_Extent and Location._--The Fresno district contains about thirty thousand acres, out of which about twelve thousand are in good or full bearing. Merced county has about two thousand acres, nearly all very young vines. Kern county has probably about one thousand acres, also very young vines, and some thirty acres of old vines. Tulare county has about seven thousand acres of Muscats, a large part of which is in full or good bearing. Many vineyards, large and small, are being planted in these counties this year, but enough attention is not paid to proper soil and to locality, and here, as elsewhere in the State, many of these vineyards will not turn out as the owners expect they will. In Fresno county, the old vineyards are planted principally around Fresno City, while in late years other raisin districts or sub-districts are growing into prominence around Malaga, Sanger, Selma, Fowler and Madera. The varieties used are principally the Gordo Blanco Muscatel, much mixed with the Muscat of Alexandria. There are some few acres of Sultanas and White Corinths, and of late many Malagas have been planted. _Soils and Climate._--There are several different varieties of soils in the district,--the red or chocolate-colored sandy loam principally east of the railroad, the white, ashy soil west 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, is 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; south to Kern the rainfall decreases, five and a half inches being an average around Delano. Towards the northern end of the valley, the rainfall increases, and in Merced county varies between ten and twenty inches, fifteen inches being a high average. In no portion of the raisin-producing portion of the valley can raisin grapes be grown without irrigation, the natural rainfall being entirely insufficient. The lowest temperature is about eighteen degrees Fahrenheit in Fresno, generally in January, while the highest is one hundred and eighteen degrees Fahrenheit in the shade in July and August. The lowest temperature is reached once in from three to five years, and the highest quoted is similarly scarce. The high average in summer time is one hundred and ten in the shade, and for three months of the year the thermometer every day can be counted on to vary between one hundred and one hundred and ten in the shade. In the winter, twenty degrees Fahrenheit is often reached, and the end of December and January may be counted on as being cold and frosty. These figures all refer to the level plain land, where the most of the vineyards are planted, and not