_Note._--In describing the processes of drying, curing, packing,
assorting, etc., I have followed only methods which should be used by
every conscientious raisin grower and packer. These methods are now
actually in use, not by every packer and grower, but by the best of
them, by those who strive to produce a very superior article, which will
compare favorably with and compete successfully with the best products
of Malaga or other foreign raisin districts. Too much poor curing and
packing is done in every raisin district, to the great detriment of the
district, its growers and its packers. The cause of so much poor work is
undoubtedly due to the method of selling the raisins in bulk for a
previously fixed sum, whether the crop is good, bad or indifferent. For
many years no inducements were held out to the grower to produce a very
superior article, and as a consequence the packer got very little
first-class raisins to pack. When raisins are paid for according to
their quality alone, there will be plenty of first-class raisins, and
both packers and growers will be the gainers. The former will get more
first-class fruit to pack, the latter will find it to their advantage to
produce it. During the last season (1889 to 1890), a change was
inaugurated, and a grading of prices according to the quality of the
raisins has been insisted on. When this system is fully carried out, and
when the grower knows at the beginning of the season that he can get a
higher price for his superior raisins, California will produce as many
high-grade raisins as Malaga or any other raisin district. Already now
our average raisins are better than the average Malagas, and all that
our growers ask for are inducements to produce the best. With a view to
promote the attainment of these expectations, the following has been
written. Raisins may be produced by cheaper methods than those which I
advocate, but only great care, judgment and study will accomplish the
best results. In the raisin industry it pays to produce the best, and to
attain this very little extra care is required.
_Time of Ripening._--Varying with different localities and seasons, the
Muscat grape ripens in California between the 10th of August and the
30th of September. The earliest points where raisin grapes are now grown
are probably Palm Valley in San Bernardino county and the plains of Kern
county. In both these localities Muscats have been known to be ripe as
early as July, but neither locality has yet produced any great quantity
of raisins, and can hardly be considered as a raisin center. The
earliness of the San Joaquin valley generally is probably caused by its
small elevation above the sea, which is about three hundred feet for
Fresno, and increasing as we go farther south. San Bernardino county
again, somewhat later as to ripening, is, as far as its raisin centers
are concerned, more elevated, or from one thousand to two thousand feet
or more. The nearness to the sea has there also some influence to retard
the maturing of the grapes, and it is certain that in Southern
California the later ripening of the raisin grapes is principally due to
this cause. Thus the picking in Riverside commences between the 10th and
the 30th of September, and while the other raisin districts in the
southern part of California may vary some, still the ripening season
coincides very nearly with that of Riverside. In Highlands the grapes
are said to ripen two weeks later than at Riverside. In El Cajon the
grapes ripen between the 1st and 10th of September. In Fresno the
Muscatel raisin grapes ripen in the end of August, and generally by the
20th of August the picking has begun everywhere on the drier soils,
while on the wet soils it is generally retarded from one to two weeks.
As a rule the dryness of the soil influences considerably the ripening
of the grapes, and even the quality of the soil is not without some
influence, as on sandy, warm soil grapes ripen much earlier than on
heavy land. As an illustration of such early ripening, we may mention
that, on certain gravelly soils northwest or north of Santa Ana, the
Muscat grapes ripen two weeks earlier than on the heavier and finer
soils in the immediate vicinity. The growers take advantage of this
early ripening to sell their Muscat grapes fresh instead of drying them.
In Salt river and Gila valleys in Arizona the grapes are said to ripen
much earlier than in California, but so far the vineyards there are not
old enough to have been greatly benefited by this early ripening. On the
plains of Kern county the ripening is hastened by the nature of the
soil, and possibly also by the nearness to the desert and the desert
wind, by the greater distance from the sea, and by a less amount of
rainfall. In Malaga the grapes ripen several weeks earlier than in
Fresno; in fact, the whole Mediterranean region seems to be earlier than
California. As a general rule, we may state that the Muscat grapes ripen
later in Southern California than in the central portion of the State.
In regard to Sacramento and San Joaquin valleys, the farther we go
towards the south the earlier do the grapes ripen. But in every district
there are localities which are earlier than others. The Muscat and
Muscatel ripen earlier than the Sultana, which latter grape begins to
ripen earlier than the Muscat, but attains perfection much later than
any other of our raisin grapes. Thompson Seedless ripens in Yolo about
August 10th, and is thus our earliest raisin grape.
