66 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



the overdried raisins as well as prevent the yet green grapes from dry- 

 ing. They are precursors of the rainy season, and warn the grower to 

 prepare his dryer if he possess one. In Greece and Smyrna such 

 hot or moist winds are also known and feared, and cause at times much 

 damage in one way or another. We might here also mention the cold 

 "northers" which are common in the California raisin districts in 

 springtime, and which sometimes both cause the young shoots to 

 break off from the old wood and make it easy for the mildew to attack 

 the flowers or the young berries of the vines. Against these north- 

 west winds we have two remedies, summer pruning and sulphuring, 

 which, if applied in time, are both quite effective. 



Fog sand Moisture in the Air. It is certain that the air in the Cali- 

 fornia raisin districts is much drier than that of the Spanish or Medi- 

 terranean districts generally. The night air is, in these districts, 

 loaded with moisture, and dew is heavy and frequent, even in the 

 middle of the summer. The air in Malaga and Smyrna feels quite 

 moist, and without this moisture in the air the vines would grow less 

 and require irrigation. In these places the raisin grapes grow on the 

 steep hillsides without irrigation, but in California this could not be 

 done anywhere except in El Cajon or in other parts of the San Diego 

 district, where the air is considerably moister than elsewhere. This 

 increased moisture is partly caused by the increased rainfall in these 

 districts, and partly by their nearness to the sea and fogs. This mois- 

 ture in the air will, when other conditions are equal, greatly benefit 

 the grapes, causing them to grow larger, and the thickness of the skin 

 is materially diminished. Combined with this moisture in the air, fogs 

 are injurious or indifferent. There is always a great difference between 

 warm fogs and cold fogs, and now I speak principally of fogs from the 

 ocean. Warm fogs are not particularly injurious to the grapes, gener- 

 ally indifferent and sometimes even considerable of a benefit to the 

 proper development of the grapes. In Malaga, San Diego and in 

 Chile the Muscat grapes grow and thrive actually within the reach of 

 the spray of the waves, and fogs are there not uncommon, but they 

 are warm. It would seem that such a climate would cause mildew or 

 oidium, but I cannot find that these fungi are particularly frequent in 

 San Diego county, while in Malaga they are but little more common 

 than in the inland districts of our State. But as we go north the cold 

 fogs become more common, and the vines thrive less under their influ- 

 ence. North of Los Angeles county the Muscat vines do not enjoy the 

 coast air, while even in Orange county the interior vineyards are 

 preferred to those closer to the coast. But anywhere, even in the best 

 situated districts, protection from the direct influence of the sea fogs is 

 appreciated, and the best localities are those in which low hills afford 

 this protection by modifying and increasing the temperature of the fog 

 or sea air. 



In Central, and in the larger part of Southern, California, the inland 

 valleys are the most successful raisin-producing districts, while even 

 in San Diego county, where the Muscats seem to thrive at the very 

 seashore, the interior valleys alone afford the necessary heat and dry 

 air for curing the grapes and transforming them into raisins. Accord- 



