West and northwest of the city of
Fresno are a number of enterprises which are worthy of notice. Among
these are the Bank of California colony, the Union colony, the Sierra
Park colony, the Witham, the Houghton, the Mead and the Perrin colonies
and the Fruitvale estate. This latter is especially prominent because of
the introduction here of a novel method of planting vineyards and
orchards, introduced by a well-known San Francisco House, the A. R.
Briggs Company. The idea has been to induce the people to purchase small
tracts and to improve it for them in their absence, with the design of
turning over possession to settlers when the vines and trees shall have
become income-paying. The writer paid a visit to this portion of the
county recently and was struck with the immense area that had been
planted with vines during the past year, as well as with the remarkable
growth shown in many cases. There are at present nearly a thousand acres
of young vines growing, practically in one body, though subdivided under
such attractive names as the Avellane, the Nestell, Climax, La Favorita,
Paragon, Poca Rica, etc. The adaptability of this locality to the vine
is shown by the fact that less than 1 per cent of the vines have failed
to grow, while in one case (the La Favorita) every vine planted is
thrifty and luxuriant. Though only set out last spring many of these
vines have borne fruit already. Preparations are already under way to
plant nearly three thousand acres more this winter, of which 1,280 acres
will be in one body, the Fruitvale vineyard, which will be the largest
single raisin vineyard in the State, and probably in the world.
A good feature of those enterprises is
that the purchasers are largely eastern people, who have been induced to
invest here by the remarkable showing made by the older colonies. They
are given every inducement of long time to pay for their lands, while
the cost of preparing, planting and cultivating the vineyard is put at
the lowest possible terms. It is estimated that the entire outlay
involved in taking the raw land and converting it into a paying vineyard
will not exceed $75 an acre.
An admirable feature of these
enterprises is the planting of white Adriatic fig trees along all the
avenues and about the subdivisions. This has been done in many of the
older colonies, and is both picturesque and profitable. This fig
produces immense crops of fine fruit and makes an admirable shade tree,
as well as a dust and wind break.
Leading from the city of Fresno westward
is a magnificently laid out drive called the Chatean Fresno avenue. It
has three distinctive driveways, separated and bordered by palms,
magnolias and other trees, and in the course of half a dozen years will
become one of the most attractive bits of road in the State, rivaling
the Alameda of San Jose and Magnolia avenue at Riverside.
As one passes over this drive and
through these vineyards, whose growth of but six months almost covers
the ground from sight, it seems impossible to realize that these lands,
bought less than twenty years ago for a dollar or two an acre, are now
selling readily for $150 to $250 an acre, yet such is the fact: and by
the roadside here as elsewhere in the county one sees the reason for
this immense appreciation in values - bright streams of water conveying
life to the erstwhile parched desert. And at the railroad stations one
readily sees why such prices are justified, for there are solid trains
by the dozen, yes, by hundreds, going out laden with the product of tree
and vine. Over 1,200 cars were required to move the raisin crop of
Fresno County alone this year, while the other products filled hundreds
more.
Besides the colonies immediately
contiguous to Fresno City there are many others in different portions of
the county, all with various degrees of attractiveness. In those that
are more remote from the centers of population and from the railroad the
land is still offered at very moderate prices, so that no one need go
away deterred from buying by what he may fancy are high figures. There
are lands that can even be had without any cash payment, and upon which
any man of enterprise and energy can achieve a competence.
In 1890, George Boyd sold a twenty-acre
tract in the Washington colony to H. F. Smith, of Oakland, for $5,500.
This fruit farm in 1889 yielded $2,000, and for the last year it paid
over $3,000. Thus the purchaser is almost certain to receive back in
products, the first year of his possession, more than one-half of the
purchase money, which would indicate that it was a very good investment,
as it is, indeed. The question naturally arises, "Why did Mr. Boyd
sell?" Persons not familiar with the state of affairs here will be
unable to see why Mr. Boyd should sell a property that yields him $3,000
for $5,000 or sell it at all. It was interesting to me, and it may be so
to others, to hear Mr. Boyd speak on the subject himself.
"I came here six years ago from old
Ireland," he said. "When I landed in Fresno my capital all told was
$1,300 and a wife, who is better than all the capital any man can have.
After I had been here a few days I bought this twenty acres and built
the house and barn. My lumber barn was $450; most of the labor I did
myself.