_Signs of Maturity._--There are three different ways by which the
ripeness of a grape can be tested,--saccharometer, taste or color. The
saccharometer is a well-known instrument, consisting of a graded glass
tube that will sink to different depths in liquors containing different
percentages of sugar. There are different kinds of saccharometers, but
the most practical one for the general raisin-grower is one divided in
one hundred degrees, each degree showing one per cent of sugar to every
hundred of water. Thus, if the saccharometer sinks down to twenty-five,
we know that the water or must contains twenty-five per cent of
saccharine water and seventy-five per cent of water. To properly test
the grapes, a few bunches should be picked from several vines, the
juice should be squeezed out and passed through a towel or otherwise
strained. The must is then poured into the test tube, and the
saccharometer inserted. If it shows twenty-five degrees or more of
sugar, the grapes will make good raisins, but for very superior raisins
several degrees more of saccharine are needed. It is not unusual to find
the grapes reach thirty degrees in favored localities and in favorable
seasons. Only inexperienced vineyardists will require the aid of the
saccharometer to determine the state of ripening of the grapes; the more
experienced judge by taste and color.
The taste of course is the most commonly used method for ascertaining
the ripeness of the raisin grapes. Every grower experienced or not
should examine his grapes repeatedly. To give directions for tasting the
ripeness of the grapes is of course impossible; it must be learned, and
can only be learned by practice. It is enough to say here that the
grapes should taste very sweet, contain no acid, and if possible be
rather solid.
The color is also a valuable adjunct in determining the ripeness of the
raisin grapes. Fully ripe and perfect fruit should be amber yellow,
somewhat transparent and waxy. If this color is combined with great
sweetness, and in Muscatels with absence of acidity, we can be sure that
the grapes are ripe. Some grapes do, however, especially when too much
exposed to the sun, acquire the yellow amber tint without being sweet,
but they are readily distinguished from the ripe grapes by their being
of smaller size and harder, tasteless and acid. Such grapes never
develop into good, mature grapes, and do not make good raisins. I may
also remark that not all ripe grapes become amber colored. Those that
grow in the shade and on very damp ground remain always green, although
they acquire a certain sweetness, and will make good raisins. The Muscat
grapes will make salable raisins even if not fully ripe, but in order to
make superior and good raisins all grapes should be “dead” ripe,
especially so if the grapes are to be dipped in lye. If unripe or
partially ripe grapes of Muscats and Sultanas are dipped, they make very
poor and red raisins; it would have been better-if they had never been
dipped. This is especially the case with the Sultana, which begins to
ripen and is eatable long before the Muscat, but which only makes a good
dipped raisin after the Muscat has been ripe for some time. Three or
four days make a great difference sometimes in the amount of sugar in
the grapes, and consequently in the quality of the raisins, and the
experienced grower will keep his grapes on the vines as long as possible
to attain the greatest possible amount of sweetness. But on the other
hand it takes judgment to foresee how sweet the grapes will be, as in
unfavorable seasons they will not attain their full sweetness even if
allowed to hang long on the vines. To know the time after which the
grapes do not increase in sugar requires much experience and
acquaintance with the locality where they are grown. In this respect
different years vary very much.
_Picking._--Many vineyardists pick their raisins too green or before
they are fully ripe. Not all raisins ripen at the same time, and to make
the best possible raisins out of the grapes, it is necessary to pick
over the vineyard several times, each time picking only the ripest
grapes. In places where there are two crops of grapes, at least two
pickings are absolutely necessary, and in many places two pickings are
enough. The green grapes of the first crop are then left to be picked
with the second crop, at which time they will probably be perfectly ripe
and very choice. But if the vineyard is small and manageable, and the
owner wishes to realize the most that he possibly can, he should make at
least three different pickings, each time taking care only to pick those
grapes which are fully ripe and which would make a first-class quality
of raisins. As long as the smaller vineyardists sell their raisins in
bulk at a contracted price of so much a pound for any kind or quality of
raisins, we cannot expect any great improvement in the too common mode
of picking, where good, bad and indifferent grapes go on the trays
together. But I am certain that in a few years this will or must change.
Raisins in sweatboxes will bring the price they are actually worth, and
it will be to the interest of every grower to pick his grapes at the
time they will make the best possible raisins, even if extra labor is
required for the work. The pickers generally use small, pointed knives
for separating the bunches, and they are preferable to small shears, as
better enabling the picker to reach farther in between bunches and
branches, and to cut the former without injuring the branch.
