170 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



California and Malaga Prices, Importations ', etc. , from 1871 to 1889: 



The following statistics of prices of California and Malaga raisins have 

 been mostly compiled from various sources, such as the Fresno Ex- 

 positor, the San Francisco Journal of Commerce, the Fruit Grower, etc. 

 These statistics and notes will give a fair idea of the progress made 

 by the raisin industry in this State since 1873, the year when our 

 raisins first cut any conspicuous figure in the market of this continent. 

 The first struggle of the raisin-producers of this Coast was directed 

 against the importers of Malaga raisins, and against the prejudice of 

 our own consumers. It took about ten years to supersede the Malaga 

 product by our own. The following table gives the importation of 

 Malaga raisins to this State from 1871 to 1884 : 



Twenty-pound boxes. Twenty-pound boxes. 



1871 16,534 1881 1,719 



1872 36,*53 *882 i, 218 



1873 27,692 1883 633 



1874 35,447 1884 1,437 



1875 22,228 1885 800 



1876 29,187 1886 



1877 !3>357 1887 



1878 14,824 1888 



1879 10,884 



1880 3,988 



It will be observed that the imports began to fall off in 1875, being 

 that year more than 13,000 boxes short of the preceding year. In 

 1876 the importations struggled back to 29,187, syil being more than 

 6,000 boxes short of the importations of 1874; and then the battle was 

 practically won, for in the succeeding years the importations dwindled 

 away until in 1883 only 633 boxes were imported. The figures from 

 1886 to date are not obtainable, but are so insignificant as to be consid- 

 ered unnecessary to record. 



7<?7j. In 1873 the market was liberally supplied with Malaga rai- 

 sins, which brought at wholesale the following prices: Layers, whole 

 boxes, $3.00 to $3.75; half boxes, $3.62^; quarters, $3.75; eighths, 

 $4.00 to $4.25; London layers, $4.50. 



1874. Coming down to 1874, tne Malaga still holds the fort, layers 

 bringing $3.25 for whole boxes, and $3.12^ for half boxes, with the 

 customary advance on fractions. In all this time the California raisin 

 was too insignificant for notice, and was not quoted by commercial 

 papers. 



7(5*75. On January 14, 1875, this significant comment appears in 

 the Journal of Commerce: ' 'A decided change is being wrought in the 

 markets of this coast respecting the use of Malaga raisins, figs, Zante 

 currants, Hungarian prunes, almonds, walnuts, etc. In fact, from this 

 time forward Pacific Coast supplies of bunch raisins and dried fruits 

 generally are to be produced here in large quantities, and in favorable 

 seasons we will doubtless have a large surplus of almonds (hard, soft 

 and paper shells), English walnuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, raisins, figs, 

 etc." 



