Chapter XI: Part 11

When at last the tray is full, and all the five pounds of raisins from the weighing tray are in, the upper surface should be smooth so as to require as little pressure as possible. When full the trays are taken to the press and stored on a side table until actually used. The presses are generally arranged for four trays. These are now placed under the press, a follower is placed on the top of every tray, and only sufficient pressure applied. Frequently too much pressure is used, and the raisins are flattened out to their greatest possible extent, many even crushed and so broken that the juice runs out. All such crushed raisins will sugar in a few months, and the whole box containing them will spoil and deteriorate in value. If, again, the raisins have been properly pressed, they will keep for months or even years. After the trays have been sufficiently pressed, which generally is accomplished in one minute’s time, the pressure is released, the follower removed, the folders turned over the raisins, and the trays removed to the boxing table, on which they may be allowed to accumulate until the boxer is ready to fill his boxes. On this table the final packing or “making up” of a box is done. It takes four of these five-pound frames to fill one whole box. Each tray is in its turn placed over a box, the sliding bottom is quickly removed, and the five-pound layer drops down in the box undisturbed. Every fourth frame should, in addition to the common paper wrapper, have labels and fancy paper pasted on the folders, or, as is sometimes done, an extra fancy folder or wrapper is placed on the third layer, and on the top or inside of it the fourth layer is dropped. Each layer will thus be found in its own wrapper, but the upper layer will have two, the outside one of which is fancy. Fine layers should have a waxed paper immediately above the raisins, in order that the moisture or sugar from them may not spoil the labels. On the top of the waxed paper the chromo or label is placed. The box is now ready for nailing.

_Packing Layers, Top-down Method._--This method I advocate as the most proper one to use. Thin galvanized-iron trays with a drop bottom are used. On the top of the drop bottom is placed a heavy follower of metal. White’s facing-plate, turned over, can be used to great advantage, even where no facing is required. The choicest bunches are now selected and spread evenly on the bottom of the tray; other bunches are placed on top of them, and so on until the tray is full. Great care must be taken in packing so as to make the bunches fit each other and lie solid; otherwise they are very apt to be disturbed, or they will require too heavy pressure to be kept in place. When the tray is full, it is gently pressed, and the pressure kept up for a few seconds. A loose zinc plate is then placed over the tray, the latter is turned over and placed over the box, in which the necessary wrapping papers have been previously placed, the loose zinc plate is quickly withdrawn, and the contents fall into the box. The heavy follower keeps the top layer steady, and with a little care the raisins are not disturbed.

The top-down method for packing layers has the following advantages over the top-up method. It gives a smooth surface on which to pack the top layer, without necessitating pressure to first create such a surface, the packing being done on a hard plate. The wrappers are not soiled, as they are not first placed in the frames. The packer is enabled to pack and select his choicest bunches for the top layer while he has plenty to select from, and any odd berries and broken or smaller bunches come naturally in the bottom of each layer. In the top-up method all such odds remain for the top, where they _must_ go in, in order to make up the required five pounds.

A raisin-packer averages seventy-five trays of five pounds each per day, for which she is paid two cents each. Some pack more than this; but very excellent packing proceeds slower, and a packer of very choice layers can only pack twenty-five trays of five pounds each per day, for which a correspondingly higher price is paid. In Malaga, a trained and expert packer receives between two and three dollars per day. In California, they do not receive any more. In our raisin district, the girls are rapidly becoming expert packers, and the same ones are reëngaged year after year by the same packing-house.

_Filling._--The filling of the raisins is a trick to make them appear larger than they are. This filling was invented in Spain, and is used there especially on Dehesa boxes and where very expensive packing is required. It is done in the following manner. The raisin is first flattened out as much as possible, then the edges are bent, making the raisins slightly concave. In placing the concave side downwards, a smaller raisin is slipped underneath so as to cause the manipulated raisin to keep its shape. These filled raisins are used for facing only. The Spanish filled raisins have been handled to such an extent that all the bloom is lost, and the raisin looks anything but attractive. The California method of filling is a great improvement on the Spanish way. When the facing-plate is used, the raisin is first placed in a cavity on the plate, then worked out by a pressure with the finger, and when sufficiently concave another raisin is dropped in the hollow and pressed tightly. The faced raisin is thus filled, and when seen from the other side will appear much larger than otherwise. When, again, the top-up method of packing is used, a small block of wood may be employed. This block contains a single cavity of the size, that a raisin when pressed will fill it. The counterpart of this block is furnished with a convex protuberance, and when the two halves are placed together with a raisin between, and pressure is brought to bear, the raisin flattens out and becomes concave just enough to receive the filling.

In this way no handling with the fingers is done, and the raisin keeps its bloom undisturbed. Nothing is more attractive than a raisin with its bloom untouched; similarly the raisin that has lost its bloom always gives the buyer an idea that it has been fingered. Its appetizing quality is gone. Spanish Dehesas are generally both faced and filled. Some objection to this method is that it deceives, but as long as people not only are willing to be deceived but are actually anxious to pay for the deception, there is no reason why the filling should not be used. The deception, besides, is a very innocent one. It has also another excuse: A well faced and filled box is really a work of art; it will help to educate the people up to the appreciation of what fine raisins and fine packing should be. Filling and facing combined are practiced but little in California, and it is doubtful if filled facing will ever grow in much demand here.

_Nailing and Trimming._--The boxes are next moved to the nailing table. Two nails are put in the short sides and two in the long sides of the cover. The boxes when nailed are passed to the trimmer, who with a drawknife trims the edges and cuts off the comers diagonally. The latter prevents the boxes or covers from splitting. The best nails are French wire nails for the sides and ends, one and one-quarter inches long, and for tops and bottoms one inch long.

_Labels._--I cannot finish this part without adding some words about our labels. It is of importance that our labels and colored lithographs should be appropriate. The time has come when our raisins should stand upon their own merits, and should be designated with appropriate names. I should wish to see only California names used, California layers instead of London layers, California scenes instead of foreign scenes, which give no idea of our conditions, and which do not help to advertise our State and its resources. Whatever our labels may represent, they should be distinctly Californian. Another point which is but seldom observed on these labels is the shape and color of our raisin grapes. The latter are often represented on the labels, but their shape is seldom observed. Nowhere have we seen on them a true Gordo Blanco or a true Muscat of Alexandria represented, the grapes there pictured being impossible as raisin grapes, or even well-known wine or table grapes, out of which no raisins could be made. The packer has a right to protest against such misrepresentations of our fair grapes, especially as the lithographer could just as readily and just as cheaply have followed the originals. A beautiful label is well worth its price. As a work of art, it is seldom thrown away, but is carefully kept and made to adorn the walls of many a humble home, in which the name and fame of our State will soon be a household word. Let these labels go out by the million yearly to tell of our climate and of our soil, and of the land where the luscious raisins are produced, with the same care as apples or garden stuff in countries less favored by nature.

