^o 



New plantings are going forward very slowl}' at tlie present time 

 due to the conditions prevailing in the fruit industry in general. 



Economic conditions, coupled with the keenest kind of foreign 

 competition have interfered materially with the sale of almonds in 

 this country, with the result that almond growers have been losing 

 money every year for the past four years. At the same time the tre- 

 mendously increased domestic tonnage has resulted in keeping the 

 prices to the consumer very low in relation to pre-war prices and costs. 

 The consumer has been getting the benefit of maintaining the domestic 

 almond j^roducers in the business. The fact that domestic tonnage can- 

 not be kept down, as soon as a profit is in sight, warrants the American 

 public in maintaining a sizable industry in this country by means of 

 a protective tariff, even though it may appear on the surface as though 

 it might mean increased prices. The experiences of the last four 

 years have demonstrated beyond a doubt that increases in import 

 duties have not resulted in increased prices to the consumer. They 

 have, in fact, increased the competition to a point where prices have 

 dropped rather than risen. 



The same situation applies to walnuts, except possibly as regards 

 losses to growers during recent years. The fact that walnuts ordinar- 

 ily take longer to ceme into bearing than almonds has prevented any 

 rapid increase in production such as has taken place with almonds. 

 They are, however, facing many of the same conditions of keen com- 

 petition from countries where costs of production are very, very low. 



Conditions this year point to both almond and walnut crops of ap- 

 proximately the same size as last year. That means the walnut crop 

 will be around 2.5,000 tons and the almond crop around 10,000 tons. 

 The condition of the walnut crop seems to be about normal. Where 

 irrigation is not available they are suffering from lack of water. Al- 

 monds this year are showing in many districts the disastrous effects of 

 the unusually dry season. This will show up most strongly, however, 

 in reduced tonnage for next year, and stick-tights for this year. These 

 latter, however, are not saleable, so the consumer need not worry but 

 tint the almonds received in the markets will be good, edible almonds. 

 What tlie final outcome of the drought will be it is a little too earlv to 

 tell. 



Pecans and filberts are ))rodueed in such small quantities in Califor- 

 nia that they do not affect the market in any way except possibly locally. 

 There is nothing to indicate any abnormal condition affecting either 

 of these in the few j^laces where they are grown. No large plantings 

 of either of these nuts are being made, since there seems to be consid- 

 erable question as to how successful they will be from a commercial 

 standpoint. 



Chestnuts are not being i^lanted as fast as the}- might be, especially 

 in those sections of the state to which they are well adapted. With the 

 rapid disappearance of the chestnut forests of the eastern states, 