"With the balance of my capital I
purchased horses and farm implements and made the first payment on my
land. I have now on this twenty acres sixteen acres of raisin vines, the
oldest of which realized me last year $170 an acre.
"My wife, with her cows and chickens,
always adds from $15 to $25 a month to our income, according to the
number of cows we have in milk.
"We have invested our savings in a
second twenty-acre lot in the new colony, and I have got it all planted
to raisin vines. I calculate that I shall this year have an income from
my two farms of $4,000 over and above my expenses for harvesting. For
the first five years I did nearly all the work myself. And here I want
to say, let no man with a small capital come to Fresno expecting to make
money unless he is prepared to work. The land is so rich that if it is
not constantly plowed and cultivated it brings forth weeds, and weeds
and fruit never grow together. Now, I hire the greater part of my work
done and content myself with superintending and seeing it done properly.
"Happy? he asked. "Why, certainly;
satisfied, yes; but I will sell both farms and buy 160 acres. I will
then have enough capital to enable me to hire all the hard work to be
done for me; and you know the profit on 160 acres at $170 an acre is
enough to make an Irishman satisfied."
This man had two tracts of twenty acres
each, which he acquired in six years, on a capital of $1,300. He wants
to own a quarter section. The sale of the smaller sections enables him
to do this. Five years hence Mr. Boyd will have an income of $20,000
from his 160 acres instead of the $3,000 from the twenty acres which he
sold to Mr. Smith.
There are several
extensive wine-growers in the county who have established a reputation
for the excellent qualities of sweet wines, while the dry wines average
with the productions of other portions of the state. The Sonoma and Los
Angeles brands still retain popularity from the fact that they have been
longer in the market, but the Fresno manufacturers are winning there way
into the markets of the world as time moves on.
At present the industry in this county is
in a flourishing condition, and owing to the peculiarities of the
climate in imparting the saccharine ingredient her sweet wines are not
excelled in any locality in the state. The ports, angelicas and sherries
manufactured in Fresno County are favorites wherever found, and there is
a steady increase in quantity as the vines grow older and the producers
become more accustomed to the qualities of the grape.
There has been a good demand for Fresno
wines during the year 1890, and the prices realized have made the
industry profitable. On account of a large per cent of the grape product
of 1890 being dried to meet the demand for dried fruit in the east the
wine product was not increased over that of 1889, and the home market
absorbed so largely that shipments east have not been very large.
The shipments from Fresno County for
1890 were as follows: From Fresno, 254 carloads of 10,668 barrels, or
533,400 gallons; from Madera, twenty-five barrels, or 1,250 gallons,
making a total of 10,693 barrels, or 534,650 gallons, valued at about
$135,000. Of these shipments thirty-five carloads went to the Eastern
markets, the balance finding a ready sale in the local markets of the
State, which is a compliment to the Fresno wine-growers.
Estimating from these figures, the
vintage of 1890 for Fresno County was not less than 40,000 barrels, or
2,500,000 gallons. This produces an enormous revenue to the
wine-growers, and is no small item in the aggregate wealth of the
products of Fresno County.
The shipment of raisins during 1890
were distributed among the various points in the county as follows:
Fresno..........................................................15,430,313
pounds
Kingsburg......................................................
67,945
Madera..........................................................
112,710
Borden..........................................................
73,226
Malaga.........................................................
3,459,240
Fowler..........................................................
2,178,438
Selma.......................................................... 469,746
__________________
Total............. 21,791,618
It will be observed that more than
two-thirds of the raisins of the county were shipped from Fresno city,
the largest packing houses being located here.
As a matter of interest the shipments of
fruits and its products from the Fresno station may be here given in
detail:
Local shipments of raisins, dried
grapes, fruit and wine during 1890:
Raisins,
506,240 pounds, 22,010 twenty-pound boxes, or 22 carloads.
Dried grapes, 57,272 pounds, 881 sacks, or 3
carloads.
Dried fruits, 268,185 pounds, or 13 carloads of
20,000 pounds.
Green fruit, 748,008 pounds, or 37 carloads.
Wine, 35 carloads, 1,470 barrels, or 459,900
gallons.
Raisin, fruit and wine shipments East from
Fresno during 1890:
Raisins - 14,924,073 pounds, 663,200
twenty-pound boxes, or 663 carloads.
Dried grapes - 3, 253,891 pounds, 50,060
sacks, or 166 carloads.
Dried fruits - 1,401,836 pounds, or 70
carloads of 20,000 pounds.