STATISTICS OF IMPORTATION, PRODUCTION AND PRICES.

_Production of Raisins in California from to 1889:_

Twenty-
pound
boxes.
1873 6,000
1874 9,000
1875 11,000
1876 19,000
1877 32,000
1878 48,000
1879 65,000
1880 75,000
1881 90,000
1882 115,000
1883 140,000
1884 175,000
1885 500,000
1886 700,000
1887 800,000
1888 963,000
1889 1,000,000

The California crop, from 1885 to 1889, was divided between the various raisin districts of the State about as follows:

==============================+=======+=======+=======+=======+=======
| 1885. | 1886. | 1887. | 1888. | 1889.
------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
Fresno |107,000|225,000|350,000|440,000|475,000
Riverside and San Bernardino |129,000|195,000|190,000|270,000|265,000
Orange County and Los Angeles}|139,000|180,000| 85,000| 42,000| 8,000
County }| | | | |
Woodland and Davisville | 67,000| 75,000|125,000 115,000|120,000
San Diego | 10,000| 25,000| 20,000| 40,000| 75,000
Tulare | 6,000| 8,000| 10,000| 11,000| 15,000
Kern | -- | -- | -- | -- | 4,000
Scattering | 12,000| 15,000| 20,000| 25,000| 25,000
+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------
|470,000|723,000|800,000|943,000|987,000
------------------------------+-------+-------+-------+-------+-------

_Number of Acres in Raisin Grapes in California in 1890:_

Fresno district 30,000 acres.
Balance of San Joaquin valley 10,000 “
San Bernardino district 5,000 “
San Diego and El Cajon 6,000 “
Yolo and Solano 8,000 “
Balance of the State 7,000 “
------
66,000 “

This includes grapes in bearing, as well as vines lately set out.

_California and Malaga Prices, Importations, etc., from 1871 to 1889:_

The following statistics of prices of California and Malaga raisins have been mostly compiled from various sources, such as the Fresno _Expositor_, the San Francisco _Journal of Commerce_, the _Fruit Grower_, etc. These statistics and notes will give a fair idea of the progress made by the raisin industry in this State since 1873, the year when our raisins first cut any conspicuous figure in the market of this continent. The first struggle of the raisin-producers of this Coast was directed against the importers of Malaga raisins, and against the prejudice of our own consumers. It took about ten years to supersede the Malaga product by our own. The following table gives the importation of Malaga raisins to this State from 1871 to 1884:

Twenty-
pound
boxes.
1871 16,534
1872 36,153
1873 27,692
1874 35,447
1875 22,228
1876 29,187
1877 13,357
1878 14,824
1879 10,884
1880 3,988
1881 1,719
1882 1,218
1883 633
1884 1,437
1885 800
1886 --
1887 --
1888 --
1889 --

It will be observed that the imports began to fall off in 1875, being that year more than 13,000 boxes short of the preceding year. In 1876 the importations struggled back to 29,187, still being more than 6,000 boxes short of the importations of 1874; and then the battle was practically won, for in the succeeding years the importations dwindled away until in 1883 only 633 boxes were imported. The figures from 1886 to date are not obtainable, but are so insignificant as to be considered unnecessary to record.

_1873._--In 1873 the market was liberally supplied with Malaga raisins, which brought at wholesale the following prices: Layers, whole boxes, $3.00 to $3.75; half boxes, $3.62½; quarters, $3.75; eighths, $4.00 to $4.25; London layers, $4.50.

_1874._--Coming down to 1874, the Malaga still holds the fort, layers bringing $3.25 for whole boxes, and $3.12½ for half boxes, with the customary advance on fractions. In all this time the California raisin was too insignificant for notice, and was not quoted by commercial papers.

_1875._--On January 14, 1875, this significant comment appears in the _Journal of Commerce_: “A decided change is being wrought in the markets of this coast respecting the use of Malaga raisins, figs, Zante currants, Hungarian prunes, almonds, walnuts, etc. In fact, from this time forward Pacific Coast supplies of bunch raisins and dried fruits generally are to be produced here in large quantities, and in favorable seasons we will doubtless have a large surplus of almonds (hard, soft and paper shells), English walnuts, chestnuts, hickory nuts, raisins, figs, etc.”

On November 4, 1875, it was recorded that up to the 1st of November there had been received 6,000 boxes of California raisins, “the quality generally good,” worth from eight to ten cents per pound, say $2.00 and $2.25 per box of twenty-two pounds net; London layers, $3.50 and $3.75.

_1876._--In January of 1876 Malagas were quoted at $3.25 and $3.50, California raisins bringing ten and twelve and one-half cents per pound. The following comment was made at that time, which may be considered as another mile-stone in the progress of the California industry: “Malaga raisins have been imported to very much less extent the present than last season, owing to the large products of California cured, which latter have amounted to upwards of 30,000 boxes, about one-half of which have been of prime quality, suitable for table use, a portion being poorly cured and considerably inferior to the imported, but have sold at lower rates for ordinary cooking purposes.”

The California raisin was now fairly on its feet, so to speak, and was in lively competition with the Malaga dried grape. The market reports spoke well of Blowers’ California Muscatels and Briggs’ bunch raisins. The jobbers, however, were loth to give up the Malaga; but to sell that article they had to import an extra choice quality, as the public was beginning to show a marked preference for the home product. In proof of this the following extract, dated November 9, 1876, is given: “The quality of the Malaga raisins now here is superior to any ever before imported, and have a preference over our best California raisins. This, however, will not always be the case, as experience makes perfect, and in a few years we will be entirely independent of the Old World for all sorts of dried fruits.”

