AGRICULTURAL INDUSTRIES 167 



of these articles into the United States, amount- 

 ing to a value of over three million dollars per 

 annum." 



In 1863 a writer in the Mercantile Gazette of San 

 Francisco made this conditional prophecy: "The 

 man who shall bring into proper notice and cultiva- 

 tion in California the fig, the raisin and the prune 

 will do the State greater service than if he should 

 pay her public debt. There is no country in the 

 world better adapted in every way to their successful 

 cultivation than California. The United States is 

 now importing these fruits at a cost of $2,318,978. 

 In a few years, by proper exertion, our orchardists 

 and vine growers may supply the demand of the 

 whole country." 



It was only five years later that H. D. Dunn 

 wrote: "From present appearances it seems prob- 

 able that California will be enabled to supply the en- 

 tire Union with raisins before the close of the pres- 

 ent century." 



In 1869, when California was still counting and 

 pricing oranges and lemons by the thousand fruits, it 

 was written: "Citrus fruits, it is believed, can be 

 grown here for the Eastern States with good success 

 and profit. It would probably take California fifty 

 years to supply the demand of the United States if 

 her growers were to enter into the business with 

 energy." 



These were all true prophecies. Measuring them 

 by the values of American imports of half a century 

 ago, they have been far more than realized. In fact, 



