Discussion. 49 



very reasonable compensation at that rate. [A question 

 was asked as to raisins.] The raisins of commeroe 

 are made in just such a way as I say. We read of foreign 

 raisins that are dipped in syrup, but there is nothing of the 

 kind there. I have brought home several boxes of prunes 

 and one box of figs; but on coming home and using them I 

 do not think they are quite up to the standard of the Ger- 

 man prunes but seem to lack the plump, fleshy body. The 

 raisins are a little less nieaty than the foreign raisins. It 

 may possibly be the result of the process of drying. I know 

 one thing more, on getting three boxes of them I found too 

 many of them that should have been strictly second class. 

 That is of course the fault of the grower in grading them 

 and that can be avoided. There is no doubt that it will all 

 correct itself in time. The first picking should be graded 

 from the second picking. Som.e of the raisins now are very 

 fine and some are very poor. In going through their orch- 

 ards I was struck by these points of difference from ours. 

 I thought I would see all going on there in large dimensions. 

 Their mode of treatment is very different from ours. In the 

 first place theo cut their trees back very severely and every 

 year thereafter they seem to go on thinning out everything 

 that is intercrossing, and cutting outeverything that has too 

 strong a tendency to reaching out. Their trees are very 

 uniform in shape. They come into bearing very early, at* 

 three or four years from planting, and that has one tend- 

 ency, perhaps, to check them. They disappointed me in 

 size. I do not know but their dry season holds them in 

 check some. 



The product from the English walnut is quite liberal and 

 is very good indeed. They do not call them profitable as 

 compared with other things and yet they yield a fair in- 

 come. They bear shipping and keep anywhere, and that is 

 a great point for you can take advantage of the market 

 with them. That is where the advantage of the dried fruit 

 comes in. The dried prunes product of 1885 was about 

 2,000,000 pounds, and of the dried peach 1,500,000. Thewhol^ 

 dried product of ^the state was something in the neighbor 



4— H. 



