MARKET IN PHILADELPHIA. 181 



While I do not expect that the business will clear itself by the end 

 of the year, yet I hope and believe, from the manner in which it in 

 creases* that it will be more than self-sustaining in another season. 

 Everything seems to bid fair for the Grangers to do the great busi 

 ness in this line in the future. In fact this is now very generally 

 admitted, even by those who, not many months ago, stigmatized us 

 as not understanding the business, and that of necessity we would 

 freeze out, as we had &quot; neither credit nor capital.&quot; 



To show how near freezing out we came, I will state that during 

 the month of September there were received in San Francisco, from 

 all sources, some eighty-three thousand pounds. Of this amount, 

 there were received by us, nineteen thousand eight hundred and 

 twelve pounds, or nearly one fourth of the whole amount; and when 

 we come to know that there are forty-eight firms engaged in selling 

 dairy produce at wholesale, we know that we are not going to die 

 out yet awhile. 



The matter of dried fruits deserves more than a passing notice. 

 The fact that California-grown fruits are among the finest, at once 

 gives us a prominent position among the fruit-growers of the world. 

 Bat the mere matter of prominent position is not all we want we 

 must have a proper remuneration for our investment and our labor. 

 As green fruits are so common and cheap in this State, we are com 

 pelled to look abroad for a, market, and since the establishment of 

 the various drying machines and apparatuses, this is now not so dif 

 ficult as before. With this end in view, I have made permanent ar 

 rangements with the house of Miles, Carson & Co., in Philadelphia, 

 who are probably the heaviest dealers in this commodity in the 

 United States, to handle and sell for our house dried fruits, honey, 

 and butter. I have every reason to believe the business will succeed. 



In speaking of the business done, I speak usually of butter, as 

 that is my principal business; yet there is much clone in other com 

 modities. Very nearly all the cheese of the Petaluma factory has 

 found a market through the Grange agency, besides much dairy 

 cheese; also eggs, poultry, potatoes, honey, and dried fruits. The 

 matter of potatoes is an important interest, and requires more atten 

 tion than it now receives. But when it comes to be considered more 

 thoroughly, you will find it a very difficult thing to manage. For 

 the special benefit of the potato-growers, I have employed the ser 

 vices of Win. H. Alexander, who is also a Patron, and member of 

 Tomales Grange, and who has had several years of experience in 

 selling potatoes. 



As to honey, it must find a market out of this State, to be profit 

 able to the farmer. 



Now, let us look at the practical results of our enterprise. There are 

 now made in California, as near as can be approximated, about nine 

 million nine hundred and twenty thousand six hundred and twenty- 

 eight pounds of butter, besides cheese. Of this, about seven million 

 nine hundred and thirty-six thousand pounds finds a market through 

 out the State. In looking over nry account sales for the butter sold 

 in 1872, which was an average year as to price, I find the average 

 price per pound, for the first nine months, to be twenty-five and one- 

 eighth cents, while this year, for the same dairy, during the same 



