Growing and Using
Loganberry Crop
Production Easy in Oregon
ii.it Handling More
Difficult
( OOPKHATION — ADVERTISING
lime and Methods of Harvesting Im
portant in Securing Good Fruits and
By-Products.
(By C. I. Lewis, Chief O. A. C.
Horticultural Department.)
Oregon Agricultural College, Cor
vallis, Oct. 11.— Being a relatively new
fruit, the loganberry up to the pres
ent time has had a somewhat limited
output, owing to the small acreage
now in bearing. There is a good op
portunity greatly to increase the out
put, since the Pacific Northwest not
only has large areas o f suitable soil,
but a climate that will produce this
berry profitably. Another factor in
its favor is its adaptability to various
commercial uses. As a canning berry
it is very satisfactory, and as a pie
fruit ii is believed to be one of the
very best that we can produce, being
superior even to that queen of pie
fruits, the blackberry. In addition to
its adaptability to canning, the berry
can bp easilv evaporated, and in this
condition sent all over the world. It
makes rich jams and beautiful jells,
having a bright red live color which
adds attractiveness to a fruit product.
One of its greatest uses, however, is
in the manufacture of juice, vinegars,
and wine«
The juice of the logan
berry, in fact, is pronounced by many
people to be superior to that of the
grape.
The production of the loganberry is
relatively easy. The cultural methods
that are u vessful with other cane
fruits such as the blackberry or rasp
berry, are likewise applicable to the
loganberry.
The marketing problem is somewhat
difficult. It is especially so be "iiise
of the fact that this is a new product,
that it is relatively unknown, and that
it therefore needs extensive advertis
ing and careful distribution. There
is always great danger in attempting
to introduce a new product, for unless
ihe first reception by the American
public is favorable, years of hard work
are required to overcome early pre
judice. The loganberry is a v 'ry t rt
fruit. When put up in the right way,
it will meet with a very hearty recep
tion. but when poorly handled it will
soon cease to meet with a strong de
mand in any market. In the past un
doubtedly some of the canned goods
that have been sent out h ive he*»n
satisfactory. The cannery man fills
the cans full of a fruit, which i* r ♦*»•»«
solid and which when shaken down
loaves few air spaces. Consequently,
when the syrup is poured into
cans, there is very little room left for
it around the berries. As a » ip lt
the product is too tart. Tn order to
put a sweeter product on the market,
either less bellies should be put in
the can, or else a heavier syrup should
be used.
Many of the berries have been
picked too green. Many, in drying,
have been scorched and blackened,
and handled in such a way that they
have been rendered very unattractive.
We cannot hope to build up a per
manent trade with such fruit. Then,
again we have to meet the danger of
a substitute. Already in some East
ern markets blackberries, canned and
labeled as loganberries, have been sold
a. su h on the market.
A few juices are being put on the
market; some of these are very good
indeed, but, unfortunately, some are
of \ery inferior grade. Acquaintance
with such goods makes it very evident
that standardization is necessary. To
gel a standardization which will meet
the market requirements and carry
weight with the growers themselves,
it will be necessary to cooperate.
As 10 just what standards can be
established, it is somewhat difficult
to state at this time. The canned
goods can be standardized by deter
mining the strength o f syrup neces
sary to give the proper blend. The
evaporated products, first grade,
should consist of berries which are
of a good color, of pleasant flavor,
and not too tart. The juices should
be clear, have a good aroma, pleasant
flavor, and should be free from all
foreign taints. The juice will pro-
bahlv go through the same evolution
as has the grape juice. Hundreds of
people have tried to put on the market
grape juice that they claimed to be
sime icr to the brands that are well
established. Invariably, however, these
juices are inferior. Should we b* so
fortunate as to he able to put a high
r * id«* loganberry juice on the market,
the demand will be almost unlimited.
Advertising is one o f the principal
problems for us to consider. Before
we spend much money on advertising,
however, we must have a very large
pioduction and know absolutely how
much fruit we can depend on.
We
can begin very nicely by advertising
at home, by having the people of the
state send to their eastern friends
heads. First, that which deals with
the harvesting and preparation of the
berries for evaporation. Second, that
which deals with the handling of the
berries in the evaporator. We wish
first to take up the work in the field,
namely, the harvesting and prepara
tion.
Harvesting and Preparing.
An investigation will show that
many of the inferior evaporated lo
ganberries are due to one or all of
three causes— poor selection of the
fruit and careless harvesting methods,
rough handling in removing the fruit
from the field to the evaporator, anil
unskillful methods employed in evap
oration. Too much stress cannot be
placed on the question of harvesting.
It is only by very careful handling and
correct knowledge of the proper ber
ries to pick, that one can deliver to
the evaporator a product that is de
sirable for evaporating. In addition
to careless handling in the field, many
berries are ruined in being transport
ed from the field to the evaporator.
