the leakage of raisins, so that with the growth oi the raisin 

 Industry a strong, close-fitting tray was needed. 



The vertical-grain saner tray: Tills tray was tlio answer 

 to the raisin growers 1 demand and was put on the market about 

 1898 by the Humphrey 3ros. in Iresno County. Since that time 

 the demand fr this class of tray has rapidly increased until 

 at the present tine - according to E.G. Dudley who made a care- 

 ful study of the Industry from the growers' standpoint - about 

 2,000,000 vertical sawn trays per year are neefecl in and about 

 Tresr.o County. 



As the raisin industry has centered around Presno Coxinty, 

 the tray mills, which are dependent on the raisin Industry, 

 hare most all located In the Sierra national Torest which is 

 naturally the local source of material for the wood-using In- 

 dustries of "resno County and neighboring counties. 



In 1896 the Humphrey Lros. starte " 'that first tray raill 

 on what is known as Pine Ridge. Their average output wao 

 about 50,000 trays a year. At present there are five tray 

 mills operating within the Forest, with an annual output of 

 1,500,000 trays a year. This accounts' for about -three fovjths 

 of the sawn trays demanded. Most of the remainder are slash- 

 grain sawn trays inade by the bos factories. The slash-^rain 

 boards are not nearly so strong as the vertical-grain, and their 

 popularity , although their initial cost is less, Is decidedly 

 on the wane 



Utilization in a tray mill is attended with a great deal 

 more waste than is usual in saw mills. The timber must first 

 be split into bolts about 6" ^ 12" and 26 inches long, practic- 

 ally free from knots. Thus the lower c,Tade of timber cannot b 

 used at all on account of the many knots. 



The problem of handling timber sales to tray mill operators 

 has been rather a perplexing one on account of this poor utiliza- 

 tion. The waste product is fit only for fuel, and the expense 

 of getting it to market prohibits its use for fuel. The system 

 of marking has therefore had to be changed from the usual practice 

 in marking saw timbor. About 40$ of the stand Is taken out, 

 and only the first grade trees are cut. The practice of good 

 silviculture, however, is not neglected, and the decrease in 

 the grade of timber left en an area is made up for by the In- 

 creased stumpage price to the tray mill. 



Three of the fl^e tray mills operating on the Torest are 

 operating under timber se*le contracts and a fourth one has ap- 

 plied for national Torest timber. It seems probable that the 

 regular output of trays from National forest timber on this 

 forest will average at least 1,000,000 trays per year and with 

 close utilization will represent a out of 2,750,000 ft. 3. . 



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