34 



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Annals of Horticulture. 



Piatt, of the Sacramento Board of Trade, writes that "it 

 is very pleasing to be able to report a continued devel- 

 opment of this industry, and the assured success of the same. 

 During the past three years upwards of 250,000 orange and 

 50,000 lemon trees were planted in Sacramento county and 

 several counties north and east, and it is gratifying to note 

 that the trees are doing remarkably well, many of them com- 

 ing into bearing and old orchards showing a continued good 

 yield. It is found that the quality of the fruits is equal to 

 any grown in the southern part of the state." 



Reports indicate that the raisin crop of California for 1891 

 will exceed that of last year. Careful estimates place the 

 crop at 1,800,000 boxes, an increase of 300,000 boxes over 

 last year. This increase comes mostly from some 20,000 

 acres of young vines, coming into bearing this year. The 

 California raisins are constantly gaining favor in the markets, 

 both at home and abroad. It will be profitable to those in- 

 terested in the development of our raisin industry to read the 

 The following account of the methods of growing and curing the 

 rop 1 Valencia raisins, with which our product competes. The arti- 

 cle was contributed to the Fruit Trade Journal from a corre- 

 spondent in Denia, Spain : "The raisin industry dates back 

 to a remote period ; in fact it has been uninterruptedly pur- 

 sued since the middle of the seventeenth century, when 

 raisins are reported to have been shipped to foreign ports from 

 Gandia, though to a somewhat insignificant extent. Exports 

 on a large scale commenced some sixty or seventy years ago, 

 and since then Denia has been the center of exportation 

 from its being favorably situated on the coast, in the middle 

 of the raisin-district. The cultivation of the vineyards 

 and drying and curing of the grapes during this long 

 period have not been improved, owing to the innate 

 perverseness of the growers and farmers, their non-adop- 

 tion of modern methods and improvements, their stub- 

 born attachment to out-of-date implements. In cultivating 

 the soil they not only use the most primitive implements, but 

 the vines are never irrigated as is the case in the United 

 States, even if irrigation is at hand. In a wet season when 

 abundant rains are prevailing, such irrigation is, of course, un- 

 necessary ; but in dry seasons the vines are not sufficiently 

 developed to produce first-class fruit. Since the mildew ap- 



