48 Wisconsin State Horticultural Society. 



gets up a little bit of a sweat. Then they go into boxes 

 that are packed to market and are sold. 



The raisin product for 1885, as given by the statistican of 

 the state, was something over a million pounds for the state. 

 The industry is increasing. In addition to the grapes they 

 raise themselves for raisins, they buy others. They are 

 taken two or three hundred miles into Arizona where the 

 climate is better for drying. Their own grape curing is 

 most done on their own places, but what they buy is car- 

 ried away. I met afterwards in Arizona a gentleman buying 

 large quantities of land for raising raisin grapes. I think that 

 the industry will spring up in Arizona. There is practic- 

 ally no limit to that industry. They will go to any market 

 and will also keep until prices make it advisable to sell. I 

 have great hopes for this industry. If I was going to Cali- 

 fornia that raisin industry would be the first thing I should 

 look after. Of course, in the disposal of fruit in California 

 large canning works spring up, especially in the vicinity of 

 San Jose. Of course these canned goods find their way, 

 but much more largely to European markets. That indus- 

 try and the drying of fruits must be the way in which they 

 dispose of their extra fruit. Their green fruit has been 

 brought here at very high freight rates and has been 

 handled here by very eager fruit dealers, and the conse- 

 quence has been we have had to pay from 1 5 to 20 cents a 

 pound for this fruit. A movement was made last winter to 

 simplify that. This proposition was got from the railroad 

 men: If they would make up full trainloads of fruit they 

 would give them rates at $300 a car instead of $600. All 

 fruit thus far has paid $G00 a car to get to this Mississippi 

 Valley region. They now propose to carry it, in full train 

 lots, at $S00 a car and also to give it fast time. They pro- 

 pose to give it as near as possible to passenger time. Of 

 course, this will help very much. Then the Union proposes 

 to put some of their men on this side and see to the proper 

 distribution of this fruit, and so we shall not have all of it 

 go to Chicago to come through second dealers. We should 

 have California grapes for ten cents a pound, if their best 

 grapes do not bring them over 2 cents a pound. They get a 



