The morning call., 1894-09-01
PRUNES AND RAISINS.

The bulletin just Issued by the State
Fruit Exchange on the prune crop con-
tains information which is of value 20
growers. Last year the crop was vaTl-
ously estimated at from 25.413 tons TO
60,000.000 pounds. being nearly three times
as large as the crop of 1892, and about
twice as large as the crop of 1891. This
year the estimate Is that the CROP will
not exceed 81, 0OO, 600 pounds. The acreage
is larger than last years. but there Is a
marked deficiency in the yield in some OF
the chief pruns-growing districts.
The market opens, however. with prices
about the same as year ago. The bulle-
tin quotes dried prunes from Sonoma,
Napa and San Joaquin at 81 cents to Al
cents. and the Santa Clara fruit at from
" cents up. In fact, sales are being ef-
fected at cents, and the market exhibits
hardening tendency. These prices are
Of course for equal quantities of the four
sizes. The chances are that before win
ter cents will be the general price. and
dealers in the East may make their calcu-
lations accordingly.
The prune and raisin industries are Of
the utmost consequence to this State, be-
cause, without taking into consideration
foreign markets. there is a large home
market, and California can produce all
that it requires. In the year ending June
so, 1898. the United States imported
6.414.000 pounds OF foreign prunes. say
two-thirds of this years crop in Cali
forn!a; in the year ending June 80, 1894. hard
times restricted the consumption of prunes,
while there was a large surplus OF the
homegrown article seeking q market. and
the total importation was only 9.90S. 600
pounds. The bulletin states that at the
same price California prunes are pre-
ferred on the Atlantic seaboard to the
French pruDes. which can be more easily
understood when 1t is remembered that the
French prune is really a confection Of
sugar, with mere trace of fruit, whereas
the California prune is the fruit itself, sun
dried and preserving all its original
flavor.
Six years ago the importation Of prunes
at all the ports of the United States was
over S0.000.000 pounds. which may there
fore be regarded as the normal annual
consumption of the American people, say
one and quarter pounds per capita. As
the consumption has probably not varied,
it seems that CALIFORNIA; production of the
fruit reduced the importation from SO. 000,-
000pOunds in 1887 to 100000 pounds in
1898 and 100000 pounds in 1892 At
this rate 1t will not take long to enable the
country to dispense with the French fruit
altogether, unless the French should learn
to grow finer fruit than ours, or Congress
slonal action gives them our market. 1t
has already zone something 20 that effect
by reducing the duty from cents to IL
cents. The same story is told by the
statistics OF the raisin industry. In the
fiscal year ending June 80, 1888. the impor-
tation of foreign raisins at all the ports of
tie United States was 0,340. 900 pounds.
10 the year ending jane 80, 1898. times
being prosperous and the consumption
normal. the Importation was reduced to
q, 543, 900 pounds. and in the following
year. which ended on June 80 last, times
being hard and general disposition pre-
vailng to curtail the use of luxuries, the
Importation of foreign raisins was reduced
to 13,75l,O0o pounds. In 1887 Cslifornia's
output of raisins was nominal, so that the
normal requirement of the country at large
may be stated as the quantity imported in
that year. Last year the product OF Cali
fornla was. in round numbers, 1000 600
boxes OF twenty pounds each, or one-half
lbe total consumption Of the country.
This advance in the industry has been ac-
cGmBlished on duty Of 2R cents. it re-
mains to be seen how our raisin-growers
will prosper with the duty reduced to ~
cents.