74 



REPORT OF THE FIRST SEMI-ANNUAL MEETING 



Orange County Exhibit states that they attracted more attention 

 than anything in his collection ; in fact, more than any display of 

 fruits sent in. The people who have acquired a knowledge of the 

 fruit in the tropics, and dealers, who are often also importers, had 

 difficulty in believing that the fruit was really raised in this state, 

 and when convinced were very enthusiastic in their favorable pre- 

 dictions. One San Francisco fruit broker is reported to have said 

 that he could sell twenty dozen like the Taft daily at $10.00 per 

 dozen ; a statement which I, of course, would very much like to 

 believe true. Another, an importer of long and large experience 

 and high standing, thought that he could handle a carload of such 

 fruit weekly at from S5.00 to $6.00 per dozen, but that the con- 

 sumers were not yet educated to distinguish among varieties and 

 most any of those exhibited would sell equally well at first, size 

 being the main requisite. The steward of the Hotel Oakland who 

 had a Taft presented to him pronounced it the best he had ever 

 tasted and remarked that he would rather have an orchard of 

 such fruit than a gold mine. 



All of this is mentioned to help justify the prediction, that we 

 will have a ready market for all thick-skinned fruit of good 

 quality that we are likely to raise. I am not sure as to the 

 thin-skinned kinds and do not grow them much myself, except 

 incidentally for seed to raise stock for budding. Probably they 

 will prove remunerative, but not to the same extent. 



To obtain the best returns it is eminently necessary that the 

 fruit should be smooth and not roughened. Visitors to my ranch 

 have noticed, of course, that where the crop was large I have 

 erected screens, not only to prevent the fruit from being twisted 

 from the trees by the desert winds which occasionally blow with 

 considerable violence during the winter months, but also to keep 

 the fruit from being rubbed excessively on the limbs and twigs 

 and against each other. Breezes, too gentle to blow ofif the fruit, 

 may persist for several days. Continuously rubbing lightly on 

 any woody surface produces abrasion and roughens the fruit so 

 that while its contents may be unimpaired its looks prevent it 

 from being marketable fruit of the first class. The dif¥erence in 

 appearance, between protected and unprotected fruit is often 

 great, particularly in the case of the thick-skinned kinds to which 

 these observations principally apply. The thin-skinned varieties 



