170 REPORT OF STATE BOARD OF HORTICULTURE. 



could be used at home, as well as prunes, I put myself in communicatioa 

 with the consuls of Europe, China, and Japan, regarding- the possibilitj' of 

 exporting some of our fruits to these respective countries, and have re- 

 ceived hundreds of encouraging replies, and it affords me great pleasure 

 to state that I received the first cash order for a lot of apples from Nagasaki, 

 Japan, which has been filled by one of our dealers. This oriental market is 

 the one for us to operate in. It is a field of such importance that it should 

 be taken in hand at once — its possibilities are so vast that the end cannot 

 now be seen. 



Recent statistics show the expoi-tation of fruits in 1898 to oriental markets 

 to have been about as follows ( the 1899 reports are not yet available ), viz. : 

 British East Indies, $12,346; British Australasia, $260,611; other Asiatic 

 possessions and Oceauica, $147,151: Hong Kong, $67,718: other pai'ts of 

 China, $23,761; Japan, $22,713; exports of jireserved food, including fruits 

 from Spain to the Philippines, $175,261; wine, $148,816; flour, $149,940. 

 Here are markets which should be, in fact must be, cultivated and developed, 

 and they are practically our own, especially for our fine apples and Italian 

 prunes. The evaporated product of this prune is too fine to bring into com- 

 petion with sun-dried French prunes, as is done now in our eastern markets. 

 This competition would be eliminated in the Orient, as the inhabitants of 

 that climate demand a semi-tart fruit, a quality not possessed by the sweet, 

 insipid, sun-dried French prune of California. Therefore this market be- 

 longs exclusively to the Pacific Northwest. But, in catering to this market, 

 we must jjrepare our fruits in the way they want them, and not in the way 

 in which we would like to have them taken. At the risk of repeating my- 

 self, and only for the important matter contained therein, allow me once 

 more to quote from the reply to my letter of inquiry, addressed to Mr. 

 Johnson, Consul at Amoy, Japan: "There is a steady, increasing demand 

 among the natives for foreign fruits, whether canned, dried, or preserved. 

 The European population look to these imported fruits almost exclusively to 

 supply their tables. Tinned pears, peaches, and apricots come principally 

 from America, while preserved fruits, jams, and dried fruits still come 

 largely from Europe. The reason is apparent : The American manufacturer 

 will not, or does not, meet the conditions required. Since there are no 

 peaches or pears in Europe which can compete with those of California, the 

 oriental merchant has no choice ; in other lines he is not so restricted. 

 Prunes and raisins are largely used. The dried fruit is put up in bottles 

 and sealed. In no other way can it be shipped to the tropics without great 

 loss, as the humidity of the climate, or insects, will soon render it unsalable. 

 No fruit, biscuits, crackers, or other food products can be safely shipped to 

 Central or Southern China, Ja^^an, or Philipines, without being sealed in glass, 

 bottles or tinned. The English and Continental merchants and manufac- 

 turers understand this, and put up their fruits accordingly. If tinned, the 

 tins are either painted or varnished to prevent rust and consequent loss to 

 merchants. The American manufacturer has found a market for his pro- 

 duct without these extra expenses, and is slow to meet this demand, hence 

 dried fruits, jams, and tinned fruits are usually bought in other countries 

 where these necessary details are looked after. If our exporters of fruit 