_1877._--In November, 1877, very complimentary notice is made of Blowers’ layer raisins from Woodland, which brought $2.75 and $3.00 per box. Briggs’ raisins were worth $2.25 and $2.70. This extract, dated January 18, 1877, is still another landmark in the raisin industry: “The consumption of raisins has been fully up to the average of past years, yet divided between Malaga imports and our own California production. Of the latter, upwards of 20,000 boxes have been already marketed; and, had it not been for the unusual and unexpected heavy rainfall in October, there is every reason to believe that our home crop of bunch and layer raisins would have reached 50,000 boxes of twenty pounds each. Blowers’ Muscat raisins were superior and in every way equal to the imported. Briggs, of Marysville, also turned out several thousand boxes of bunch, and others have made a creditable beginning. Enough has been done here in this line to satisfy our grape-growers that raisin-curing is to be, in the near future, a prominent California interest, and, to do it successfully, the sun-drying process is infinitely superior to that of machine-drying. Sheds must be erected and prepared in time to protect the fruit from early rain, and then the working process is sure to all who have the right kind of grapes. Then uniform weight in twenty, ten and five pound boxes, all handsomely put up in fancy papered boxes, and California then will be prepared to secure all the raisin trade west of the Rocky Mountains, and a good part of that of the Eastern States. As it is, those of our merchants importing Malaga raisins from New York confine themselves to London layers and others of the best and choicest quality, leaving the home market to be cared for, in a great measure, by those of our own production. As a result, raisins have ruled low all the winter, and are likely to do so for a long time to come.”

_1878._--In 1878 several carloads of California raisins were sent to Chicago, New York and Boston, and were well received by the trade. In October of that year, California layers were bringing $2.50 and $3.25. Imports had fallen away more than forty per cent from the figures of 1874.

_1879._--In 1879 the ruling prices for California raisins, in lots of 250 boxes and upwards, were: Common layers, $2.00 for wholes, $2.25 for halves, $2.50 for quarters, $3.00 for eighths; London layers, $2.25 to $2.50 for wholes, $2.50 to $2.75 for halves, $2.75 to $3.00 for quarters, $3.25 to $3.50 for eighths.

_1880._--In October, 1880, the following quotations were made: Briggs’ layers, $2.00 and $2.75 per box. California raisins, in lots of 250 boxes and upwards, common layers, $2.50 and $2.25 per box; London layers, $2.50 per box.

_1881._--In November of 1881, Malaga ruled high in the East, and in consequence prices were generally higher here, quotations for the California article running $2.50 for wholes, $2.75 for halves, $3.00 for quarters, and $3.25 for eighths, in lots of one hundred boxes. London layers, twenty-five cents per box more.

_1882._--In 1882 prices ran $2.37½ and $2.75. During all the period just reviewed, the duty was two and a half cents per pound on raisins; but in March, 1883, the duty was reduced to two cents, and yet importations for that year were only 633 boxes,--a rather singular fact. The reduction in duty does not seem to have had a very bad effect on prices, because, as is easily evident from the small importation, no competition to speak of was encountered in the local market, and, as in that year the imports at New York from Spain were many thousands of boxes short, Eastern competition was reduced to a minimum. Prices here ruled through the year at an average of from seven to eight cents a pound, anything especially choice bringing better prices.

_1883._--In 1883 California made a big stride forward in packing and curing, and fancy raisins were put up in layers and cartoons. The Dehesa brand and other fancy brands made their appearance, and as high as one dollar was paid for quarters of five pounds each, and T. C. White’s and Miss Austin’s brands became famous.

_1884._--In 1884, the year following that in which the duty was reduced to two cents, the following prices prevailed:

In January the following quotations are recorded: Malaga layers, $3.50 for wholes, $5.00 for halves, and $5.50 for quarters in frames. Valencia raisins, fifteen cents per pound. Loose Muscatels, $1.60. London layers, $4.00. Briggs, wholes $2.50,--usual advance of twenty-five cents on fractions. Blowers, wholes $----, quarters $3.50, eighths $3.75. Other raisins, $2.50 in large lots; quarter and eighth boxes twenty-five cents higher.

In August the following were the quotations: Malaga layers, $3.50 for wholes, $4.00 for halves, and $4.50 for quarters in frames. Valencias, fifteen cents per pound. Loose Muscatels, $1.90. London layers, $3.00. Briggs, wholes $1.40, halves $1.75, quarters $2.25, eighths $2.75. Blowers, wholes $2.25, halves $2.50, quarters $2.75, eighths $3.00.

In October the following quotations are to be found: Common layers, $1.00 to $1.25 for wholes, $1.50 for halves, $1.75 for quarters, $2.25 for eighths. London layers, $1.35 to $1.50 for wholes, $1.95 for halves, $2.00 for quarters, $2.50 for eighths.

In November, 1884, the following comment is made: The California raisin pack will probably be 100,000 boxes. There would have been much more but for the October rains, that prevented proper curing. The crop in Europe is short, too, and prices are much higher than they were a year ago. It is said that 15,000 boxes have been sold for the East. We quote: Malaga layers, $3.75 for wholes, $4.00 for halves, and $4.50 for quarters in frames. Valencia raisins, fifteen cents per pound. Loose Muscatels, $1.90. London layers, $4.00. Briggs, wholes $1.75, halves $2.00, quarters $2.35 to $2.50. Blowers, wholes $2.00, halves $2.25, quarters $2.50, eighths $2.75. California layers, wholes $1.50, halves $1.75, quarters $2.00.

_1885._--In 1885 the market showed a gratifying ability to absorb at profitable rates a good article, for prices ran: California common layers, $1.75 for wholes, $2.00 for halves, $2.25 for quarters. Briggs, wholes $2.00, with an advance of twenty-five cents on fractions. Blowers, $2.25 for wholes, with an advance of twenty-five cents on fractions.

_1886._--In 1886 quotations show that only extra choice Malagas were imported, and that, too, for a limited trade. Prices were: Malaga layers, $4.00 for wholes, $4.25 and $4.75 for halves and quarters. Valencia raisins, fifteen cents per pound. London layers, $3.00. California layers, wholes $1.75,--usual advance of twenty-five cents on fractions. Briggs, wholes $2.00, halves $2.25, etc. Blowers, wholes $2.25,--usual advance on fractions.