Green fruit - 2,899,940 pounds, or 140
carloads.
Wine - 35 carloads, 1,470 barrels or
73,500 gallons.
The total shipments, local and Eastern,
are as follows:
Total raisins - 15,430,313
pounds, 685,300 20-pound boxes, or 685 carloads.
Total dried grapes - 3,311,163
pounds, 50,041 sacks, or 169 carloads.
Total green fruit - 3,647.948
pounds, or 177 carloads.
Total wine - 254 carloads, 10,668
barrels, or 533,400 gallons.
It will thus be seen that of fruit and
its products there were shipped from the Fresno station 1,368 carloads,
a business for which all the railroads of the country annually struggle.
Early History of Fresno Raisins.
- The raisin industry in California is not yet twenty years old. There
is some dispute as to when the first raisin grapes were brought to
Fresno, but by general consent the honor is accorded to F. F. Eisen, and
the time fixed upon as 1873. In the fall of that year the Muscat vines
were brought to this raisin district by Mr. Eisen and successfully set
out in his vineyard.
A few years later, or in 1876, W. S.
Chapman imported the best Muscatels from Spain for the Central
California colony at this point. About the same time T. C. White planted
the Rasina vineyard in that colony from Gordo Blanco Muscatels brought
from R. B. Blower's vineyard at Woodland.
Dr. Gustav Eisen, in his splendid book,
"The Raisin Industry," carefully traces the history of the raisin
industry, and from it many of the facts here stated are derived. He says
that in 1877-'78 Miss M. F. Austin began improving her Hedgerow
vineyard, also in the Central colony, with Gordo Blanco Muscatels.
Robert Barton had also planted some
twenty-five acres of Muscat grapes, but did not make raisins until
later.
In 1879 the A. B. Butler vineyard, now the
largest in the State, was planted. J. T. Goodman had begun to improve
his place about the same time, and Colonel William Forsyth entered upon
raisin-grape growing between 1881 and 1882, most of his grapes, however,
being planted a year or two later. Since that time the raisin vineyards
have multiplied rapidly and about 1866 the raisin production became
recognized as the principal industry of the district.
It rapidly spread from the original
center around Fresno, the county generally being splendidly adapted, by
reason of the freedom from rain and the improved facilities for
irrigation, to the growing and curing of raisin grapes. Indeed, nearly
the whole of the San Joaquin valley is adapted to raisin culture, but
the southern portion especially, because it is drier and there is less
rainfall in the autumn of the year, both conditions favorable to the
curing of the raisins.
The vineyards are now located chiefly
about Fresno, but more than 10,000 acres will be set out in other
sections of the county this winter.
The Raisin Grape Acreage. -
This district contains about 50,000 acres, of which about 23,000 acres
are in bearing, though not all in raisin grapes. From a list prepared by
George W. Smith for the State Viticultural Commission, it is learned
that there are more than 1,600 vineyards in Fresno County. The present
increase is especially heavy, vines being put out in vineyards ranging
from five to 1,200 acres and more, and they are distributed all over the
county. The sections about Malaga, Sanger, Selma, Fowler, Borden, Madera
and other points are growing into decided prominence. The varieties of
grapes used are principally the Gordo Blanco Muscatels, much mixed with
the Muscat of Alexandria. There are also some Sultanas and White
Corinths, and of late many malagas have been planted.
The Vineyard. - The vines are
now generally planted at a distance of ten by ten though some are
planted ten by twelve, twelve by twelve and eight by ten. The vines
begin to bear the second year and begin to pay the third year, and
thereafter yield an income. Some vines pay well in the third year, as
will be seen by the experience of vine-growers published elsewhere.
Both cuttings and rooted vines are
used. The ground is plowed in various ways, in the winter time,
according to the ideas of the owner. Cross-plowing is sometimes
practiced. The general rule is to first plow one way, and then to
cross-cultivate repeatedly until the soil is level and the weeds are
destroyed.
The heads of the vines are kept low,
from six to sixteen inches above the ground. The canes are cut to two or
three eyes, and the number of canes left vary from five to fifteen or
more. The pruning is done between December and February.
The grapes begin to ripen in the
middle of August and will continue to the 1st of September. At the
latter date the first boxes of cured and packed raisins are heralded to
the country. The first grapes dry in from seven to ten days, but the
later grapes require three weeks or more. The drying continues through
September, and for the second crop through October and even in November,
and in 1890 even into December, the rains not having set in. The grapes
are dried on trays measuring two by three or three by three feet. The
sweat boxes are generally two by three feet, and from six to eight
inches high.
