15 



was for a brief time succtssful, there would soon be such a disparity in the cjuality of the 

 product, and so much of the poorly prepared article thrown on the market, that the repu- 

 tation of California dried fruits would be anything but enviable. And if for no other rea- 

 son than that the general good in this case would be the only sure profit of the individual, 

 the co-operative plan recommends itself. 



The dairy-men of New York and other States were forced to it, and the result was the 

 establishment of large lactories on the co operative plan, which now turn out cheese of a 

 standard, uniform and excellent quality. 



Suppose that each of the fruit growers of a certain locality was to carry his fruit on speci- 

 fied contract terms to a certain factory, of a size proportionate to the resources of the section 

 in which it was located, and conducted by a skillful superintendent of business capacity, 

 whose attention would be solely devoted to this specialty. The consequence would be that 

 the manufactured article would be of standard excellence, the farmers would be relieved 

 of personal embarrassment and responsibility, and the profits would be vastly increased. 

 The plan has been tried, and with success.'''' 



ADVANTAGES OP THE ALDEN METHOD. 



^^'e copy the following from the Sac?-amento Record : 



" The advantages of the Alden Method over canning or sun-drying are manifest. In the 

 first place the flavor of the fruit is retained to an almost, if not to an equal extent in the 

 Alden Piocess as" in the canning. For our own part, to the fruits we have tried preserved by 

 the Alden Process, we give the preference over canned, for table use and for cooking pur- 

 poses, and we think that will be the general verdict. ^ s * -• 



By sun-drying, the fruit undergoes a complete fermentation, thereby destroying all the 

 natural flavor of the green fruit, and substituing dried fruit taste, so inseparable from all fruits 

 dried in this way. Again, it is next to impossible to conduct the business of drying in the 

 sun on a scale equal to the demands of California producers. This proposition needs no 

 proof. Experience has demonstrated this. Then, too, the insects in our peculiar climate 

 are destruction to the sun-dried fruit by depositing eggs on the same, while exposed to dry, 

 unless before packing the fruit shall be subjected to a process by which they shall be des- 

 troyed. This latter process would be an extra expense almost equal to the whole expense 

 of the Alden Process, and then you will have an inferior article at greater cost." 



LiTTLEFlELD, WeBB & CO, ) 



Wholesale Commission Merchants, >- 



San Francisco, Dec. 20, 1S75. ) 

 To G. W. Deitzler, Esq., 



President Alden Fruit Preserving Company of California. 



Dear Sir : — In response to your enquiry of this date concerning our operations in the 

 Alden Fruit and Vegetables for the past year, we beg to submit the following : 



We are pleased to note a steady and increasing demand for these goods — a demand 

 coming not alone from one quarter, but gradually extending to every section of the Pacific 

 Coast and Territories, as well as the Eastern and Southern States and Europe, and pervad- 

 ing (though slightly as yet) the Australian colonies, who are large consumers of canned and 

 dried Iruits, which trade in this particular line, if it can once be secured, will form no 

 small item in our export lists. 



We would call the attention of the Alden factories to the advisability of packing their 

 goods (or at least a portion of them) in attractive, handy packages, for the retail trade — say 

 in one and two pound paper boxes, and perhaps some five-pound packages would not be 

 amiss. 



This still would be much more satisiactory, we imagine, to storekeepers, etc., as the 

 goods would not only be more convenient to handle than as present packed, but a more 

 attractive display could be made, which would naturally tend to increase the sule. This 