For 1886 the market is reviewed as follows: The past year has been the greatest for California dried fruit that the State has ever seen. There has been an increase in every item, and a specially heavy increase in the matter of raisins, the production of which has increased so fast that they have become a leading article of merchandise. Where we were large importers and generous consumers, more in proportion to our size than any one else in the world, we have almost totally ceased importation and are among the largest producers and exporters in the world, next to Spain itself. The total receipts of imported raisins at New York for the season of 1886-87 were as follows: 911,816 boxes of Valencias, 427,936 boxes of Malagas, 400 half boxes of Malagas, 88,657 boxes of Sultanas. The California pack is this year almost doubled, and shows great improvement in quality and packing.

_1887._--In October, 1887, prices were quoted as follows: London layers, per box, $2.00 to $2.25. Loose Muscatels, from $1.50 to $1.80.

Riverside, El Cajon and Fresno raisins of excellent quality are now in the market, and Butler and Forsyth raisins in Fresno begin to rival the very best imported brands. Many large packing-houses are established in Fresno, Riverside and El Cajon.

_1888._--The pack reaches in California 850,000 boxes, and the Fresno as well as the Riverside raisins are very large and choice. Forsyth and Butler raisins take the lead, some of the choicest layers bringing as high as one dollar per five-pound quarter box. Only 112,000 boxes of Malaga raisins are imported to the United States.

In October, 1888, the following prices were obtained for imported raisins at auction sale in New York: 645 boxes best London Layers, $3.25 to $3.12½; 348 Imperial Cabinets, $3.35 to $3.20; 200 fine Dehesa Bunches, $4.50 to $3.75; 50 Imperial Dehesa Bunches, $5.65; 104 Dehesa Bunches, $4.05 to $4.00; 100 Finest Selected Clusters, $4.45 to $4.40; 50 Finest Royal Clusters, $4.75; 3 Imperial Excelsior Dehesa Loose Muscatels, $5.00; 140 Imperial Loose Muscatels, $3.30 to $2.15; 1 Imperial Excelsior Dehesa Clusters, $5.50; 9 Imperial Dehesa Clusters, $5.12½ to $5.00; 2 Dehesa Dessert Fruit, $4.10; 1,194 Finest Valencia Layers, 8⅛ to 8 cents; 899 Finest Valencia Raisins, 7 to 6¾ cents; 150 half boxes Finest Valencia Layers, 8⅛ to 8 cents; 246 boxes Finest Sultanas, 8¼ to 8 cents.

At the same time California layers were quoted at from $1.80 to $2.25 for medium grades, while for Dehesa and Imperial quarter boxes from eighty cents to one dollar were realized. Raisins in sweatboxes were bought by packers at five cents per pound, prices not rated according to quality.

_1889._--The crop of 1889 was not as large as at first calculated, on account of loss through unusual and heavy rains. It was especially the second crop which suffered. The first crop was good, and brought good prices, average layers bringing from $1.75 to $2.25 per box of twenty pounds. Great improvement is made in packing and labels, and our average raisins are better than the average imported Malagas. Our choicest layers, however, do not yet equal in size, curing and packing the choicest Malagas, and no efforts have been made to compete with them. There are at least four higher grades packed in Malaga which we do not produce here. During last season raisins in sweatboxes have ruled higher than before, and have been bought by packers at from three to seven cents.

_1890 (to July)._--The crop promises to be as large as last year. It is greatly in demand, and representatives of Eastern and California dealers have already bought up the most of the coming crop at prices averaging one-half a cent more per pound than last year.

From the above statistics we learn that through the production of raisins in California the price of sun-dried raisins to the consumer on this coast has been lowered from $3.00, $3.75, $4.00 and $4.50 in 1873 to $2.00 and $2.50 in 1890. The importation of Malaga raisins in the United States has greatly diminished, while that of Valencia or “dipped” raisins has increased. In 1873, the United States imported 35,271,312 pounds of raisins, for which it paid $2,292,948, while in 1888 our importation was 40,340,117 pounds, or about five million pounds more, for which we paid $2,098,503, or about $200,000 less.

_Exports of Valencia Raisins from 1850 to 1889, according to English estimates:_

=====+========+========+========+=======
YEAR.|England.|America.| Other | Total
| | | Places.| Tons.
-----+--------+--------+--------+-------
1850 | 9,423 | 165 | -- | 9,588
1851 | 8,491 | 285 | 787 | 9,563
1852 | 8,844 | 320 | -- | 9,164
1853 | 7,883 | 99 | 70 | 8,052
1854 | 7,206 | 296 | 50 | 7,552
1855 | 7,464 | 736 | 85 | 8,285
1856 | 8,909 | -- | 12 | 8,921
1857 | 9,485 | -- | -- | 7,900
1858 | 13,542 | 654 | 182 | 14,378
1859 | 9,546 | 163 | 113 | 9,822
1860 | 7,257 | 2,831 | 454 | 10,542
1861 | 8,072 | 63 | 143 | 8,278
1862 | 7,564 | -- | 238 | 7,900
1863 | 12,290 | 125 | 100 | 12,515
1864 | 8,655 | 38 | 182 | 8,875
1865 | 9,863 | 362 | 12 | 10,237
1866 | 12,735 | 403 | 473 | 13,611
1867 | 12,701 | 668 | 177 | 13,546
1868 | 14,293 | 3,095 | 794 | 18,182
1869 | 8,434 | 1,857 | 25 | 10,316
1870 | 10,060 | 2,210 | 110 | 12,380
1871 | 12,578 | 5,210 | 625 | 18,413
1872 | 15,677 | 4,088 | 535 | 20,300
1873 | 10,796 | 2,960 | 710 | 14,466
1874 | 13,724 | 5,513 | 439 | 19,676
1875 | 12,568 | 6,590 | 595 | 19,753
1876 | 15,272 | 3,816 | 676 | 19,764
1877 | -- | -- | -- | --
1878 | -- | -- | -- | --
1879 | 15,231 | 9,525 | 1,244 | 26,100
1880 | 13,026 | 8,977 | 892 | 22,895
1881 | 17,507 | 10,169 | 969 | 28,625
1882 | 18,121 | 21,593 | 1,732 | 41,346
1883 | 19,644 | 16,722 | 3,983 | 40,349
1884 | 10,210 | 9,686 | 4,289 | 24,185
1885 | 10,250 | 9,397 | 3,596 | 23,243
1886 | 15,194 | 15,687 | 16,113 | 36,994
1887 | 16,648 | 18,831 | 3,479 | 38,958
1888 | 15,524 | 12,245 | 4,655 | 32,424
1889 | 12,000 | 14,645 | 1,724 | 27,369
-----+--------+--------+--------+-------