When packed the product is labeled, each
packing house having its own favorite brands, which is fully explained
in a descriptive article on the packing of raisins in this work. The
prevailing price for raisins the past season was 51/2 to 6 cents per
pound in the sweat boxes. From 100 to 250 boxes of raisins are realized
per acre, and the profits vary from $75 to $300 per acre, according to
location, soil, management, and other conditions. The cost of production
varies from $30 to $50 an acre.
Good land for raisin purposes can be had
for $100 per acre, but nearer the city the land is held higher. Bearing
vineyards change hands at varying prices, some having sold for $1,000 an
acre.
Soils and Climate. - In the
Fresno district there are several different varieties of soils good for
grapes, - the red or chocolate-colored sandy loam principally east of
the railroad, and the very sandy soil, generally occurring in elevated
ridges; we have also the deep, gray-colored bottom land in the river
bottoms or along the rivers and creeks. The best grades of the chocolate
and reddish loams, and of the river bottom soil, are considered the best
for raisins. The very sandy soil and the alkali soil should not be used
for raisin purposes. The climate is warm and dry during the summer,
while the winters are not very rainy. From seven to ten inches of rain
are an average in Fresno. In no portion of the raisin-producing portion
of the valley can raisin grapes be grown without irrigation a system
which is fully explained in another portion of this volume. Before
irrigation was begun in the Fresno district the natural water levels
were under from fifty to sixty feet of dry soil. A few years of constant
irrigation has so changed this that now in places the land is
sub-irrigated or moist to the surface, while in places the soil has to
be drained, and no other irrigation is now needed except to allow the
water to flow in the main or secondary canals, from which it seeps and
keeps the soil filled with water, the moisture rising from below. The
irrigation when practiced is done by flooding or by irrigating in
furrows.
The climate has everything to do with
the production of the best raisins. The inland valleys of this State are
the most successful. The San Joaquin valley is more than 100 miles from
the coast, and the sea wind, before it reaches any of the vines, has
been modified by passing over from 200 to 300 miles of dry country. Dr.
Eisen, in his excellent work on "The Raisin Industry," gives the
following as the condition of an ideal climate for the production of the
grape: "A moderately dry air, a frostless spring, a rainy winter and
rainless autumn. The temperature in the summer should vary between 90
and 100 degrees, the fall months should now and then be visited by
drying winds, while the winter frosts should be heavy and regular, but
not below 12 degrees. Some have suggested that absolute freedom from any
rain would be very desirable, as then no interference would be
experienced with the cultivation of grapes; but I doubt if the soil in
such districts would not be rapidly exhausted through the want of weeds,
the plowing under of which enriches the ground and enables it better to
preserve the moisture provided for it by irrigation."
The Fresno district fills these
conditions as nearly as they may be found on this whimsical earth.
Many facts in relation with the culture
of raisins will be found under the general article on irrigation in the
county, and on the great industry of packing raisins. Those who want
full and detailed information on the whole subject should get a
technical work.
How to Grow, Pick, Dry and Pack
Raisin Grapes. - Following is a very instructive paper on raisin
growing , drying, packing and preparing for market, written by Mr. T. C.
White, County Supervisor and one of the most successful raisin-growers
in Fresno County, which means in the State. That part of the article
relating to picking, drying and packing was written for and read before
the State Board of Viticulture, and its excellence was recognized by a
prize being bestowed upon the author. The part pertaining to planting
and the care of the vines was written especially for the Expositor.
While Mr. White's methods for packing are not generally followed,
there can be no doubt that if this were the case the quality of the pack
would be improved. More care is being taken year after year, however,
and the time will soon come when improvement in this direction will be
almost impossible. No one is better fitted than Mr. White to write on
the subject, and having attained extraordinary success by following the
advice he here gives others, that is no reason why others should not
benefit likewise by it.
Mr. White's Methods. - "Thirteen
years ago I was among those seeking knowledge, and found a most
efficient teacher in R. B. Blowers, Esq., of Yolo County, who kindly
gave me the benefit of his experience in the then comparatively new
field of raisin-grape culture.
