STATE AGRICULTURAL SOCIETY. 221 



predicted a number of years ago, the time is now rapidly approaching when 

 the Malaga raisin will be almost, if not entirely, driven from the American 

 markets. 



Fresno is now the great raisin-producing section of the State, and, as 

 usual, heads the list in point of production. The Fresno section, on account 

 of its climate and freedom from fogs, is also about a month earlier than 

 most other sections of the State. This industry at that point is developing 

 year by year wonderfully; and Fresno raisins, which a few years ago were 

 unknown, are to-day in demand in the various markets of the United 

 States. This year is also notable as having made the first shipment of 

 raisins to Europe, the goods having been sold to London, England ._ While 

 the quantity was small, it was an opening wedge, and business is likely to 

 increase there from now on. The question is sometimes mooted that the 

 raisin industry of California might be overdone. We do not think so. The 

 fact of the case is, that the more the production increases the greater the 

 demand seems to be. It is not a very long while since raisins were looked 

 upon in the light of a very great luxury, and were only used by the rich; 

 but to-day they are being more universally used; and the consumption is 

 steadily increasing year by year, as the price, of necessity, naturally becomes 

 cheaper. Now that all first class packed raisins in California are well 

 established in the eastern markets, it is to be hoped that our packers the 

 coming year will not pursue the senseless policy which seems to have 

 guided them, to a large extent, in the past, but will hold their goods, which 

 equal the Malaga, at a price which is equal to the Malaga, and not any- 

 where from 10 to 40 per cent under the figures obtained for the Spanish prod- 

 uct. There is no reason now whatever for doing this. There might have 

 been some reason when California raisins were first introduced, but that 

 time has now gone by. A first class California raisin is equal or superior 

 to anything that now comes from Spain; and when our packers realize 

 this, and demand for their goods an equal price for an equal quality, they 

 will get it; but just as long as they throw their goods away and climb over 

 the backs of one another to see who can sell the cheapest, just so long will 

 the eastern wholesale jobber go into New York and pay a fancy price for 

 a Malaga London Layer, and then offer a ridiculously low price for a Cal- 

 ifornia London Layer, which in every respect is as good or better. The 

 imitation of foreign wrappers is being generally discarded, and something 

 more distinctively Californian is being used year by year, which is a very 

 pleasing fact to note. We wish, however, that our packers would agree, 

 which we think could easily be done at v a meeting, to drop entirely the 

 terms 3 Crown Loose, or 3 Crown London Layer, and to adopt something 

 more distinctively Californian or American. The bulk of the pack of Cal- 

 ifornia raisins this year has principally gone East; and at the present time 

 the San Francisco market is almost entirely bare of stock. Especially 

 does this apply to London Layers; and of really choice Loose the supply 

 is also inadequate. 



The area producing fine raisins, especially in Fresno County, is still very 

 large; and lands can be bought there for this purpose at very reasonable 

 prices. For any man who is thrifty, and carefully looks after his own busi- 

 ness, there can be nothing better than a good raisin vineyard. While a 

 fortune cannot be realized and should not be expected, a good raisin vine- 

 yard will pay, if properly handled, a good, fair, and even handsome income 

 year by year. To men of moderate means, a vineyard of twenty to forty 

 acres is sufficient for the maintenance in comfort of an ordinary family. 



We append also herewith the product of California raisins from the year 

 1873 up to and including the year 1888: 



