_Dry Seasons, Spring and Fall Rains._--The climate of the Mediterranean basin, as well as of the raisin districts of the New World, present the peculiarity of having only two distinct seasons, one dry and warm, and one cold and wet. There are other parts of the world also characterized by a dry and a wet season, for instance Mexico and Central America, etc., but they differ in the important point, that whereas the climate of the raisin districts is dry during the growing or summer season, Mexico has then its greatest rainfall. While grape-growing may not be impossible under such circumstances, the curing and drying of raisins is impossible, except with the aid of costly and burdensome appliances, the expense of which will very much increase the cost of producing the raisins. The climate of the raisin centers is by no means uniform. As a rule, the farther north we go the less is the distinction between the dry and the wet season, the shorter is the former and the longer the season of rain. Experience shows that the less this distinction between the seasons is marked, and the shorter the rainless season, the less favorable is the climate for the raisin industry. The longer the dry season, and the less rain during the same, the more favorable is the locality for raisin drying and curing, supposing, of course, other necessary conditions are not absent. This absence of summer rains and cold fog is the most important climatic condition, and the one that more than any other decides upon the advantages of any certain locality for the industry under our consideration. A perusal of the reports from the different raisin districts will convince us of this. For California we need not refer to any special reports, as the newspapers are full of them every year from May to November, and it will suffice to state that any large amount of rain after the beginning of June, and especially in September, October and November, when the raisins are curing, is considered very detrimental, and sure to cause much loss. Heavy and continued rainfall during the drying season would not only injure the raisins, but might even totally ruin the crop. Any district where year after year such showers occur, would not be considered favorable for the raisin industry, and would no doubt be given up to something else. To show that these same conditions also exist in the Mediterranean raisin districts, we will here quote a few extracts from the United States consular reports from there. Consul W. E. Stevens, United States consul at Smyrna, writes:[5] “It happens occasionally that rain falls during the vintage time, causing heavy loss to growers through the inevitable deterioration in quality. This was the case last season (1883), and large quantities of raisins were in consequence shipped to France to be made into spirits.” From Valencia another consul writes: “In the event of wet and damp weather, the hurdles (or grape mats) are piled up in sheds covered with mats or painted canvas.