"The success achieved in the past few
years has outgrown a local interest, and is now attracting a world-wide
attention. The following table shows the growth of the industry:
Boxes of 20 lbs. each
1873.......................................................6,000
1874.......................................................9,000
1875.....................................................11,000
1876.....................................................19,000
1877......................................................32,000
1878......................................................48,000
1879......................................................64,000
1880......................................................75,000
1881......................................................90,000
1882....................................................115,000
1883....................................................140,000
1884....................................................175,000
1885....................................................500,000
1886....................................................703,000
1887....................................................800,000
1888....................................................963,000
1889..................................................1,050,000
"It has been demonstrated beyond question
that the soil and climate of portions of this State will produce a grape
equal in size and quality to those of the most favored districts of
Europe. Permit me to make a few general remarks in reference to the
soil, climate, culture and varieties to be grown and the best manner to
pick, dry, sort, and pack raisins for market. In geographical
distribution the yield is divided between the great San Joaquin valley
and Southern California. No raisins are produced in any quantity outside
of these two regions. Fresno County alone produces more than the balance
of the State combined. While I have visited the raisin-producing
sections of the State, north and south, my remarks are based upon the
experience gained during the last few years in Fresno, in the San
Joaquin Valley.
"The following requisites are
indispensable to the successful production of good raisins: Soil,
climate, and methods of packing and curing. First, a selection of
location with reference to soil. This, in my judgment, is either the
white ash or the red, sandy loam. If your 'lines be cast' in the San
Joaquin Valley, which I believe to be the best for the industry, be
certain to obtain land which can be conveniently irrigated. My choice
would be white ash, if not too strongly impregnated with alkali.
"Much has been said and volumes written
in reference to the best methods to be employed in the preparation of
the soil, the proper distances apart, manner of pruning and training of
vines, etc., but no fixed rule as yet has been established. The
preparation of the soil depends largely upon the method to be used in
irrigation. If the soil is sub-irrigated so as not to require surface
irrigation, and the ground is naturally level (as in most cases our best
soils are), all that is necessary is to plow the land eight to ten
inches deep, harrow it down finely, when it is ready to plant. If the
land to be planted is not sufficiently sub-irrigated, so as to
necessitate flooding, it has been found best to level the land to a
water level, in checks or squares of one-half to one acre each,
providing at the same time a system of ditches throughout the entire
tract. The land thus prepared can be flooded, and the cost of irrigation
is much less than when the land is not leveled.
"As to the best distance apart,
something depends upon the kind and strength of the soil. Most vineyards
are planted eight by eight. Many, however, are planted differently,
to-wit: Eight by ten, ten by ten, ten by twelve, eight by sixteen, six
by twelve, etc., etc. In my opinion the last named distance is the best,
planting the rows running north and south six feet apart, and the rows
running east and west twelve feet apart.
"The vines should be trained low and
pruned short, and great care and judgment should be exercised in this
matter, so as to have the vines balanced, not having more spurs on one
side than the other, and also having top spurs with a view growing wood
for shade. Another important consideration is the removal of all suckers
and non-fruit-producing growth, to avoid the diversion of the strength
and vigor of the vine from the fruit and growth of wood for the
succeeding year. The vineyard should be plowed and cross-plowed as soon
as the vegetation starts in the spring, and cultivated thereafter
continuously until prevented by the growth of the vines.
"Couleur, or blasting or dropping of the
bloom, is probably caused by sudden changes of temperature, strong winds
and excessive moisture. When caused by the latter it can be largely
overcome by the application of sulphur. As vines become older I think
they are less susceptible to climatic influences. Irrigation at the
blooming period should be avoided, and until the berry is well set. If
summer irrigation is necessary it should be done by means of furrows,
through which the water is run. Plowing in these furrows will prevent
the cracking and drying out of the lands. In Fresno packing commences
about the first of September, although there have been seasons when it
occurred as early as the twelfth of August.
"The grapes under no circumstance should be picked for
raisins until they are ripe. There are three ways by which to ascertain
this fact: First, by the color, which should be a light amber; second,
by the taste and third, by the saccharometer, which is by far the most
accurate. A grape may be ripe and not have the proper color when grown
entirely in the shade. The juice of the grape should contain at least 25
per cent of saccharine to produce a good raisin.
"The most practical method of drying is
by the use of trays placed upon the ground. The almost entire absence of
dew in our locality greatly facilitates this method. The trays are
usually twenty-four by thirty-six inches. Those of large dimensions are
found inconvenient to handle when filled. Trays of the former size hold
about twenty pounds of fruit, and should produce from six to seven
pounds of raisins.
The product of a vineyard depends
largely upon its age and favorable conditions, varying from two to nine
tons per acre.
