, coupled with the keenest kind of foreign
competition have interfered materially with the sale of almonds in this
country, with the result that almond growers have been losing money
every year for the past four years. At the same time the tremendously
increased domestic tonnage has resulted in keeping the prices to the
consumer very low in relation to pre-war prices and costs. The consumer
has been getting the benefit of maintaining the domestic almond
producers in the business. The fact that domestic tonnage cannot be kept
down, as soon as a profit is in sight, warrants the American public in
maintaining a sizable industry in this country by means of a protective
tariff, even though it may appear on the surface as though it might mean
increased prices. The experiences of the last four years have
demonstrated beyond a doubt that increases in import duties have not
resulted in increased prices to the consumer. They have, in fact,
increased the competition to a point where prices have dropped rather
than risen.

The same situation applies to walnuts, except possibly as regards losses
to growers during recent years. The fact that walnuts ordinarily take
longer to come into bearing than almonds has prevented any rapid
increase in production such as has taken place with almonds. They are,
however, facing many of the same conditions of keen competition from
countries where costs of production are very, very low.

Conditions this year point to both almond and walnut crops of
approximately the same size as last year. That means the walnut crop
will be around 25,000 tons and the almond crop around 10,000 tons. The
condition of the walnut crop seems to be about normal. Where irrigation
is not available they are suffering from lack of water. Almonds this
year are showing in many districts the disastrous effects of the
unusually dry season. This will show up most strongly, however, in
reduced tonnage for next year, and stick-tights for this year. These
latter, however, are not saleable, so the consumer need not worry but
that the almonds received in the markets will be good, edible almonds.
What the final outcome of the drought will be it is a little too early
to tell.

Pecans and filberts are produced in such small quantities in California
that they do not affect the market in any way except possibly locally.
There is nothing to indicate any abnormal condition affecting either of
these in the few places where they are grown. N