_Exports of Malaga Raisins from 1864 to 1889:_

=====+=========+=======+=======+=======+=======+
YEAR.| U.S. | Brit- | Great |France.| North |
| | ish | Brit- | |Europe.|
| | Col- | ain. | | |
| | on’s. | | | |
-----+---------+-------+-------+-------+-------+
1864 | 879,794| 45,906|258,458|137,379| 59,659|
1865 | 879,794| 75,708|269,072|171,743| 64,319|
1866 | 907,305| 72,208|220,756|178,862| 62,076|
1867 | 966,724| 96,124|166,737|129,391| 58,222|
1868 |1,053,726|125,407|222,426|163,306| 64,262|
1869 | 767,321| 58,265|175,602|117,612| 82,472|
1870 |1,331,937|120,039|216,015| 90,193| 57,687|
1871 |1,147,633| 98,817|183,916|161,123| 69,800|
1872 |1,325,705| 95,024|383,890|230,046| 72,788|
1873 |1,368,822| 45,495|241,325|196,239| 99,424|
1874 |1,320,000| 43,490|240,000|200,000| 99,500|
1875 | 976,000| 42,000|271,000|203,000| 98,000|
1876 |1,321,000| 52,000|357,000|276,000|115,000|
1877 |1,250,000| 56,600|250,000|300,000|100,000|
1878 |1,182,088| 58,242|194,471|330,767| 99,661|
1879 |1,146,228| 30,598|237,659|368,420|107,888|
1880 |1,115,101| 46,717|174,126|297,412|108,222|
1881 |1,043,727| 31,730|141,415|251,382|101,828|
1882 | 967,571| 38,431|176,349|277,253|130,646|
1883 | --| --| --| --| --|
1884 | --| --| --| --| --|
1885 | --| --| --| --| --|
1886 | --| --| --| --| --|
1887 | --| --| --| --| --|
1888 | --| --| --| --| --|
1889 | 120,000| --| --| --| --|
-----+---------+-------+-------+-------+-------+

=====+=======+=======+=========+======
YEAR.| South | Sun- | Total | Total
| Am. | dries.| Boxes. | Tons.
| | | |
| | | |
-----+-------+-------+---------+------
1864 |109,741|209,000|1,200,000|13,200
1865 | 96,658|255,000|1,800,000|19,800
1866 |115,305|191,000|1,750,000|19,250
1867 |116,762|135,000|1,670,000|18,370
1868 |103,082|215,000|1,950,000|22,450
1869 | 67,634| 80,800|1,350,000|14,850
1870 |113,755|270,000|2,200,000|24,200
1871 | 87,242|274,000|2,200,000|24,200
1872 |119,042| --|1,920,000|21,120
1873 | --|140,000|2,500,000|27,500
1874 | --| --|2,160,000|23,760
1875 | --| 98,000|1,670,000|18,370
1876 | --| 91,000|2,252,000|24,772
1877 | --| --|2,200,000|24,200
1878 | 98,429|211,000|2,180,000|23,980
1879 | 63,688|170,000|2,125,000|23,372
1880 | 75,456|197,000|2,015,000|22,165
1881 | 81,196|147,000|1,800,000|19,800
1882 | 98,007|178,000|1,200,000|13,200
1883 | --| --| --| --
1884 | --| --| --| --
1885 | --| --| --| --
1886 | --| --| --| --
1887 | --| --| 850,000| 9,350
1888 | --| --| 850,000| 8,250
1889 | --| --| 750,000| --
-----+-------+-------+---------+------

_First Cost of Crop of Valencia Raisins, according to the “California Fruit Grower:”_

1884, from $4.00 to $6.00 per hundred pounds.
1885, “ 5.00 to 6.00 “ “ “
1886, “ 3.00 to 5.00 “ “ “
1887, 4.00 “ “ “
1888, from 2.00 to 4.00 “ “ “
1889, 3.50 “ “ “

_Production and Distribution of Smyrna Raisins from 1844 to 1884, according to U. S. Consular Reports:_

1844 8,000 tons.
1868 19,000 “
1871 48,000 “
1872 31,000 “
1879 75,000 “
1881 49,000 “
1884 95,000 “

According to English estimates, the raisin crop of Smyrna only reached 27,000 tons in 1876, and was divided as follows:

_Red Raisins._--Chesme 5,100 tons.
Vourla 5,000 “
Yerly 2,800 “
Carabourna 1,600 “
------
14,500 tons.

_Sultanas._--Chesme 7,400 tons.
Vourla 3,100 “
Yerly 1,150 “
Carabourna 800 “
----- 12,450 tons.
------
26,950 tons.

This crop was distributed as follows:

_Red Raisins._--England 2,699 tons.
North of Europe 6,488 “
Trieste 2,260 “
Russia and Turkey 2,995 “
----- 14,442 tons.

_Sultanas._--England 7,945 tons.
North of Europe 1,525 “
Trieste 2,820 “
Russia, etc. 285 “
----- 12,575 tons.
------
27,017 tons.

_The World’s Raisin Production in 1889:_

Greece 125,000 tons.
Smyrna 120,000 “
Valencia 28,000 “
Lipari, Calabria and Pantellaria 15,000 “
California 10,000 “
Malaga 8,000 “
Scattered 5,000 “
Chile 1,000 “
-------------
312,000 tons.

The above does not include dried wine grapes from Italy, California and Algiers, nor any raisins made in Australia (Victoria).