"The trays or platforms are taken into
the field and distributed along the sides of the roads, from which they
are taken by the pickers when needed. As the grapes are picked from the
vines all imperfect berries, sticks and dead leaves are removed from the
bunches, which are then placed upon the trays, right side up. A cluster
has what is called a right and a wrong side, the wrong side having more
of the stems exposed than the right side. Great care should be used in
picking, so as to handle the bunches only by the stem. If the berries
come in contact with the hands some of the bloom will be removed, which
will injure the appearance of the raisin. The trays are placed, after
filling, between the vines, one end being elevated so that the grapes
may receive the more direct rays of the sun.
"The length of time required depends
much upon location and conditions, favorable or otherwise. I have known
raisins to be dried in seven days, but they were not a good article, and
too rapid drying is not desirable. The grapes are left upon the trays
until about two-thirds dry, which, with us, will be from six to eight
days. They are then turned. This is accomplished by placing an empty
tray on top of the one filled with partially dried raisins and turning
them together. Then take off the upper or original tray and you have the
raisins turned without handling or damage. After turning curing will
proceed more rapidly, and frequently is accomplished in four or five
days.
"During this time they should be
carefully watched to prevent any from becoming too dry. When it is found
they are dry enough the trays are gathered and stacked one upon the
other as high as convenient for the sorting which follows. This protects
them from the sun and prevents overdrying. Stacking should be attended
to early in the morning, when the stems and berries are slightly moist
and cool from the night air, as they will retain this moisture after
being transferred to the sweat boxes and assist in quickening the
sweating process. The trays which have been stacked are now ready for
sorting and grading, and this requires care and judgment, and although a
tedious process greatly facilitates rapid packing.
"The sweat box is a little larger than
the tray about eight inches deep. When filled these will contain about
125 pounds of raisins. Heavy manilla paper is used in the boxes, one
being placed in the bottom and three or four more at equal distances, as
the filling progresses. The object of the paper is to prevent the
tangling of the stems and consequently breaking of the bunches when
removed for packing.
"The sorters have three sweat boxes, one
for the first, second and third qualities as the grade will justify. The
bunches should be handled by the stem and placed carefully in the sweat
boxes to avoid breaking the stems, thereby destroying the symmetry of
the clusters. Any found to be damp are returned to the trays and left a
day or two longer in the sun. To ascertain if they are perfectly cured
place a raisin between the thumb and forefinger and roll it gently until
softened, when either jelly or water will exude from the stem end. If
water, it requires further drying. When the boxes are filled they are
taken to the equalizer. This should be built of brick or adobe and as
nearly air-tight as possible, but provided with windows to allow
ventilation when necessary. The windows should have shutters to keep it
dark. The filled boxes are placed one exactly upon another to a
convenient height, and should remain from ten to twenty days or more,
when they will have passed through the sweating process.
"As the raisins are taken off the trays
some of the berries on the bunches will be dry enough and a few will not
be sufficiently cured. To remove the moist ones would destroy the
appearance of the cluster, and to leave it out longer would shrivel the
dry ones: hence, the sweat box. The moisture is diffused through the
box, some being absorbed by the dry raisins: and the stems also take
their share and are thus rendered tough and pliable and easily
manipulated when ready for packing.
"When the raisins are sufficiently
equalized the sweat boxes are removed to the packing room, which is
provided with tables, presses, scales, etc.
"My method of packing is substantially
the Blowers style - face downward. The most convenient mode of packing
is by the use of a metal tray, corresponding in size to a layer of
raisins, and having a loose bottom. The raisins are placed in the
preliminary packing tray with the face of the cluster downward, which
gives the surface a level appearance and prevents the exposure of the
stems. When the bottom of the packing tray has been covered, which
should always be with perfectly shaped berries and bunches, the tray is
filled to the requisite weight of five pounds. The contents of the tray
are then pressed sufficiently to pack the raisins firmly together, but
not with such force as to break the skin, causing the jelly to exude and
consequently easily sugaring.