In picking the bunches, great care should be taken, much more than is at
present in use. It is always best to begin picking in the poorest part
of the vineyard, as it will take some time for the pickers to learn;
they are almost certain to pick in the beginning too many green grapes.
The poorest part of the vineyard is also apt to have the ripest grapes.
The large, fine bunches should be handled with the utmost care, in order
that the bloom of the grapes may not be injured. The bunches generally
should be handled by the stems only, or, if this is impracticable, by
the stem as much as possible. In separating a large bunch from the vine,
the bunch should be cut as close to the stem as possible, and at the end
of the stem of the bunch there should remain a portion of that broader
part by which the bunch is attached to the main branch. There is nothing
prettier on a bunch of raisins than this broad end of the bunch; it
gives an idea of strength and oddity to the raisin cluster, showing the
buyer at a glance that it is a cluster which was once solidly attached
to the vine. Many raisin-packers place this broad end of the bunch so as
to protrude above or between the berries, as if inviting the purchaser
to take hold of it and thus lift the luscious bunch out of the box. With
the poorer and smaller bunches, no such care in cutting need be
exercised, and it would be to no benefit to so cut a small, poor bunch
that it would cause the purchaser to believe it was a large bunch.
Poorer bunches might therefore be cut with short stems. As to the
handling of the bunches, the intelligent grower will soon learn how to
instruct his men. If vine branches interfere with the lifting of the
bunch from the vine, some of them may be cut without any injury to the
vine, but too many branches cut this way will cause a new growth to
start, which often is derived from the best fruit buds for the ensuing
season, and which always is apt to be injured from frost.
A picker should average not less than fifty trays a day of cleaned and
assorted grapes. At this rate the picking of twenty pounds of grapes
costs about two and a half cents. Some persons employing white labor
claimed to have lowered the cost of picking to one and three-quarter
cents per tray of twenty pounds, but I failed to learn how these grapes
had been handled, cleaned and assorted. The picking of the grapes is
facilitated by previous care given the vines. Neglected and entangled
vines are much more difficult and expensive to pick than those which
have been properly cared for and correctly pruned the season before. The
same may be said as regards vines between the branches of which weeds
have been allowed to grow. In picking from such vines, the grapes are
always torn, the best bunches destroyed and many grapes wasted on the
ground.
[Illustration: Raisin Vineyard Truck.]
_Cleaning._--When the bunch is picked or cut from the stem, it should be
cleaned. If it is a first-class or even an ordinary layer bunch, every
sunburnt berry, every leaf, twig or other conspicuous foreign substance,
must be carefully removed with the picker’s right hand, while the left
hand holds the bunch by the stem. This cleaning must some time be done,
and at no time can it be performed with better results than when the
grapes are green. The stems are then soft and flexible, while later on
they are brittle, and in endeavoring to remove foreign substances many
berries will be detached, or sometimes even the whole bunch broken. This
cleaning of the bunch does not need to extend to third-rate or small
bunches, which are to be used for loose raisins. The latter can be
cleaned very rapidly with machinery, and it would only be a waste of
time to clean them by hand-picking. The use of a pair of bellows is also
very practical. With them much of the spider webs and smaller refuse can
be removed, which could not be gotten rid of in any other way. A few
hands should therefore go over all finer bunches and blow them clean,
especially if sand or dust have accumulated on the trays or bunches. If
the grapes are carefully assorted when picked, and the different grades
placed on separate trays as they should be, this cleaning is done
rapidly, as the largest part of the crop, which only will make loose
raisins, need not be cleaned.
_Drying on Trays._--As soon as the grapes begin to ripen, the trays
should be distributed along the rows in the vineyard. They may either
first be placed in piles at every row where the roads cross the
vineyard, or at once distributed along the vines. The former method is
to be preferred, as it protects the trays from dirt and dust, and in
distributing afterwards it gives the pickers a more varied labor, often
welcome as a change from the cramped position necessary in picking.
Muscat vines in proper bearing require one or two trays to the vine,
while for young vines one tray will suffice. The probable quantity
needed should be ascertained beforehand in order that the trays may be
properly distributed. The ripe grapes are always placed directly on the
trays, and not previously picked in boxes. In placing the bunches on the
trays, the proper way for each picker should be to have two trays, one
for each grade. On one tray he places all the large bunches that promise
to make first-class bunch raisins; on the other tray he places again all
inferior bunches and loose berries. The smaller bunches and loose
berries may be placed any way almost, as long as they are not heaped on
top of each other. The largest bunches should be placed with the stem
side down, as this side will, when cured, become the finest and will
eventually by the careful packer be placed upwards in the box. That part
of the raisin which in drying touches the tray will also present, when
cured, a flat surface with several concentric layers, which are
considered a prominent feature in the perfect raisin.