_Statement Showing the Quantity and Value of Currants, Figs and Raisins Imported and Entered for Consumption in the United States from 1873 to 1878:_

====+=======================++=====================++
YEAR| RAISINS. || CURRANTS, ||
END-| || ZANTE AND ALL OTHER.||
ING +----------+------------++----------+----------++
JUNE| QUANTITY.| VALUE. || QUANTITY.| VALUE. ||
30. | | || | ||
+----------+------------+++---------+----------++
| Pounds. | Dollars. || Pounds. | Dollars. ||
1873|35,271,312|2,292,948 83||14,141,797|566,386 49||
1874|36,419,922|2,544,605 95||19,319,191|752,694 00||
1875|30,501,316|2,443,155 50||19,334,458|771,384 56||
1876|32,221,065|2,425,277 14||20,911,061|856,425 62||
1877|32,419,637|2,109,333 60||17,152,664|749,488 00||
1878|32,931,736|1,904,866 13||17,941,352|776,827 00||
----+----------+------------++----------+----------++

====++====================
YEAR|| FIGS.
END-||
ING ++---------+----------
JUNE||QUANTITY.| VALUE.
30. || |
++---------+----------
|| Pounds. | Dollars.
1873||7,995,035|506,205 45
1874||5,630,292|391,300 16
1875||4,659,860|357,823 99
1876||5,056,779|361,835 53
1877||5,889,011|398,982 22
1878||3,873,884|262,428 15
----++---------+----------

_Statement Showing the Quantity and Value of Currants, Figs and Raisins Imported and Entered for Consumption in the United States, with Rates of Duty, etc., from 1879 to 1888:_

RAISINS.

====+==========+============+=======+============+==========
YEAR| QUANTITY.| VALUE. | Rate | AMOUNT OF |Additional
END-| | | of | DUTY | and
ING | | | Duty. | COLLECTED. | Discrim-
JUNE| | | | | inating
30. | | | | | Duty.
----+----------+------------+-------+------------+----------
| Pounds. | Dollars. |Per lb.| Dollars. | Dollars.
1879|38,523,535|1,943,941 14|2½ c. | 963,088 42| 92 51
1880|39,542,925|2,274,763 00|2½ c. | 988,573 19| 48 43
1881|39,654,755|2,711,771 74|2½ c. | 991,368 94| 80 50
1882|43,779,867|3,260,033 74|2½ c. |1,094,496 71| --
1883|51,487,389|3,495,599 45|2½ c. |1,287,184 77| 20 70
1884|56,676,658|3,543,916 15|2 cts. |1,133,533 15| 52 70
1885|39,778,695|2,728,847 46|2 cts. | 795,573 90| 247 35
1886|37,999,306|2,782,599 76|2 cts. | 759,986 12| 50 00
1887|40,660,603|2,297,469 30|2 cts. | 813,212 06| 34 00
1888|40,340,117|2,098,503 00|2 cts. | 806,802 34| 80 10
----+----------+------------+-------+------------+----------

CURRANTS, ZANTE OR OTHER.

====+==========+============+=======+============+==========
YEAR| QUANTITY.| VALUE. | Rate | AMOUNT OF |Additional
END-| | | of | DUTY | and
ING | | | Duty. | COLLECTED. | Discrim-
JUNE| | | | | inating
30. | | | | | Duty.
----+----------+------------+-------+------------+----------
| Pounds. | Dollars. |Per lb.| Dollars. | Dollars.
1879|17,405,347| 520,831 07|1 ct. | 174,053 47 | --
1880|18,007,492| 600,603 40|1 ct. | 180,074 92 | --
1881|21,631,512| 845,773 00|1 ct. | 216,315 12 | --
1882|32,592,231|1,388,886 00|1 ct. | 325,922 31 | --
1883|31,171,171|1,247,504 00|1 ct. | 311,711 71 | --
1884|32,743,712|1,220,575 16|1 ct. | 327,437 12 | --
1885|25,534,507| 723,415 00|1 ct. | 255,345 07 | --
1886|22,623,171| 744,784 00|1 ct. | 226,231 71 | 117 80
1887|29,196,393|1,062,326 00|1 ct. | 291,963 93 | --
1888|30,636,424|1,176,532 76|1 ct. | 306,364 24 | --
----+----------+------------+-------+------------+----------

FIGS.

====+==========+============+=======+============+==========
YEAR| QUANTITY.| VALUE. | Rate | AMOUNT OF |Additional
END-| | | of | DUTY | and
ING | | | Duty. | COLLECTED. | Discrim-
JUNE| | | | | inating
30. | | | | | Duty.
----+----------+------------+-------+------------+----------
| Pounds. | Dollars. |Per lb.| Dollars. | Dollars.
1879| 3,369,475| 247,075 06|2½ c. | 84,236 89| --
1880| 6,266,413| 440,507 00|2½ c. | 156,660 34| --
1881| 3,420,427| 379,382 55|2½ c. | 85,510 72| --
1882| 8,874,186| 678,341 87|2½ c. | 221,854 70| --
1883| 5,345,324| 489,108 38|2½ c. | 133,633 09| --
1884| 7,840,634| 504,532 02|2 cts. | 156,812 68| --
1885| 7,774,492| 516,083 63|2 cts. | 155,489 84| 6 50
1886| 6,988,642| 499,985 80|2 cts. | 139,772 84| --
1887| 8,752,898| 488,632 00|2 cts. | 175,057 96| 137 00
1888| 9,965,584| 495,541 50|2 cts. | 199,311 68| --
----+----------+------------+-------+------------+-----------

_Statement of Consumption of Currants and Raisins per Head of Total Population in 1884:_

United Kingdom of Great Britain. 4.38 pounds.
United States of North America. 1.70 “

_Prices Ruling in the California Raisin Districts:_

It is not my intention to give here a regular prospective estimate of the cost of a raisin vineyard and the profits to be derived therefrom. Such an estimate, applicable to every case, cannot be made out; about it not two raisin-growers with equal experience would agree. Below I simply give isolated statistics of costs of the various operations necessary in the raisin industry. Each one can figure for himself, and my advice is to add liberally to the calculated expenses, if disappointment would be avoided.

As to the profits of a raisin vineyard, the reader will by this time understand how it might vary, how it must depend upon nice little circumstances, never foreseen and only to be taken advantage of or counteracted by the experienced grower. The high statements which have been given in these pages as samples of how much might be gained from an acre of raisin-vines can never be counted on as regular. From fifty to several hundred dollars per acre may be obtained as net profit by care, skill and favorable circumstances, but an average of seventy-five dollars per acre can be considered a conservative sum, which the owner of a good irrigated vineyard may calculate on as a safe net profit. Many do not reach even that. But, even with that profit per acre, how many horticultural industries can be counted on to produce better results? Very few, if any. For the benefit of those who desire figures to guide them, the following statistics are offered. They have been carefully compiled in company with T. C. White, one of the most prominent raisin-growers the State has ever had. These statistics refer especially to the Fresno district, but they will be found to differ but little from those elsewhere in this State.

