RAISIN CULTURE.
The Pacific Rural Press, referring to the raisin vineyards in the San Joaquin Valley, California, states:—
"What is especially interesting to the home-seeker in connection with this information, is the fact that everyone of these vineyardists is prosperous. No other horticultural industry is so profitable as the culture of the raisin grape, in no other is the work so pleasant, and no other yields a return so quickly."
An acre of Muscat vines in full bearing will yield from two to three tons of grapes on good heavy soil. At 5-1/2 cents a pound in the sweat-box, this means from 225 to 325 dollars per acre, gross. Numerous instances are known, however, where the yield of an acre of Muscats amounted to as much as 450 dollars, this being the result of careful cultivation and favourable circumstances. Some grapes are borne on the vines when they are one-year old, while two-year old's have been known to bear a crop. At three years the vines pay the expenses and interest on the money invested, and at four years from planting they bring the first large paying crop.
The Merced Argus says of raisin culture:—
"One of the great charms of raisin culture is the extreme simplicity of its operations. WHAT CAN BE MORE SIMPLE than to pick a bunch of Muscat grapes from the vine, and lay it on the ground. In six days the bunch of grapes, without being meanwhile touched, has assumed the appearance of a bunch of raisins, and has flattened out as if it had been pressed. It is then carefully turned over, so as to expose the underside to the direct action of the sun. In eight days more it is a perfect bunch of raisins, and no act of man can improve it even in appearance. All the operations of fancy packing are so simple, that a child may learn them in a day. A single acre of raisin vines in a Merced Colony lot means handfuls of bright, golden double eagles to the bright-eyed children of the Merced farmer in the near future.
Harper's Magazine for January, 1891, contains an article on California, which all persons interested in that State would do well to read. I extract a few statements:—
IRRIGATION.
"A piece of land at Riverside, below the flow of water, was worth 300 dollars an acre. Contiguous to it was another piece not irrigated, which would not sell for 50 dollars an acre. By bringing water to it, it would quickly sell for 300 dollars, thus adding 250 dollars to its value. As the estimate at River side is that one inch of water will irrigate five acres of Fruit land, five times 250 dollars would be 1,250 dollars per inch, at which price water for irrigation has actually been sold at Riverside.