PROCEEDINGS OF NINETEENTH FRUIT GROWERS' CONVENTION. 117 



for such fruit, if it was properly opened up. They don't know how to 

 cook the fruit. I think we ought to advertise, and distribute samples of 

 our fruit where it would do the most good. Now, Germany is a very 

 large country. It has over 100,000,000 inhabitants, and only about 

 10,000 or so use our dried apricots. 



Major Berry: You didn't state at what price they were sold. 



Mr. Zimmerman: I saw, in Germany, our apricots sold at 13 cents a 

 pound. They readily bring 30 cents a pound in the interior. The very 

 cheapest goods are sold there. 



Major Berry: What sized packages? 



Mr. Zimmerman: 35-pound packages. 



Major Berry: Any import duty? 



Mr. Zimmerman: The import duty is very small. It amounts to only 

 one half a cent a pound. You must remember that when I talk about 

 pounds I talk about German pounds, about one ninth larger than the 

 English pound. A German pound is about 500 grams, and the English 

 pound about 450 grams. The duty is laid at the rate of half a cent a 

 pound, gross weight. This don't amount to very much. 



Major Berry: What would the freight and duty be? 



Mr. Zimmerman: I don't know exactly what the freight and duty 

 would be. You can allow about a cent a pound for freight and things on 

 the steamer; the duty is half a cent a pound, and then you have to allow 

 about one ninth overage for the difference in weight. If it is express 

 fruit, of course it will cost you more, according to the value. 



Mr. Berwick: You were speaking about 100,000,000 of people. Are 

 they all German-speaking? 



Mr. Zimmerman: Certainly. In saying 100,000,000, I took that class 

 of people which will take our fruit at a price that will satisfy us. 



Mr. Berwick: Do you speak of the entire continent of Europe? 



Mr. Zimmerman: I speak of Germany, Austria, Russia, etc. One 

 thing in connection with advertising I would like to mention. There is 

 going to be a National Exhibition held next year, and this will be the 

 event of the year. I think the Paris Exposition is not going to be held 

 until 1900, and this will be the biggest event of the age. This is our 

 opportunity, in my opinion, to bring before the rich people of Germany, 

 England, and France the superior qualities of our California fruits. 



Mr. Berwick: Where is this exhibition to be held? 



Mr. Zimmerman: At Berlin. This is an opportunity to make a big 

 advertising of our people and their goods. It could be arranged easily 

 to have a collection of our fruits, and then have somebody there to cook 

 them, and furnish enough printed matter telling how to prepare them. 

 Put in something about the superiority of our fruit, and the cost, etc. 

 All these things are done easily, and don't cost very much. My con- 

 viction is that there is a great field for our fruits. 



Major Berry: Allow me to make a statement. During this last 

 season a neighbor of mine had employed on his fruit ranch a young 

 man by the name of Claude, whose parents lived in Bristol, England. 

 He had been sent out to California to learn the fruit business. I con- 

 sulted with my neighbor, and it was decided that we would put up 

 for this young man 500 pounds of dried peaches in 25-pound boxes, 

 and send them to England by this young man, as he was going home. 

 Before he started we got some information about opening up this trade. 

 We contributed this fruit, and we received an order after this young 



