THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 39 



brought from R. B. Blowers' vineyard at Woodland. The following 

 year, or in 1877-78, Miss M. F. Austin began improving her Hedgerow 

 Vineyard, also in the same colony, with grapes of the same kind as 

 Messrs. White and B'owers. Robert Barton had also planted some 

 twenty-five acres of Muscat grapes, but did not make raisins until 

 later. The year 1879 saw the first planting of the A. B. Butler vine- 

 yard, now the largest vineyard in the State. J. T. Goodman had 

 began improving his place at the same time; While Col. William For- 

 syth entered upon raisin-grape growing between 1881 and 1882, most 

 of his grapes, however, being planted a year or two later. From that A 

 time the raisin vineyards in Fresno multiplied rapidly, and about 1886 V7 

 and 1887 raisin production became recognized as the principal industry 'V 

 of the district. 



The history of the development of the raisin industry in the other 

 districts of the State runs very much the same. Riverside had entered 

 the field in 1873, when the founder of that colony, Judge John Wesley 

 North, planted there the first raisin-vines of the variety Muscat of 

 Alexandria. But raisin-grape growing did not become general until 

 1875 and 1876, when the largest vineyards in the colony were planted. 

 In El Cajon valley in San Diego county, the first raisin vines of the 

 Muscat of Alexandria variety were planted in 1873 by R. G. Clark; but 

 the raisin industry did not get a good start until some six or seven 

 years ago, while most of the vineyards were planted from 1884 to 1886. 

 In Orange county, raisin grapes were planted at the same time as in 

 Riverside and El Cajon by MacPherson Bros., near Orange, now called 

 MacPherson. The raisin industry developed rapidly, and Robert Mac- 

 Pherson, the largest grower and packer in the district, and at one time 

 in the State, handled yearly over one hundred thousand boxes, while 

 the yearly crop of the district rose to one hundred and seventy thousand 

 boxes. 



In Central California, the raisin industry is gradually spreading from 

 the original center around Fresno, the greater freedom from rain and 

 the better facilities for irrigation being great inducements for the set- 

 tlers to engage in the growing and curing of the raisin grapes. The 

 San Joaquin valley is especially adapted to the production of raisins, 

 the Fresno raisin district being by far the largest, and now producing 

 almost one-half of the raisin crop of the State. In San Bernardino 

 county and district, the raisins are also grown to great profit and with 

 great facility, and are of equal quality with those of the interior of the" 

 State. But the raisin industry is here gradually giving way to the 

 culture of oranges and other citrus fruits, and the increase in the raisin 

 acreage has thereforefTot been so great as in the San Joaquin valley. 

 In El Cajon, irrigation is not used, and the raisins produced there are 

 very similar to the Malaga raisins, but through absence of irrigation 

 the crops are smaller than in any of the other districts in the State. \ 

 In Los Angeles and Orange county district, the raisin industry has 

 suffered immensely from the ravages of the vine plague, an as yet 

 entirely mysterious disease, and the output of raisins there has dwin- 

 dled down to almost nothing. But the farmers of the district are ready 

 to replant whenever there are any prospects that the vines will do well 

 again. 