"After being pressed they are
transferred to the boxes, during which process the paper is wrapped
around each layer. The paper is placed on top of the tray of raisins and
a sheet of steel exactly the width of the tray is placed above the paper
and the whole reversed. The sheet of steel serves to hold the raisins in
place until the layer is put into the box, when the steel is withdrawn
and the layer drops into the box face up. The standard box of California
raisins is twenty pounds in weight, containing four layers of five
pounds each. They are usually graded into Dehesa and London layers, and
one, two and three crown loose Muscatels. The Dehesa, or highest grade,
is packed with a view to superseding the imported article, which sells
at from $10 to $12 a box. Everyone has seen and admired the boxes of
imported raisins, which have a top layer packed in rows, with uniform
regularity; few, however, appreciate the difficulty of producing the
handsome appearance by hand. The task is slow and tedious.
"To simplify and expedite the process I
have invented and received letters patent for a packing plate expressly
adapted to producing this effect. This device will prove of great
assistance it the raisin packer. I have used it two seasons with perfect
success. The invention consists of a flat metal mold or plate having
depressions made in its surface, which plate forms the bottom of the
preliminary packing box and serves to hold the raisins in a fixed
position until the packing is completed and the raisins are placed in
the raisin box.
"Loose Muscatels are prepared by being
put through the stemmer and grader. The stemmer removes the berries from
the stem, and the grader, by separating according to size, determines
the grade.
"By observing the foregoing remarks you
will naturally conclude that the raisin business is eminently made up of
details. None can be carelessly performed or overlooked if we expect to
compete successfully with the nations who have made the subject and
industry a study for centuries. Not only in the essentials of quality
and quantity but in this esthetic age a due regard to effect must be
observed in the way of attractive wrappers and labels."
Three-year-old Vines.- It is
sometimes difficult to make people believe what returns raisin lands
yield their owners. The Caledonia vineyard, for instance, which is
located only two miles from the city of Fresno, consists of 118 acres,
and was planted in 1888. This year it yielded to its owners, Messrs.
Alexander Gordon and Arch Grant, the sum of $13, 962.25, which amount
would have been swelled to $16,000, but for the unexpected rains in
September. The average yield per acre was, nevertheless, $118.32, not
bad for three-year-old vines.
State of California,
County of
Fresno.
We, Alexander Gordon and Arch Grant, being
duly sworn, depose and
say that the Caledonia vineyard owned by us,
situated about two miles
southeast of Fresno city, has produced the
present year the sum of
$12,660 worth of raisins and 113 tons of grapes
which were sold to the
winery for the sum of $1,302.25 making in all a
total of $13,962.25. Said
crop was gathered from 118 acres of vineyard,
of the Muscat variety, and
was planted in February and March, 1888.
Besides the above amount, we
estimate our loss by rains of October 1, 1890,
at over $2,500. The most of
this loss would have been averted could we have
got drying trays, or had
dry-house facilities at hand. The average per
acre being $118.32.
Alex. Gordon,
Arch Grant.
[SEAL]
Subscribed and sworn before me this
10th day of December, 1890.
F. M. CHITTENDEN,
Notary
Public
Malter's Vineyard. - The Malter
vineyard, three miles east of Fresno, consists of 240 acres in
grapes with two other small tracts. One hundred and sixty acres were
planted to grapes in 1880, and eighty acres to raisin grapes in 1887. G.
H. Malter, the owner, thinks it is probably the most productive vineyard
in the world. The 160 acres of wine grapes began bearing in 1887. The
crop has been steadily increasing since it first came into bearing,
until it footed up over eleven tons to the acre in 1890. The raisin
grapes are just beginning to produce.
The pruning in this vineyard differs
somewhat from that in other vineyards. Mr. Malter's plan with his vines,
even Muscats, is to stake them. In pruning, the stems are gradually
moved upward from year to year, so that the vines may attain their full
development and bearing power. By this method the disease known as block
knot, which is so prevalent in vineyards where vines are low-pruned, is
entirely prevented, as the sap in the spring of the year finds
sufficient outlet in the greater number of buds and is not forced to
burst through the bark of the trunk.
Mr. Malter's experience proves to his
satisfaction that the Muscat variety actually bears quite as large a
berry when they are cut low. When thus staked it produces a large amount
of fruit that all matures at one time, there being no second crop. One
four-year-old row of staked Muscats produced this year $650 worth of
raisins. These staked vines produced seventy-five pounds of grapes to
the vine.
In a county as large as Fresno, larger
than many Eastern States, stretching from the summit of the Coast Range
across the wide San Joaquin valley and up the vast slopes to the summit
of the Sierra, Nevadas, it cannot be expected that the dwellers on her
plains, engrossed as their minds are in that industry for which she is
famous the world-over - that of raisin and fruit-growing - should
realize the vast extent of her natural resources, still undeveloped.
