It is thus that the fall rains are everywhere feared the most, the more so where they may be expected with regularity, and where the district is so situated that the heat of the sun is not powerful enough to rapidly dry the injured crop. Thus in Valencia the rains are feared more than at Malaga. In the latter place the sun is powerful enough to dry the raisins, and only repeated showers would injure the crop. Our experience is very much the same, and the early fall rains in the northern part of the State are to be feared much more than rains at the same time farther south, where a few showers would soon be succeeded by warm weather, and a hot sun powerful enough to dry the partially cured grapes. On account of local conditions, certain parts of Central California are freer from these fall rains than the more southern districts, but this disadvantage is counteracted by the greater amount of warm weather and drying winds just at a time when they are most needed. But while the southern part of the State is in this respect not as favorably situated as some other parts, the disadvantage is greatly counteracted by the warmer and drier fall weather in October and November, and by drying winds which are often able to desiccate the moistened raisins in a very few days. Spring rains in May or even in the early part of June cannot be considered greatly detrimental to the vines. On the contrary, if only occurring at long intervals, one or two showers say during the season, they are rather beneficial than otherwise. In California I have never known them to injure the crop, except if accompanied by heavy hail. Much alarm is regularly felt every time such a shower happens to come, but after it is well over it will generally be found that the vines look fresher and better, the ozone and ammonia which was brought down by the rain having acted as powerful fertilizers for the grape-leaves, and increased their vigor and growth. The only thing that might prove injurious at this or any other time of the growing season would be continued cloudy weather before or after such showers, which would cause mildew. Such weather has to my knowledge never been experienced. Occasionally spring rains also bring frost, and this of course is one of the greatest enemies of the raisin-vines.