204 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Fresno District, boxes .-. 107,000 



Riverside District, boxes . -•-. 115,000 



Orange and Santa Ana District, boxes 117,000 



Tnlare District, boxes «,000 



San Diego District, boxes 10,000 



Los Angeles County, boxes (outside of Orange District) r 22,000 



San Bernardino County, boxes (outside of Riverside District) 14,000 



Yolo and Solano, boxes 67,000 



Scattering— Yuba, Butte, etc., boxes 12,000 



Total boxes 470,000 



This large increase over the product of 1884, which was only 175,000 

 boxes, is most gratifying, and indicates the rapid advance which this favor- 

 ite California industry is making. Now that the returns are all in, it may 

 not be out of place for us to remark that, early in the season, after a search- 

 ing and careful inquiry, we estimated that the product of California raisins 

 for 1885 would approximate 450,000 boxes, and might go even higher. 

 For making this statement we were at once attacked viciously by specu- 

 lators, who owning heavily of raisins themselves, thought to make capital 

 with producers who had not sold, by traducing us and our estimates, and 

 in other ways endeavoring to place us in a false position before the raisin 

 growers of California. The results, however, have now shown that we were 

 correct. 



We have been pleased to note, throughout all the raisin districts this 

 year, a better packing and grading generally, especially where it was done 

 by the growers themselves, and it is believed that another season will show 

 still further improvement. 



Riverside, Fresno, and Orange run pretty nearly together as to quantity 

 produced, with the chance of Orange and Santa Ana being the banner dis- 

 trict in this respect. As to quality, it has been difficult to distinguish 

 between the fancy marks from all these sections. Some dealers prefer the 

 Orange, some the Riverside, and others the Fresno raisins. They have, as 

 a rule, all been good. 



San Diego has come to the front with a very respectable showing as to 

 quantity and quality, with a promise of even better things in the future. 

 Yolo County, this year, has also turned out some extra fine goods. 



The season opened to a light stock of old goods^ and the trade and 

 demand continued active until after the first of December, at prices remu- 

 nerative to the growers; but any and all attempts on the part of speculators 

 to create fictitious values were promptly squelched by eastern dealers, who, 

 paying no attention whatever to either "bull" or so called "bear" move- 

 ments on this side, were willing to buy at a fair value, or let them alone. 



Besides careful grading, packing, and curing, care should now be taken 

 to have the boxes full net weight, twenty pounds. 



A few 3 r ears ago, in " flush" times, a box of raisins was a box of raisins, 

 whether it held fifteen, eighteen, or twenty pounds. Now, every dealer, 

 nearly, weighs his raisins, and demands full twenty pounds. The idea has 

 often been mooted, and we believe it a good one, to call our raisins, instead 

 of "London Layers" (which is simply an imitation), "California Impe- 

 rial," in place of " London Layers," and the layers as now, " California 

 Layers." This would be something distinctively Californian, as is proper 

 and right with an industry that promises the future development that this 

 one does. 



The trade in California raisins is constantly extending throughout the 

 United States at fair figures; and if growers will sell their goods in the 

 Fall, when the market is active, they will, as a rule, obtain paying prices 

 for their product. 



