New-York tribune., 1890-08-08
,pox AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT or THE TRIBrsE.I

OUTPUT.
FROM AN OCCASIONAL CORRESPONDENT OF THE rRIBrSEl
Los Angeles, Cal, July 2o.-Another period o1
booms bids fair to arise in this much-boomed lano'
but this time a sensible and substantial one. ~
might more accurately be described as the revival
of a former BOOM For speculation and vast enter
prses in fruit culture have been frequent IN TINS o'ae
for many years. Especially have It's vineyards anu
its orange groves been magnited at nome anu cA-
plotted abroad. This year, however, the failure oa
nearly all fruits in the Eastern and Central statcs
has sent prices here up with bound. Fortunes wiz
be realized and next year the acreage OF fruit neids
and orchards will be enormously increased. NOT WIZ
this be reckless speculation. There may ho'' Vi
course be another such fruit failure in the East ior
many years But the superior fruit tproducins qnahes
of California soil and climate make 1t possible ior 'ie
Californian grower to compete with his Eastern rivals
in the Iatter's own market This, OF course, hoids
true only in respect OF canned and preserved Hm~
and those fresh fruits that keep well ana endure
transportation. But that means the bulk Oh the
entire fruit trade. For years California canncd
fruits have been winning much favor in the New-fork
market During the coming winter there VIII DC Iittio
else but California goods there And next year VIII sec
many new factories in operation all along the coast
from Shasta to san Diego.
There is however, one vast fruit industry OF which
California has and is likely 10 hold "a practcA
monopoly. That Is the production OF rdslns. VINO
in wine making. But nowhere else are there COM
bnations of soil and climate favorable TO raisil-
making here. This fact discovered long time
ago. Dried grapes Of various kinds were prepared
in the old Missions, long before California became d
part Of the United States And fully thirty years
ago the manufacture of raisns, for home consumpuon
chiefly was Systematically carried on, and con-
siderable scale But il was not until five years ago
that the state began fully TO realize lis capabilities
In that direction. In 1855 there were almost as many
ralsins produced in all the twenty years preceding
put together Since then the increase has been
phenomenal amounting TO about $50 per cent in four
years. There has been, however, no overproducton
and no reaction. ready and profitable market has
been found for all the output and every one who has
gone into the business has been more than satsned
with the results. Next year there will be greatly
increased acreage, and the output OF raisiis VIII 10
enormous.
As has been said the spaniards and Indians used
to dry the Mission grapes. 1lat was about tle onIy
kind of grape here down 10 1860, and the hrss
experiments in genuine rails making were made wiur
IL. That they were not highly successful was due
simply to the fact that nature did not design tho
Mission grape be turned into raisins. But the mem
who made the experiments were not discouraged.
They were convinced that California might easily DO
made the greatest vineyard in the world. But to ac-
complish that end it would be to introduce
some other varieties of grapes. so they sent to Eu-
rope and brought over shIpoads Of cuttings from the
Hungary. These wee scattered all over the states
and from them have sprung the vast vineyards OF the
present day. The chief object aimed at then was the
production Of wine, and the cuttings were selected &C
cordingly. But among the varieties imported were
three Of the best rasn grapes in the word-the Fehel
lagos, the Muscatel and the Muscat of Alexandria~
From these especially from the second much wine
is made. But they supply also the raw material for
tho millions Of boxes OF raisins that each year
shipped from California to the markets OF the world
Where when and by whom raslns first success
fully made for market is not well established but II was
probably 1863 and the used were Fehcr lagos
and Muscat. For years thereafter, however,
little interest taken in the subject few raisns
were made, eXpermentally out Of curiosity, or tn
supply a small local demand. That was all. Not
until 1873 the work taken up in thorough earnest
But In that year it entered into extensively In
several parts Of the State at the time and the
result the production Of 5000 boxes, 10000
pounds, of pretty good raisins. There was much to
discourage the growers however. They trying to
make rasins according TO the methods practiscd IN
Spain and elsewhere in the Old World. But those
methods would not work we'll here Nor indeed were
American manufacturers willing to follow out the full
formula of spain which involved some utterly dis
gusting details And yet they had discovered no
new system of their own For several years there
was much work and no profit. Sometimes man
would turn out Is good raisinS as ever were seens
Then he would make lot that were too moist. and
they would mould and rot; while third attempt
!. .v-Snd result In dry, shrveed things that ratified
about in the boxes like many hickory nuts. Many
men grew quite discouraged and either rooted up
their vineyards altogether took to making wine.
But there who stubbornly persevered in
| trying to make raisins.
Their labors last rewarded by the discovery
that the best formula formula at all. That is,
that Iasns to be made best by the simplest pos
sble process, without any dipping into strange mix-
on
The fruit must be Just at the point of rpeness
the less is handled the better The punches are
laid wooden trays about twenty pounds to the tray.
and thus exposed to the sunlight and sun-heat for
several days. Six to eight days generally suffice, bus
considerable skill is required TO determine when e1-
actly the proper stage of drying has been reached
Then they 20 into what called the sweatboXes for
a week so, where the moisture that remains In them
Is equally distributed throughout the whole berry.
Then they sorted and packed, the whole punches
being packed In that form, while the broken clusters
have all the stems removed and are packed as STEM
less raisins. The stcmmng is done by machinery.
But the packing is done by hand, womeh and girls
being employed for the purpose.
The three grapes mentioned the msinstay 0 tho
rsisin industry In some places the seedess suana
does WE'LL and it is believed by many that ID will soon
become the favorte raisin grape. In the southern
part Of the State the Malaga grape succeeds better
than any other But at the present.
time the Muscat is grown probably more than all
Others put together. 1t has rich and spicy flavor
that no other grape possesses and this account
Muscat raisins most in demand. 1t grows we'll In
almost any SOIL and is tue most steady and trust
| worthy of all in its bearing The vines usually
planted five feet apart In fourteen feet apart.
| Artificial irrigation has Of course. TO be employed.
| The returns from vineyard come very quickly. Tho
second year fair crop may DO gathered from rooed
vines, and the third year from cuttings. year or
two later tie vineyard is in full bearing. There are
cases on record Of more than $50 worth OF grapes
being taken from acre of vines that had been in
the ground only year and half. Good raisin land
can be purchased In the various localities adapted To
| the industry at from $50 TO S2O0 per acre. Tho
location governs the price, and the 800 land will be
lust as good the 5000 except that IL will be more
remote from shipping facilities IL Is calculated from