172 FRUIT HARVESTING, STORING, MAKKKTING 



opened a considerable export trade in these same 

 fruits, as will be seen from these figures : 



EXPORTS OF RAISINS AND PRUNES, 1898-1900 



The increasing importance of the American prune 

 industr}' may be better judged by the fact that the 

 output has doubled within the last five years. The 

 California prune crop, which forms the bulk of the 

 output, has, during the last half decade, reached the 

 figures given herewith. 



PRUNE OUTPUT OK CALIFORNIA 



Such fruits as olives, pineapples, bananas, and 

 dates, not commercially produced in the United States, 

 are imported every year in larger and larger quanti- 

 ties. The whole fruit trade is increasing enormoush- 

 every year, so that any reduction in importations 

 almost necessarily means a larger increase in domestic 

 production. 



With these remarks the following tables are sub- 

 mitted. 



