4 BULLETIN 349, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



plowed up. The growers who persisted saw that to succeed they 

 would have to cooperate. In 1898 the California Raisin Growers' 

 Association was founded under the direction of the late M. Theo. 

 Kearney, owner of the largest raisin vineyard in California. In 

 1903 prices again fell, the association was unable to sell the raisins 

 it had contracted for, and many growers received no returns. As 

 only 30 per cent of the estimated acreage had been signed up, all 

 contracts were returned August 1, 1904, and the association went 

 into the hands of a receiver. Another attempt made in 1904 to 

 organize the growers resulted in the incorporation on May 6, 1905, of 

 the California Raisin Growers' Co., with M. F. Tarpey as president. 

 The company was never well supported by the growers and dis- 

 solved after nearly a year's existence. 



On November 24, 1911, the California Raisin Exchange, planned 

 by W. R. Nutting, was organized under the California membership 

 association law. Its first object was to map all the vineyards and 

 orchards in the central California fruit district, and its ultimate 

 aim was to maintain an open place of exchange for the sale of 

 raisins and dried fruit. 



What was at first styled "The Million Dollar Co." was legally 

 organized on November 15, 1912, as " The California Associated 

 Raisin Co." by the election of 25 trustees and with $401,000 cash 

 capital, subscribed by growers, which was increased to $750,000 

 before April 1, 1913, and has since been increased to $1,050,000. It 

 was incorporated on April 1, 1913, for $1,500,000. In 1914 6,500 

 growers contracted their crops with it. 



Active effort is being made by this organization to bring raisins 

 into more general use. 



On April 30, 1915, an entire carload of raisin bread was distributed 

 free at the Panama-Pacific Exposition from the Pure Food and Cali- 

 fornia Buildings. 



A distinguishing feature of the raisin industry is that the vine- 

 yards consist mainly of individual vineyards of 10 to 50 acres each, 

 although there are some which contain from 100 to several hundred 

 acres, and a few from 500 to 1,000 acres or more each. It will not be 

 amiss to state that a peculiar relationship has for some time existed 

 in the raisin-producing section between the grapes used for raisins 

 and those used for wine and brandy. For example, Alexandria, the 

 leading raisin grape, always has a heavy second crop of grapes, which 

 is practically all made into wine and brandy, the raisins being cured 

 from the first-crop grapes. It is also the endeavor to cure only 

 sufficient raisins to supply the demand, and the grapes not required 

 for raisins are made into wines and brandies. The product of about 

 110,000 acres is at present converted into raisins to meet the demand 

 for about 182,000,000 pounds per annum. 



