238 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



Necarines, sun-dried, pounds 30,000 



Figs, sun-dried, pounds - 150,000 



Apples, evaporated, pounds 500,000 



ijS&S; s^:^^:^: }p°°** «o.«» 



Peaches, evaporated (peeled), pounds 100,000 



Peaches, evaporated ( unpeeled ), pounds. - 200,000 



Plums, evaporated, pounds 85,000 



Nectarines, evaporated, pounds 25,000 



Walnuts, pounds - 750,000 



Almonds, pounds 600,000 



Peanuts, pounds 275,000 



Raisins. — We estimate the total product of 1886 at 703,000 boxes, and 

 apportioned as follows: 



Fresno District, boxes 225,000 



Tulare District, boxes 8,000 



Riverside District, boxes 185,000 



Orange and Santa Ana District, boxes... 160,000 



San Diego District, boxes 25,000 



San Bernardino County (outside of Riverside District), boxes 10,000 



Yolo and Solano Counties, boxes. 75,000 



Scattering — Counties of Yuba, Butte, Sacramento, etc., boxes 15,000 



Total, boxes 703,000 



It is with a great degree of satisfaction that we approach the subject of 

 California raisins for the year 1886. For many seasons past it has been 

 simply up-hill work to introduce our raisins, and to convince the eastern 

 trade generally that California could produce a fruit equal to the Malaga. 

 While the failure to do this in a measure was perhaps due to the fact that 

 many of the packings of California raisins were of poor quality, it is, never- 

 theless, also true that a prejudice existed in the minds of the eastern job- 

 bers to that extent that they persistently set their faces against a California 

 raisin. Notwithstanding, however, these discouragements, Californians 

 have kept steadily at work improving the product, as well as the style of 

 packing, year by year, until the outturn of 1886 on many brands, at least, 

 equals, if it does not exceed in quality the very best Spanish fruit. 



Next year we anticipate that further improvements, both in packing and 

 labeling, will be made, so that nothing will be left that can be desired on 

 that score. 



The labor of Spain for raisin packing is very cheap, running from 15 

 cents to 30 cents per day, while in California the same work is paid from 

 $1 to $1 25 per day. To counteract this great discrepancy, therefore, it 

 has become incumbent upon the ingenuity of Californians to devise and 

 create machinery which would not only quicken the packing of raisins,, 

 but would at the same time reduce the cost. The result of this is, that in 

 California machinery is about being used and run by steam power, for the 

 stemming, grading, facing, and packing in the boxes of the fruit as it is 

 received from the grader. Machinery of this kind is almost human in its 

 action, but is calculated to expedite and cheapen packing; and in a very 

 short time the cheap labor of Spain will be entirely counteracted by the 

 ingenuity of the California Yankee. 



All over the State this year there has been a great improvement in pack- 

 ing, and many of the best brands produced here rank equal or superior in 

 every way to the Malaga fruit. A proof of this is the fact that such mar- 

 kets as New York, Boston, Philadelphia, and other large eastern cities have 

 taken the finest brands of California raisins at prices equal or even above 

 the Spanish goods. Different sections of the State naturally claim the best 

 raisins, but very much depends on the care taken in packing, sweating, and 



