218 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



California Figs. — The product this year is very fair, but on account of 

 low prices less attention than formerly has been paid to drying them. The 

 California black fig, outside of its color, which is against it, is equal, in 

 our opinion, to the imported fig for all purposes of consumption. 



Their color, however, is against them. The white Smyrna fig is being 

 grown in California in certain sections and is doing well, and we hope to 

 see a large increase in this industry, as there is no question whatever that 

 California can produce a white fig equal to anything that comes from 

 abroad. We have seen some white figs produced in the central and south- 

 ern portions of the State, that were handsomer and finer than anything 

 that we have ever seen from Smyrna. 



Sun-dried Apricots. — While the output of this fruit for the past season 

 has been in excess of last year, the demand has been so good from the 

 East that the whole stock has been rapidly absorbed, and at present there 

 is little or nothing left in this State for sale. 



Evaporated Apples. — We report an increase in the product of this fruit 

 over last year and generally of a better style of packing. This is very 

 commendable. The sale for the California "evaporated apples is princi- 

 pally confined to this coast, and for shipment to Australia and the Pacific 

 islands. Our apples are not as tart as the eastern apples, and as a gen- 

 eral rule not as carefully put up, and for this reason, as yet, they have not 

 made much progress and met with much favor in England, but as we are 

 now beginning to put up apples from the foothills, and are yearly improv- 

 ing in our style of packing and carefulness in selecting, we have no doubt 

 that the time is not far distant when California evaporated apples will be 

 found side by side in the London and Liverpool markets with the apples 

 from New York and Maine. 



Evaporated Bleached Apricots. — As will be seen by our figures, there has 

 been a very heavy increase in the production of this fruit over 1886. This 

 was a good year for apricots, and while the demand from the canners was 

 something extraordinary, it was equaled or exceeded by the demand from 

 the driers in all sections of the State. The product as turned out, we are 

 glad to state, also exceeded in quality, in appearance, and in style of pack- 

 ing anything before produced in California. As large as this product was, 

 the great bulk of it has already been sold and gone into consumption. The 

 apricot is a fruit particularly indigenous to California, and as its merits 

 become known, from a small trade at the beginning and a trifling demand, 

 it has grown, year by year, until there is no city to-day in America of any 

 consequence but what uses the California apricot either in a canned or 

 dried state. Neither is the market for this fruit confined to our own 

 country. Now evaporated and canned apricots can be found in most of 

 the great European cities. While new orchards in various portions of the 

 State are being planted and new ones yearly coming into bearing, there is, 

 in our opinion, not the slightest chance of ever overdoing the apricot busi- 

 ness. While it is true that prices may and will undoubtedly recede as the 

 product increases, it is always bound to pay the growers a good round 

 margin on their investment. The price of the green fruit this year ruled 

 from 1^ cents up as high as 2 cents per pound, and for the dried product 

 from 13-| to 17 cents. In the face of this being a very abundant year, next 

 season we may look for a lighter crop. 



