4 BULLETIN 349, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 
plowed up. The growers who persisted saw that to succeed they 
would have to cooperate. In 1898 the California Raisin Growers’ 
Association was founded under the direction of the late M. Theo. 
Kearney, owner of the largest raisin vineyard in California. In 
1903 prices again fell, the association was unable to sell the raisins 
it had contracted for, and many growers received no returns. As 
only 30 per cent of the estimated acreage had been signed up, all 
contracts were returned August 1, 1904, and the association went 
into the hands of a receiver. Another attempt made in 1904 to 
organize the growers resulted in the incorporation on May 6, 1905, of 
the California Raisin Growers’ Co., with M. F. Tarpey as president. 
The company was never well supported by the growers and dis- 
solved after nearly a year’s existence. 
On November 24, 1911, the California Raisin Exchange, planned 
by W. R. Nutting, was areaeed under the California membership 
association law. Its first object waseto map all the vineyards and 
orchards in the central California fruit district, and its ultimate 
aim was to maintain an open place of exchange for the sale of 
raisins and dried fruit. 
What was at first styled “The Million Dollar Co.” was legally 
organized on November 15, 1912, as “The California Associated 
Raisin Co.” by the election of 25 trustees and with $401,000 cash 
capital, subscribed by growers, which was increased to $750,000 
before April 1, 1913, and has since been increased to $1,050,000. It 
was incorporated on April 1, 1918, for $1,500,000. In 1914 6,500 
growers contracted their crops with it. 
Active effort is being made by this organization to bring raisins 
into more general use. 
On April 80, 1915, an entire carload of raisin bread was distributed — 
free at the Panama-Pacific Exposition from the Pure Food and Cali- 
fornia Buildings. 
A distinguishing feature of the raisin industry is that the vine- 
_ yards consist mainly of individual vineyards of 10 to 50 acres each, 
although there are some which contain from 100 to several hundred 
acres, and a few from 500 to 1,000 acres or more each. It will not be 
amiss to state that a peculiar relationship has for some time existed 
in the raisin-producing section between the grapes used for raisins 
and those used for wine and brandy. For example, Alexandria, the 
leading raisin grape, always has a heavy second crop of grapes, which 
is practically all made into wine and brandy, the raisins being cured ~ 
from the first-crop grapes. It is also the endeavor to cure only 
sufficient raisins to supply the demand, and the grapes not required 
for raisins are made into wines and brandies. The product of about 
110,000 acres is at present converted into raisins to meet the demand 
for about 182,000,000 pounds per annum. 3 

