TWENTY-NINTH FRUIT -GROWERS" CONVENTION. 



131 



has taken a full average quantity of raisins and its present requirements 

 are supplied; but the market is badly demoralized at the present time 

 by offerings of raisins not controlled by the Association at 1^ cents per 

 pound below Association prices, which is a loss not only to the owner of 

 these raisins of $30 per ton, but to the whole crop of at least $10 per 

 ton more. The remedy for this can only be found in unanimous co- 

 operation among the producers, and much better results will be attained 

 if the make-shift, one-year contract could be replaced by one for a term 

 of years, with authority given to the management to raise some capital, 

 enabling them to expend money for efficient advertising and for the 

 erection of packing-houses, if necessary. The subject of co-operation 

 and marketing will, however, be presented to the Convention in a 

 separate paper, and no better field to illustrate it could be found than 

 the raisin grape, in consequence of the limited area in which it can be 

 profitably grown. 



HANDLING AND MARKETING THE RAISIN CROP. 



By D. D. ALLISON, of Fresxo. 



The marketing of raisins necessarily depends upon a great many of 

 the details being carried out successfully before the raisins are ready 

 for market. The first duty of the board of directors of the Raisin- 

 Growers' Association has been, in the last two years, to get as solid an 

 Association as possible. About a year ago what was termed a five-year 

 contract was placed before the growers for their consideration, so that 

 they would have ample time before the annual meeting to digest it 

 thoroughly and pass upon it, and so that the work of the Association could 

 proceed speedily and successfully for the coming year. At that annual 

 meeting the contract was passed upon affirmatively and unanimously. 

 To each grower known to the Association was sent a copy of the con- 

 tract, together with a stamped envelope addressed to the Association, 

 with the request that the grower, after reading the contract thoroughly, 

 sign it and forward the duplicate thereof to the Association. We 

 waited several months, and succeeded in getting about five per cent of 

 the growers to sign; and just about the time the board of directors had 

 decided to go on a barn-storming expedition to interview the individual 

 growers, a meeting was called and by a vote almost unanimous it was 

 decided to request the board of directors to change the five-year contract 

 to a one-year contract. The board of directors called a special meet- 

 ing and submitted the question to the growers, and they decided to 

 change it to a one-year contract. When the vote was counted, on the 

 assumption that there were in the State of California 64,000 acres 

 planted to Muscat grapes, we found that we had about 93 per cent of 

 the acreage; but in the last two days we succeeded in getting 20 per 