Types of Berries.
The best berries to select for evan-
orating purposes are firm, ripe ber
ries. Care should be taken, however,
not to pick these too soon. If they
are light colored, or very bright color
ed and hard, they do not make a very
satisfactory product. Thus, a very
pretty product can he manufactured,
one which is very attractive, but the
fruit is too tart, and it also loses too
much weight. During the early part
o f the season, growers need to be un
usually cautious not to pick the ber
ries too green. The berries are apt
to ripen slowly, while a grower has
a tendency to become anxious to re
move the fruit and start the evapora
tor. The presence of large amounts
of this unripe fruit is probably partly
responsible for the greater less in
weight through the evaporation pro
cess during the early part of the s -
son than is experienced during the
latter part, though possible the t -a
that there is apt to be a little less
moisture in the ground at the end of
the season may be responsible for
ome c f the difference in moisture con
tent of the fruit. Berries which are
overripe should not be used for evap
orating purposes. Such berries can
he utilized for juices, syrups, jams
and jells.
Juices and Syrups.
There is a very close relation be
tween the condition of the loganber
ries havested and the amount of juice,
the flavor, aroma, and the sugar and
acid content o f the product, ^or juice
purposes the berries can he allowed
to ripen more on the vine than is ad
visable with berries for evaporating.
Since in the manufacture of juice
the berries themselves are crushed
and destroyed, they can be allowed
to become dead ripe. At this time
it is found that the berries contain
the maximum amount of sugar and
the least amount of acid. This is a
ship of sugur and acidity to the juice
content of the berries:
Composition of Loganberry Juice
Acidity
Total
calculated calculated
as Sulphuric as Dex-
Acid
trose.
Juice obtained from
Green Berries
2.0»)' ;
3.50
Medium Ripe Berries 2.10' ;
1.01
Full Ripe Berries
1.88'.
»¡.40
Over Ripe Berries
1.78';
0.4»;
The effect of ripeness of the ber
ries on the quantity o f juice and its
general quality, is very strikingly
brought out in the following table:
Effect of Ripeness of Berries on
the Quantity of Juice.
No. of Kind of
Per cent Rank Ac
Sample Berries
of juice cording to
Quality
No. 1
Green
59.3' fc
4th
No. 2
Medium
71.8' c
3rd
No. 3
Ripe
71.8' Vc
1st
No. 4
Over ripe
78.1 ''/c
2nd
Juice made from very ripe fruit re
tained a more distinct flavor and had
a higher quality than was obtained
from berries at other stages of ripe
ness. If more than a very small per
cent of green berries is used, the juice
is apt to have a very astringent flavor
and to be undesirable. Bernes which
have become moldy but have not sour
ed, should not be used for high grade
juices and syrups, but can be used
for the manufacture of vinegar or
wine. Juices made from such berries
will also make a svrup, which can be
us»d in the manufacture of sherbets
and ices, but does not make a suitable
product for beverage purposes.
addition to working with logan
berries, we worked with other berries
to determine the amount of juice
wMeh i>ne can secure. The following
table shows the amount of juice we
v'P-f. able to secure from the various
berries:
Per Cent o f Juice Obtained from
Various Small Fruits.
Kind o f Fruit—
Per Cent of Juice
Bed Raspberry ............. 68.0 ner cent
PAd Currant ................. 75.6 per cent
Bla^kcan Rasoberrv .... 60.0 per cent
PKpnomennl Berries ... 78.0 per cent
White Currants ........... 56.2 per cent
Wild Blackberries ....... 65.3 per cent
L og a n b erries............... 74 3 ner cent
Tb#» amount of juice secured from
the Phenomenal berries is somewhat
misleading, since we had a rather
small amount of this fruit and what
we baf| Was in the very best con
dition, being very ripe.
MANUAL TRAINING BULLETIN
presents of dried loganberries. These,
put up in cartons, would make very
acceptable presents. Some splendid
wo k i« being done at the Panama Ex
position.
Loganberry Evaporation.
In considering the question of
evaporation o f the loganberry, we can
divide the subject into two natural
very desirable characteristic. When
the ripe berries can be stored in a
suitable room, the flavor and aroma
are influenced, and it is possible to
get a greater amount of juice than can
be harvested.
The following table furnished by
Professor H. V. Tartar, of the Chem
istry department, shows the relation
A bulletin to supplement the manual
training outline in the state course of
study has been issued by the Exten
sion division o f the Oregon Agricul
tural College. The purpose of the
bulletin is to offer a practical guide
to teachers of the state, who are in-
stnlline and developing courses in the
relatively new field of public school
training in the use and care o f tools
and in the construction of metal and
wooden products.
Ask for Course of Studv in Manual
Training, O. A. C., Corvallis, Or.