Additional Notes for 1890.

The first crop suffered considerably from mildew and climatic conditions unfavorable to the setting of the grapes. The second crop, however, is large and very good, and altogether the yield is a satisfactory one. The prices have ruled higher than before and raisins in sweatboxes have been contracted for readily at from 512 to 612 cents per pound or even higher. Wine grapes dried here sold for 3 to 4 cents per pound, and Malaga and Feherszagos raisins have brought from 4 to 5 cents. No such prosperous year has before been experienced by the raisin men of this State, and reports come in that many growers are realizing from $250 to $450 per acre from vines in full bearing.

The weather all through the summer has been unusually temperate and thus very favorable to the full development of the grapes, and so far the drying weather has been very favorable for the proper curing of the raisins. Many new packing houses have been established, and the crop is being better cared for than in previous years. The health and general condition of the vines is better than it was last year and the vine plague is less virulent, and according to some reports even on the retrograde. The demand for the raisin product has never been as large as now and there will apparently be no surplus left over, as the demand is rapidly increasing. The above refers especially to the central part of the State, to Merced, Fresno, Tulare and Kern counties, where the prosperous season will encourage increased planting. In Southern California the crop will be fair both in quality and quantity. In El Cajon valley it is reported as very good, and as being one-half larger than last year. Prices here ruled to begin with at from 412 to 5 cents but rose rapidly to 512 and 6 cents in sweatboxes.

The duty on raisins has this fall been raised from 2 cents to 212 cents per pound, which insures an additional profit to the raisin men.


Rain-fall of 1889-90.

—The rain-fall of 1889-90 in the Central and Northern raisin districts of California was as follows:

  Oct. Nov. Dec. Jan. Feb. Mar. Apr. May. Total.
Fresno 3 .10 1 .43 3 .80 2 .16   .65   .92   .29   .25 12 .60
Tulare 4 .17   .43 2 .60 2 .75   .74   .81   .22   .20 11 .92
Kern 2 .04   .22 1 .75 1 .20   .16   .24     .06 5 .67
Yolo 8 .14 3 .04 9 .62 6 .36 3 .69 3 .35 1 .60 2 .21 37 .41
Yuba 5 .87 3 .73 9 .01 4 .44 4 .65 6 .71 1 .85 2 .55 38 .81

The above figures are from the “tables of rainfall in the principal agricultural counties” of California, compiled and published by Albert Montpelier, Esq., Manager of the Grangers’ Bank, San Francisco, but no report is made of the rain-fall in the counties of San Bernardino and San Diego, and statistics of those counties are not at hand.


Duty on Raisins.

—The revised tariff of 1890 makes the duty on imported raisins 212 cents per pound, an increase of 12 cent on the old schedule. Currants, Zante and others, are now on the free list and pay no duty.



Transcriber’s Notes

Inconsistent and unusual spelling, hyphenation and capitalisation have been retained, unless mentioned below; this also applies to non-English words and phrases.

Robert McPherson and Robert MacPherson are presumably the same person.

Two-thirds natural size and similar phrases do not necessarily apply to this e-text.

Page 29, table: the data given do not add up to the totals given.

Page 216, Audibert: the full title is L’Art de faire le vin avec les raisins secs.

Changes made:

Some minor punctuation and typographical errors have been corrected silently.

Footnotes have been moved to directly under the paragraph where they are referenced.

Page ii The Raisin Grapes moved up one level as in text;
Page 6 Venitians changed to Venetians; Dipped and Sultana changed to Dipped and Sultana;
Page 7 Dodoen’s changed to Dodoens’s;
Page 10 elemes changed to elemês; Pantallaria changed to Pantellaria;
Page 15 known as Velencias changed to known as Valencias;
Page 26 Ionion Islands changed to Ionian Islands;
Page 31 Stan-chio changed to Stanchio;
Page 96 illustration caption: c. changed to b.; its Tuberous Mycelium changed to their Tuberous Mycelium;
Page 119 illustration captions combined into single caption;
Page 133 as high-grade raisins changed to as many high-grade raisins;
Page 182 about a feet deep changed to about a foot deep;
Page 205 Shacht changed to Schacht;
Page 214 table row Mau, Sadler & Co. moved to before Miller, James; Schact changed to Schacht;
Page 217 Grasset de Saint Sauveur, Jacque changed to Grasset de Saint Sauveur, Jacques; Noveau Duhamel On Traité des Arbres ... changed to Nouveau Duhamel ou Traité des Arbres ...; Rambert changed to Rembert;
Page 218 varietés changed to variétés;
Page 219 Aetolico changed to Ætolico; Albunol changed to Albuñol; Cascalira changed to Cascalina; Cooper, Elwood changed to Cooper, Ellwood;
Page 220 Crocker-Hoffman Reservoir changed to Crocker-Huffman Reservoir; Eleme changed to Elemê; Gargalino changed to Gargaliano;
Page 222 Sweat-boxes changed to Sweatboxes; Entry Quality of Raisins moved to before Racemus;
Index some page numbers have been corrected.