The Raisin Industry / A practical treatise on the raisin grapes, their history, culture and curing

by Gustavus A. Eisen

1877.

—In November, 1877, very complimentary notice is made of Blowers’ layer raisins from Woodland, which brought $2.75 and $3.00 per box. Briggs’ raisins were worth $2.25 and $2.70. This extract, dated January 18, 1877, is still another landmark in the raisin industry: “The consumption of raisins has been fully up to the average of past years, yet divided between Malaga imports and our own California production. Of the latter, upwards of 20,000 boxes have been already marketed; and, had it not been for the unusual and unexpected heavy rainfall in October, there is every reason to believe that our home crop of bunch and layer raisins would have reached 50,000 boxes of twenty pounds each. Blowers’ Muscat raisins were superior and in every way equal to the imported. Briggs, of Marysville, also turned out several thousand boxes of bunch, and others have made a creditable beginning. Enough has been done here in this line to satisfy our grape-growers that raisin-curing is to be, in the near future, a prominent California interest, and, to do it successfully, the sun-drying process is infinitely superior to that of machine-drying. Sheds must be erected and prepared in time to protect the fruit from early rain, and then the working process is sure to all who have the right kind of grapes. Then uniform weight in twenty, ten and five pound boxes, all handsomely put up in fancy papered boxes, and California then will be prepared to secure all the raisin trade west of the Rocky Mountains, and a good part of that of the Eastern States. As it is, those of our merchants importing Malaga raisins from New York confine themselves to London layers and others of the best and choicest quality, leaving the home market to be cared for, in a great measure, by those of our own production. As a result, raisins have ruled low all the winter, and are likely to do so for a long time to come.”

1878.

—In 1878 several carloads of California raisins were sent to Chicago, New York and Boston, and were well received by the trade. In October of that year, California layers were bringing $2.50 and $3.25. Imports had fallen away more than forty per cent from the figures of 1874.

1879.

—In 1879 the ruling prices for California raisins, in lots of 250 boxes and upwards, were: Common layers, $2.00 for wholes, $2.25 for halves, $2.50 for quarters, $3.00 for eighths; London layers, $2.25 to $2.50 for wholes, $2.50 to $2.75 for halves, $2.75 to $3.00 for quarters, $3.25 to $3.50 for eighths.

1880.

—In October, 1880, the following quotations were made: Briggs’ layers, $2.00 and $2.75 per box. California raisins, in lots of 250 boxes and upwards, common layers, $2.50 and $2.25 per box; London layers, $2.50 per box.

1881.

—In November of 1881, Malaga ruled high in the East, and in consequence prices were generally higher here, quotations for the California article running $2.50 for wholes, $2.75 for halves, $3.00 for quarters, and $3.25 for eighths, in lots of one hundred boxes. London layers, twenty-five cents per box more.