244 TRANSACTIONS OP THE 



California Peanuts. — Owing to the very low prices of the eastern pea- 

 nuts which have been prevailing for the last year or two, this industry in 

 California has not had the development that it otherwise would have 

 enjoyed. We can produce in this State a peanut equal to anything pro- 

 duced in Virginia, as far as quality and size of nuts are concerned. There 

 has not, however, as yet been any decided effort to polish the shells, as is 

 done in eastern peanut raising sections, and for this reason alone the Cal- 

 ifornia peanut has not met with the favor that it would have done other- 

 wise. 



We have a soil here, in certain sections of the State, that produces in 

 any quantity a most magnificent peanut. All we need, therefore, to 

 encourage a rapid increase of this industry is the adoption of improved 

 machinery, the same as they use East, which will place our nuts in the 

 various markets of the country in the same condition that Virginia nuts 

 are now sold. 



Extracted Honey. — We note a heavy increase over the product of 1885, 

 and the quality, we are pleased to say, has been universally better. At the 

 same time, such low prices have prevailed generally that the net returns 

 to the producer can hardly have been satisfactory. It would seem that 

 some action should be taken to further increase among the consuming 

 public, the demand for pure, delicious extracted honey of California. 



No honey equal to ours is produced in the world, and the price is so low 

 that even the poorest may partake of it daily. 



With the majority of the American people, however, we are confident 

 that California honey is practically unknown, and that it has never been 

 brought to their attention. With improved' methods of packing and 

 increasing the supply year by year we think that in due time the honey of 

 California will be found upon the table of hundreds of thousands of the 

 poorer classes all over the United States. When this result is attained, 

 then may better figures be expected, and at the same time a demand will 

 be created which will yearly take off all the honey that California can, by 

 any possibility, ever produce. Europe is a very good customer for our 

 California honey, but prices there are also ruling very low, and shipments 

 up to this time have not proved very satisfactory. 



We advise the "bee-growers" of the State to maintain their pluck and 

 not get discouraged, as we think that the future has good things in store 

 for them. 



Considerable objection is made, and justly we think, on the part of the 

 eastern dealers to the old oil cases and cans that are used by the majority 

 of the honey producers in this State. Even though they do not taste of 

 the oil, they have the appearance and odor, and this has a tendency to 

 lower the price for these goods when offered for sale in eastern markets. 

 We think it would pay better to purchase new cans and new cases, and 

 have them made strong. Some new cases and cans that we have seen are 

 made of the lightest kind of tin, and when shipped reached their destina- 

 tion in a badly broken and generally smashed up condition. 



California Comb Honey. — We note a slight increase, also, in the product 

 of this article this year, and also of far superior quality than last year. 

 We are also glad to state that the demand for our comb honey has contin- 

 ued to run good, and generally at fair prices. Our comb honey ranks the 

 highest in the eastern markets of any other comb honey produced else- 

 where, and will always be in good demand. We repeat again the recom- 

 mendation which Ave have made for several years, that it should be put in 



