this country was much like his native France but there they had centuries of planting behind them here they were only [Music] beginning in 1853 Lois peer's brother Pierre worked with him for a time but soon became restless and decided to return to France to fetch back a wife leis seeing Pierre so determined to return home took advantage of the opportunity and prepared a list of the various plants and fruit trees native to France that might be grown in this new land among them was a variety of French prune called La Petit Dagen would a handful of the precious living cuting of this fruit survived the journey to the new world for 3 years leis PIR waited waited while Pierre made the long trip back to France waited while the plants were gathered and carefully packed in two strong Trunks and then across the long stretches of the Atlantic by rail across Panama North on the tortuous infinitely slow Journey up the Pacific and he waited while the trunks rested at last on the Ducks at San Francisco always with the chance that any accident might destroy them even as their Journey was about to end 3 years nine ,200 [Music] miles and now in 1856 for Lewis peler The Wanderer The Miner and now farmer this was the Supreme moment that is given at least once to every man for him the contents of the trunks meant something more than plants brought from France this was New Life brought from the old world to this land that was now his [Music] home the French prune sence had stood the journey well cleverly embedded in potatoes to keep the moist and carefully surrounded in [Music] sawdust leis peler grafted the French prune SS to the root stock of the Wild Plum Tree and introduced the French prune to California and America ever since the days of ancient Rome the practice of grafting the life of One Tree into another has seemed amazing to man you must be careful as a surgeon and even then there are many failures and so you try again but peler could not try again for if these failed the only Replacements lay 9,200 M away in France with infinite care he calmly worked on on the skill of this man's hands rested the future of a great industry food for a growing [Music] Nation from this humble beginning has grown the prune industry as we know it now today as we come into the prune country we are met with a sight that would have warmed Louis pel's heart it is spring the dormant trees have come to life and the Orchards of California are transformed into beautiful Seas of pink and white the ancient promise of the Harvest to come but between Blossom time and harvest the trees must be given constant attention and care there is the matter of food food most Growers feed the trees through plowing under various types of cover crops thus adding natural richness to the soil in addition as an aid to Nature commercial fertilizers are applied these methods assure The Growers of a rich and productive Orchard water is as important to trees as food most Growers do not depend upon winter rains alone but irrigate at certain intervals many Growers use the newer method of surface irrigation whereby pipes are laid on the ground and the water is distributed by pressure directly from the wells this may not be rain nevertheless the trees get a long and satisfying drink after the water has soaked into the ground the soil is worked reworked harrowed and leveled until it is pulverized into a fine powdery cushion this fine soil Act is a shock absorber when the full ripe fruit drops from the trees finally comes the Harvest clusters of plump ripe juicy prunes hanging purple in the Sun a harvest of Health a harvest of goodness here is one fruit with which Nature has been allowed to complete her full ripening process California prunes hang in the sunshine until so plump and heavy that they actually drop from the Trees of their own weight there is no question here of harvesting unripened fruit for nature herself has set the time for harvesting brought directly from the Orchards to the dehydrators the boxes of prunes are taken from the trucks and placed on conveyors which carry the fruit to the washers where the prunes are thoroughly cleaned in a hot water bath or spray from the cleansing bath the fruit is spread on trays which are automatically stacked prior to being placed in the dehydrator for the curing process much of this automatic equipment was developed by Engineers employed by the Sun Suite Cooperative in reality the prunes at this stage are still fresh plums when the moisture has been removed and the plums have been properly dried then they are prunes all prunes are plums but all plums are not prunes prunes are a very special variety of plums that can be dried without fermenting and in a very real sense they are not prunes until they have been dry to remove the moisture the stacks of filled trays are then placed in the dehydrator a modern Improvement of former drying methods here under carefully controlled conditions of temperature and humidity the prunes are perfectly cured in from 18 to 24 hours when the curing process has been completed the trays are removed from the dehydrator the prunes are taken from the trays and fed through a conveyor into large bins here during a short period they undergo a sweating process which equalizes the remaining moisture in the fruit and gives the entire lot an even uniform texture and appearance the cured fruit is now trucked from the dehydrator to a packing [Music] house at the packing house each bin is weighed and recorded to the credit of the grower then carried by Lift Truck to a machine which by tilting dumps the prunes onto a Shaker to remove leaves and [Music] stems an elevator then carries the prunes to a grater where they are automatically sorted by sides to facilitate the passage of the prunes Over The Grater this machine mechanically spreads the prunes evenly along its length