Land suitable to raisins can be had at from fifty to two hundred dollars per acre. No one not thoroughly acquainted with the requirements of raisin land should attempt to rely on his own judgment alone in making a selection.

Vines, already rooted, at from ten to twenty dollars per thousand vines. An average would be fifteen dollars. The cost of _rooting_ vines is from one dollar to two dollars and fifty cents per thousand, according to locality and circumstances.

Cuttings, from two to three dollars per thousand, more or less, according to size and quality.

Planting rooted vines, one cent per vine. Planting cuttings, half a cent per cutting.

Plowing yearly, one dollar and fifty cents per acre.

Harrowing, fifty cents per acre.

Leveling land for irrigation, according to the quality of the land. Leveling the land in from one-half to three-quarter acre checks, including small ditches, etc., can be done for from ten to fifteen dollars per acre, if the land is fair. Rougher land will cost twenty-five dollars or thereabouts, and if the land is rolling and contains hardpan the expense may reach from fifty to one hundred dollars per acre. The more “naturally” level the land is the better suited it is to raisin-vines under irrigation.

Irrigation and cultivation, until the vines come into bearing, including suckering and pruning, all in large tracts of from forty to one hundred acres, ten dollars per acre. If in smaller tracts the expense will be larger.

Pruning when the vines are in bearing, from two to three dollars per acre.

Sulphuring twice, two dollars per acre. Sulphur costs from two to three cents per pound. It takes about one ton to twenty-five acres and one man can sulphur from five to six acres a day.

Topping, about fifty cents per acre.

Trays, twenty-four by thirty-six inches, cost ten cents in shooks, nailing one cent, nails one cent, total about twelve cents per tray.

Sweatboxes, fifty cents apiece when ready.

Packing-boxes: Wholes of twenty pounds, in shooks, six cents, nailing and nails two cents, total eight cents each. Halves of ten pounds, in shooks, four cents, nailing and nails one and one-half cents, total five and one-half cents. Quarter boxes of five pounds, in shooks, three and one-half cents, nailing and nails one and one-half cents, total five cents each.

Twenty pounds of layer raisins will contain about one-half pound of stems.

Cost of curing cannot be calculated. It depends upon the manner in which it is done.

Picking: One man can pick from twenty-five to fifty trays of twenty pounds each a day, at a cost of say from two to three cents per tray, or about a half a ton of grapes a day, equal to a cost per ton of two dollars and fifty cents. This places the grapes on the trays, but does not assort them. By assorting the grapes when picking, the cost is increased, but better raisins and more good raisins are obtained.

Turning: Two men can turn twenty acres of grapes a day.

Packing London Layers: One man can pack “carefully” ten wholes or forty trays (of five pounds each) per day. Cost about twelve and a half cents per box.

Packing Dehesas: One man can pack ten quarters of five pounds each a day. Cost twelve and one-half cents per quarter box. This includes facing.

Packing Loose: One man can pack one hundred boxes per day.

Facing-plate (T. C. White’s): Large plate, size nine by eighteen inches, five dollars per plate. Cartoon plate, size five by ten inches, two dollars and fifty cents per plate.

Manilla paper for sweatboxes, one hundred and fifty pounds per ream at fifteen dollars per ream, size thirty-six by forty-eight. The sheets to be cut in two to fit the boxes.

Stemming: Steam stemmers can separate and assort fifty tons a day. Hand stemmers run by two men can separate about five tons per day.

Papers for boxes cost, according to quality, three cents per box, more or less.

THROUGH THE CALIFORNIA RAISIN DISTRICTS.

THROUGH SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY TO FRESNO.

We are on our way up the valley. The train left San Francisco in the morning. We have crossed the bay and rounded the Contra Costa Mountains, and Mount Diablo, with its majestic twin peaks, lies already behind us. We have just crossed the San Joaquin river not far from its mouth; the west side of the valley is on our right; on the left looms up the Sierra Nevada, far away it is true, but grand and imposing, gradually decreasing, as it were, towards the south, finally to disappear among the clouds at the farther end of the valley. It is in the middle of August; the day is warm, but there has been a shower in the mountains, as is usual at this season of the year, a sprinkling of rain has purified the atmosphere in the foothills, which stand out clear and bright, a contrast to the dusty road in the center of the valley, over which the smoking train carries us at a rapid speed. On both sides of us stretch apparently endless plains, thirty miles wide,--to the Coast Range on one side, to the Sierra Nevada on the other,--plains dry and yellow, parched in the brilliant sun, shaded by no clouds, but cooled by a steady breeze from the northwest following us up the valley. Up, we say, but it is hardly any more up than down, the ascent being about one foot to the mile; it is rather a journey over one of the most level plains on the continent, but still the popular usage insists upon saying “up the valley.” Acres and acres of already harvested grainfields are seen on both sides, crossed by roads at right angles; here and there are stacks of grain which have not yet been threshed, or heaps of straw, where the threshing engine has done its work; on almost every section of land we see a farmhouse and barn, a few gum-trees or cottonwoods, and many a windmill and elevated tank informs us where the farmer gets his water for his house and his scanty trees. All this we see under a blazing sun and a quivering air.

This is the great San Joaquin valley, the fertile center of California. Of the much spoken of irrigation of California, we see almost nothing; the land is dry and thirsty, the soil is loose, and the engine forces the dust in a cloud before us. Nothing green is seen anywhere except a few scattered trees far, far apart. Here and there we pass a little town with wooden houses and dusty streets, with wooden churches whose spires do not pierce the sky. We cross many streams, several of which are dry, or have sluggish waters, while some wind their way down the valley between banks covered with willows and cottonwoods. Yet there is something grand in this immense stretch of open, level country, with its frame of snowy mountains, with its fertile fields waiting for the winter’s rain or irrigating ditch to produce abundantly of almost anything that can be grown in any temperate country in the world. The numerous grain stacks speak of the fertility of the soil and of abundant harvests, while the vegetation along the rivers indicates that water is all that is needed to make this large valley like a fruitful garden.