The first habitations of man in this
county were the brush-thatched huts of the Indians. Then the sheepherder
came with his flocks and tents. Then the miners built their rude log
huts. Then followed the pioneer of the plains and the rough-boarded,
shake-roofed shanty, and with the advent of the railroad came the rustic
box-house of the early towns, which, as they grew, called forth the
better class of frame dwellings. Then came the plain brick building
blocks, and finally the elegant business blocks of the present Fresno.
But up to the present time there is not
a building of the better class in the county built entirely of material
produced in this county. In a frame house you will find the rafters,
studding and floors from Puget Sound, the wainscoting, rustic and
shingles from Mendocino, the doors and sash from Shasta, the plaster
from Santa Cruz; and in a brick structure, pressed brick and sandstone
trimmings come from Santa Clara, lime from Tehachapi, slates from El
Dorado, and timbers from Puget Sound. Yet all of these materials can be
found within a radius of fifty miles from Fresno city.
The reason for this failure to utilize
home products may be found when it is said that there are but two places
in the county where the railway line reach into the foothills.
Within the borders of this county may
be found everything necessary in raw material for the construction of a
first-class building, and as the people of the valley are bound to be a
very wealthy community, owing to the great value and certainty of their
crops and will want houses to correspond with their circumstances it
will be of interest to them to know what there is in the line of
building materials nearby. These are here briefly described some of the
more important ones.
Among the timber trees, as in the
vegetable kingdom of the earth, the Sequoia gigantea ranks first. As
very little of this timber had reached the markets prior to the
competition of the King's River Lumber Company's flume, its merits have
not been known. It is lighter in color and weight than the coast
redwood, contains no hard grain, and as it is free from the acid that
darkens the coast redwood it retains its color when finished in oil. It
is an excellent timber for the whole of any house, except the floors and
timbers, for which the yellow pine is better suited, being firm and even
grained.
The sugar pine, which is well-known as
the most valuable pine in California, is a fine-grained, soft, white,
wood, especially adapted to use in casings, doors, sash, etc. Besides
these there are the white cedar, a beautiful wood for finishing in oil,
the fir, valuable for timber, the red oak, which makes an elegant
hardwood finish, the red cedar and aberdeen pine, being still beyond the
reach of the mills, but little is known of their qualities as timber
trees. The valley oaks and mountain oaks are not valuable for timber, as
they are too porous and crossgrained. The amount of timber in this
county is almost beyond human conception, extending in a broad belt over
twenty-five miles wide and sixty miles in length, or 1,500 square miles.
This vast area, at an average of 8,000 feet per acre, contains
9,600,000,000 feet of lumber; and when it is considered that there are
many single acres that contain a 1,000,000 feet, it will be seen that
the average is by no means high. Its value at $10 per thousand would be
$96,000,000.
Fresno County is especially rich in good
building stone.
The granite, the rock of which the most
of the Sierra Nevada range is composed, is to be found in all shades and
textures, the Raymond quarries producing two kinds, which may be seen
and compared in the courthouse stairs. South of King's river is a
granite equal to the Scotch. Both light and red, and fine stone is to be
found, from the dark steel-gray to almost white, in all parts of the
range.
Of the limestones and marbles, King's
river canon contains fine marble in all shades, from the pure white to
the dark mottled and mourning vein, in immense quantities and of
superior qualities. When developed, this stone will be preferred to
granite for building, as it is in greater variety, works easier, and is
quite as serviceable. When burned it makes an excellent quality,
susceptible of a high polish, and when burned produces a lime equal to
the best Santa Cruz lime.
Bordering on the King's river are found
several large masses of marble and limestone. The main ledge is from 100
to 300 feet deep, and is composed mainly of white crystalline lime spar.
Another ledge on Mill creek flat is especially adapted for building
stone. With mountain railroads already surveyed, all the material will
be brought into a ready market.
Of clays for brick, the supply is
varied from that producing the bright red brick of the foothill slopes
to those almost white from the westside clays. Any of the chocolate
raisin lands make a good quality of brick when properly burned.
The impression prevails that anything
in the way of a shelter from the sun and wind is good enough for a
dwelling in the mild climate of California; while on the contrary, in
order to build for comfort, it is necessary to build with thick walls to
keep out the heat of summer and to keep in the warmth in winter; and we
are sure the near future will bring good, substantial buildings of brick
and stone, with interiors finished in the elegant hard and soft woods of
California.