Fruit-growing in California. 



393 



1,100,000 gallons in 1880, while in 1897 they were no more 

 than 120,000 gallons. Most of the beer sent to this country 

 has been intended for transhipment, and the decline is 

 attributed to the development of direct steam communication 

 between that port and various transoceanic countries. A 

 certain amount of foreign beer is imported, mostly from the 

 United Kingdom, and it may be noticed that Hamburg's 

 imports of beer from this country, amounting to about 

 289,000 gallons on the average of the three years 1895-7, are 

 at present greater than its exports to the United Kingdom. 



Fruit- Growing in California. 



Mr. Consul-General Pickersgill in his Report on Califor- 

 nian trade in 1898 says that the lack of sufficient rain,combined 

 with successive hard frosts, caused the fruit crop of 1898 to 

 fall much below the average, and in many parts of the State 

 occasioned a complete failure. Canners were obliged to pay 

 unprecedented prices, and had great difficulty in obtaining 

 enough fruit of good quality to execute their orders. Pears, 

 plums, peaches, and apricots were all very scarce, the crop oi 

 the last-named fruit being less by about one-third than it was 

 in 1897. There was a paucity of berries too, and cherries 

 were far from plentiful. Walnuts were not only few in 

 quantity, but were poorer in quality than usual, and almonds 

 were almost entirely wanting. Early in the season there was 

 a prospect of a bountiful yield of raisin grapes, but it led to 

 disappointment. 



Wine also was not obtained in such quantity as expected, 

 and some of it turned out not altogether sound. In fact 

 nothing did well except oranges and lemons, of which the 

 crops were very large, and, for the most part, of fine 

 quality. 



But notwithstanding the low prices which have prevailed 

 almost without interruption for several seasons, interest in 

 fruit culture has not abated. ?Every year extensive additions 