We have passed Lathrop and Modesto and numerous smaller stations between; the picture is everywhere the same. At Atwater we met the first signs of irrigation, and saw young vineyards and orchards on either side, and as we approach Merced we pass large irrigating ditches flowing with water, and in the distance many houses and farms. The country is getting greener, and the deep color of the soil is a sign that it is rich and fertile. At Merced there is a Yosemite air. The large El Capitan Hotel stands out like a landmark, and the garden with its flowers and shade trees, and the marble fountain with its rippling waters, speak loudly of beauty and refinement.

Close to Merced are situated some of the new promising colonies which are making raisin-growing one of their specialties, and in whatever direction we look we see signs of such new enterprises, all young, of course, as irrigation has only lately been brought in here, where no dense settlements could exist without it. Much of the land is yet held in very large tracts, but they are being rapidly subdivided and sold out to actual settlers as fast as there is any demand for them. To our right lies a splendid body of perfectly level land occupied by the Yosemite Colony with many settlers already on the land, whose new and cosy cottages mark their future homes.

In the distance, on the slope of the low hills, stand out prominently a number of houses, some of them quite pretentious, white and gleaming in their new dress. This is the Rotterdam Colony, a settlement of Hollanders who have only lately arrived here. There is not a colony anywhere which promises to be more interesting, and which is likely to prove a greater success. The Dutch as a people had succeeded with colonization long before any other nation began a similar work, and, as immigrants to this State, they are most desirable. Industrious, saving, intelligent and persevering, with good land, plenty of water at all times of the year, and with a good location which insures health and comfort, there is no reason why they should not succeed. The colony is most beautifully situated on high sloping ground,--a veritable mesa land overlooking the vast Merced plains, and only four or five miles distant from the city. These Hollander colonists are the very best kind of settlers the State can get,--not the ignorant peasantry of Europe, but intelligent and well-educated people, which any community can be proud of. There is great activity in the colony just now. Thousands of acres are covered with magnificent grain, which, without any more rain, would give a profit of from twenty to twenty-five dollars per acre, and thus materially help to pay for the land. A hundred or more horses and mules with their drivers are plowing and harrowing the soil; and such a plowing is not often seen anywhere. The plows are set about a foot deep, and the work is done by the canal company just to help the settlers along and give them a good start. What more can they expect? Good treatment is in Merced dealt out to everybody,--a good policy which should be followed in every new colony in the land. We stop at the newly-built house of Mr. Canne, a gentleman of middle age with a large family, and hearty and pleasing, as is so characteristic of the Dutch. His house is large, very comfortable and airy, with large verandas overlooking the country far and wide. Inside everything is cosy and neat, with lots of mementoes from quaint old Holland, with colored china on the walls and odd tables and odder bric-a-brac, family heirlooms from generations back. The old grandma, with her eighty-one years, has come along with the younger folks, happy as they, and, as they, meeting bravely and with confidence new times and experiences in the new country which they have chosen as their home. Our wishes for good luck are not needed; it is sure to come when such people are settled upon such land, and when everybody enjoys everybody else’s good-will. The land which is now being broken is to be planted to olives, almonds, oranges, peaches and vines,--a very good selection indeed, and one which cannot fail to prove profitable. The deep red soil on the mesa will grow almost anything, and with proper care and management this colony must in the near future become one of the most attractive and prosperous in the State.

The Rotterdam Colony is bounded on one side by the now famous and often described Crocker and Huffman reservoir. Those who believe that a reservoir in the foothills is not the proper thing should come and take a look at this one, and be convinced that it is. The location is a most favorable one, being ninety feet above the town of Merced, and elevated sufficiently to irrigate the whole of the level surrounding district, containing two hundred and sixty thousand acres. The water covers now about six hundred and forty acres which were formerly a real and natural valley, across the mouth of which the dam checking the water was thrown. The average depth of water is about thirty feet, while in some places it is fifty odd feet deep. The statistics of this reservoir and dam have been given often enough, but more or less correctly. The dam checking the water is four thousand feet long, two hundred and seventy-five feet wide at the base, twenty feet on the top and sixty feet high in the center. It took four hundred mules and two hundred and fifty men two years to build it. The reservoir and canal tapping Merced river cost together two million dollars to build, and the work was constructed in such a substantial and scientifically correct manner, that it will be likely to last for ages. There is no other irrigation system in the State that is as well planned and carried out. This can and must be said to the honor of the constructors. The canal which taps the river is twenty-seven miles long, from sixty to seventy feet wide on the bottom, one hundred feet on the top, and has fall enough to carry four thousand cubic feet of water per second.

We have already remarked that the country between the dam and the city of Merced is a magnificent and level body of land, all eminently suited for irrigation. From the water tower in the reservoir, we overlook all this land, now in its spring dress a very beautiful sight indeed. The vast sheet of water, like a placid lake, in which the Sierra Nevada reflects its snowy peaks, the prairie extending far and wide, divided between luxuriant grainfields and unbroken lands now covered with their spring carpet of flowers in the colors of the rainbow,--yellow, white, blue, violet, red and shades of each, and dotted over with the new settlers’ homes, freshly built and freshly painted,--what more lovely view could we wish, a sight of beauty and of plenty. As we drive back to town, we are more than at first impressed with the lay of the land. The surface is level and without hills or knolls, but is cut through by many natural channels or creeks from fifteen to twenty feet deep, insuring a natural drainage, invaluable in a country where irrigation is required.

The soil in this part of Merced county appears to be made up entirely of alluvial deposits from the various creeks which in winter irrigate the plains with their natural overflow. The largest of these creeks is Bear creek, its deep channel resembling rather an irrigation ditch constructed on the latest engineering principles than a natural stream. Its banks are even and slanting, while its bed is deep below the surface.

But our time to stay was short. We have left Merced and many smaller towns behind us, crossed many more dry streams, and passed the large vineyards at Minturn, where sherry and port of excellent quality are made. We have again crossed the main channel of the upper San Joaquin, not far from where it emerges from the Sierra Nevada, its silvery waters winding their way over the thirsty plains between steep and barren banks. We have crossed a few irrigating ditches full to overflowing with water, and see a few orchards and vineyards with their bright green scattered about on the yellow plains. There is suddenly a general stir in the cars, hats and bundles are taken down from the racks, most of the passengers prepare to move, the locomotive whistles, houses and trees are seen on both sides through the car windows, the train comes to a standstill, there is a hum of voices, a waiting crowd swarms around the cars, a throng of people pushes in, and another throng pushes out. We are among the latter, as we are now in Fresno, the largest raisin center on the continent.