this process is a good example of the highly mechanized procedure used throughout hand workk is reduced to a minimum and efficient mechanical methods are used wherever possible prune sizes are based on the count per pound and constant check on the the accuracy of the grading is maintained by an operator who frequently weighs sample lots and physically counts the number of prunes per [Music] pound the prunes fall from the greater into large bins each bin containing prunes of the same size the bins are taken by Lift Truck to a storage area where the prunes remain until required for processing and packaging but the tree is never forgotten for the tree is the life and future of all prunes to come while it has given of its fruit and now stands dormant it is already receiving attention for the next season pruning is done at this time to shape and balance the trees in order to encourage the maximum crop and to allow for cultivation beneath them pruning stimulates the growth of fruit bearing wood and keeps the tops of the trees in proportion to the the root development when the trees are dormant they are sprayed to prevent fungus and to control insect pests spraying is done with high pressure equipment to a highly scientific and exacting process it must be done at the right time with the correct materials and with the utmost thoroughness here you see one of the most recent developments in spraying equipment the speed sprayer it is used for fast thorough work on large trees and on large acreage every part of every tree must be hit and [Music] saturated back in the packing house the fruit already grad is taken from storage and spread on belts these carry the fruit past lines of gloved operators here sunsuite prunes receive a thorough and careful inspection to make certain that only the highest quality fruit is packaged after inspection the fruit is passed through a continuous flow of hot water in an genius revolving washer before the prunes are packaged in visible bags or cartons they are again thoroughly heated with boiling water this cleanses and sterilizes the fruit and makes it easier to pack it is at this point that Sunsweet prunes get the special tenderized treatment that make them quicker cooking and better eating this process employs only heat and moisture scientifically applied nothing nothing is added to the fruit nothing is taken away after the prunes have been tenderized they receive another inspection by gloved operators just before they drop through the stainless steel Chute which carries them to the packaging [Music] line science plays no small part in the processing of prunes in the laboratory the fruit is continually checked for tenderness quality and sugar content the laboratory is not only concerned with the fruit itself but new packaging materials are continually tested and new technical processes to improve the good keeping qualities are under constant study every step of the progress of the fruit from Orchard to package is subject to continuous laboratory check meantime the cartons are being prepared automatic machines open shape and line the cartons and send them on on in a continuous line as the cartons move on an endless belt they are filled automatically the freshly processed prunes are hot packed in these cartons to ensure uniform quality of the carton contents operators remove them from the belt and add or take away prunes to obtain the correct [Music] weight [Music] as the cartons travel along the fruit is gently and automatically pressed down to proper [Music] level the cartons now go to the cealing machine where the top is closed and sealed tight then the foil wrappers applied and also sealed tight thus three-fold protection is provided for the fruit first by the carton interliner next by the carton shell itself and third by the insulating aluminum foil wrapper here they come gleaming foil sealed cartons of top quality California prunes packed in cases and ready to be shipped to the markets of the world [Music] the fruit starts its journey by truck by Rail and by ship throughout the world wherever you go Sunset prunes contribute to the enjoyment and health of everyone for older folks regular [Music] it for grown-ups [Music] energy or teenagers pep and [Music] drive for children vitamins this American breakfast tradition is delicious when served with a little cream or with a dash of lemon or for that matter just sitting pretty in their own juice for serving with meat spiced and pickled prunes M or prune pie a tempting healthful dessert prun whip is another famous American dish the perfect dessert for a perfect meal here is another treat 7-Day prune cake it gathers moisture as it stands and keeps for a full week without loss of [Music] flavor so ends the story that began when to a valley rich in promise but poor in skill and knowledge came a man of [Music] Genius leis poer started out to find Adventure he came to California to seek his fortune to hunt for gold but it was the courage determination and foresight of the man to bring the French prune from the old world to the new world in two old Trunks and that was the Great Adventure after [Music] all two Trunks and a man if somehow today leis piler could be called from his forgotten grave and reunite United with his trunks he would find that in following the call that was heard around the world gold in California he had been a success a success far beyond his fondest dreams for the prune industry which he established soon began to pour a golden flood into the state which continues today long after the Gold Rush of 49 to pour its golden Millions into California riches from the soil that not only only sustain thousands of happy prosperous Farm families in the fertile valleys of the state but enrich the diet and add to the good eating of fruit loving families around the [Music] [Applause] world me