oranges and creosote

Subject: oranges and creosote
From: cobber
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 06:29 AM

I've been humming Woody Guthrie's Deportees a lot lately but I don't like singing things I don't understand. The second line talks of oranges filed in their creosote dumps. Are there any orange growers out there who can explain this to me?

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote - Deportee
From: Joe Offer
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 06:58 AM

Hi, Cobber - to keep prices up so they can make a decent living, farmers often sell only first-quality produce to wholesalers. Lower-quality produce is sold locally or dumped. At one time, California farmers put creosote on dumped oranges to make them inedible and unsaleable - one can argue the morality of that, but it was a way for the growers to assure themselves an income from their labors. Nowadays, I think that most dumped produce is used for animal feed - or plowed under for fertilizer.

During harvest season in the Fresno area, it's easy to find oranges for eight for a buck - sometimes cheaper.

You'll find more information about Woody's "Deportee" in this thread (click). I recently received clippings from the local newspaper at Coalinga, California (site of the 1948 "Plane Wreck at Los Gatos Canyon"). I'll be posting excerpts from the clippings in that other thread in the next few weeks, after I get moved into my new home and can find the clippings again. I also got a letter from a newspaper editor who was at the site of the crash, and I'm supposed to call him for more information (after I finish moving).

-Joe Offer-

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I suppose if there's more discussion of "Deportee," it's best to continue the existing discussion in this thread (click).

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: Geoff the Duck
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 06:36 PM

And I thought that it was going to be the recipe for a new cocktail.
At one time I used to work in a job where amongst other things we erected wire fences and built stiles for footpaths in the countryside. Although wearing protective gloves, our hands and clothes eventually reeked of the scent of creosot by the middle of the day. As a result, cups of tea smelled and tasted of creosote. It is an experience which became almost addictive.
I just wondered if oranges added to the flavour?
Quack!
GtD.

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: Uncle_DaveO
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 06:41 PM

And here I thought it was the name of a new rock group!

Dave Oesterreich

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: SharonA
Date: 27 Feb 02 - 06:46 PM

I thought it was a spin-off of the enema thread. *G*

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: Bullfrog Jones
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 06:08 AM

Reminded me of a friend who used to say of any odd pairing "They went together like peaches and creosote".

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: catspaw49
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 10:02 AM

Cobber, also I hope you have checked the other thread...Minor lyrics correction to what you have........The oranges are piled not filed.

Spaw

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: GUEST,Les B.
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 06:02 PM

Creosote apparently can be fairly nasty. Not too many years ago a woman friend and her family, including a new-born, moved into a fairly modern rental house. They were sick all that winter and finally the doctors suspected poisoning from some creosote soaked timbers that had been used to build the house. The family immediately moved out and were better in a very short time. They sued, but I never heard about the final settlement.

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: Dicho (Frank Staplin)
Date: 28 Feb 02 - 06:16 PM

The city here is spending a lot to clean up old cresote that was dumped at places where they treated wood before restrictions came in. The worry is poisoned groundwater and river water.

Subject: RE: oranges and creosote
From: cobber
Date: 01 Mar 02 - 06:43 AM

Thanks everyone. It takes me a while to respond I don't get on the net every night and our day is night for most of you. I listened to the Highwayman version today. They have four more lines than are on the Mudcat collection ( which is where I saw filed instead of piled). I know I have it on an old Judy Collins record but I'm currently moving house and they are all packed. I'm looking forward to hearing that one again.