The general method of drying is, however, to place good, bad and
indifferent bunches together on the same tray, with no attempt at
assorting. While this method may do when superior raisins are not
required, and when no higher price is paid for better grades, it will be
found a very inferior practice when the grower desires to pack himself,
in order to reap all the benefit he can out of his crop. For all
superior raisins, I therefore strongly recommend the assorting of the
raisins on the trays as having the following advantages. It requires
less handling of the large bunches. The large bunches dry the slowest,
and by having them from the beginning separated from the small and the
loose the latter can be brought away to the sweatboxes, when ready,
without necessitating the reassorting and handling from the trays, which
at this time, when the stems are very brittle, is always expensive as
well as injurious to the fine bunches. The larger bunches, which are to
produce layer raisins, require less drying, as they are to be sweated or
equalized before being packed. The smaller and inferior bunches, on the
contrary, must be stemmed and assorted by machinery before they are
equalized, and immediately after they are taken from the trays. In order
to “stem” readily these raisins must be rather overdried, as if soft
they would tear from the stems instead of having the latter broken. We
can therefore perceive the advantage of having the two grades on
different trays. Without the necessity of assorting we can simply take
up our “layer” trays when they are ready and allow our “loose” to remain
as long out as necessary, without fear of having the layers overdried.
By this assorting when green, each grade can be treated separately in a
quick and effective way.
A tray two by three feet may be made to comfortably hold from eighteen
to twenty pounds of grapes. The first crop should be placed pretty close
on the trays, not allowing any part of the tray to be visible, as the
reflected heat will be too great and may injure the raisins. The second
crop should be packed less close, as the reflected heat from the
surface of the tray will help to dry the grapes. This of course only
refers to localities where the temperature during the first drying is
very high. The warmer it is the closer should the bunches be packed on
the trays, and on the contrary when later on in the season, or when the
drying weather is unfavorable, plenty of space should be given the
grapes. It is often said that grapes, to make good raisins, should not
only dry, but cure. There is much truth in this. Good raisins should dry
and cure at the same time, by which is meant that a chemical process is
taking place, which is something else than the mere evaporation of the
water in the grape. The heat necessary and favorable for drying the
grapes is different in different localities. At certain temperatures the
raisins will get cooked and spoil, assume a red color, lose their
sweetness, become sour and hard, and covered with large, sharply defined
corrugations,--signs of a very inferior or even entirely worthless
raisin. In Riverside the grapes are said to cook at from 98 to 100
degrees Fahrenheit in the shade. In Fresno the grapes dry and cure well
up to a temperature of 105 degrees, and in El Cajon they do not spoil
until 103 degrees are reached. I would think that from 90 to 103 degrees
in the shade would be the best temperature for drying perfectly ripe and
sweet Muscat grapes. When the grapes are very ripe, a much higher
temperature will not injure them, while unripe and sour grapes,
especially of the second crop, will burn or cook at a lower temperature
than would be the proper one for ripe grapes.
It is not always advisable to stop picking when the heat becomes too
great. A better method is to stack the trays in the field, so as to
protect the raisins from the sun. When the heat subsides, the trays are
again spread. The expense and trouble of stacking the trays is not as
great as may be supposed, and a few hours will generally suffice to
stack a large vineyard with the regular picking gang. Some packers have
suggested that to secure good raisins the trays should be stacked for
several weeks in the beginning of the period of drying. For the
production of our usual dark-colored raisins this is not necessary nor
even advisable, except when the heat is such that the raisins would cook
and spoil. With a little experience this cooking of the grapes can be
readily detected by the smell emitted by the grapes. As soon as they are
in the least injured by the heat, a cooked flavor begins to pervade the
whole vineyard. When this peculiar flavor is noticed, and when the
berries begin to show small red and soft blotches on the side facing the
afternoon sun, the stacking should be commenced as quickly as possible.
If the trays are kept in piles for several days, the injured grapes will
partially recover and at least to some extent regain their color.
Greatly injured grapes will dry much slower, sometimes remaining several
weeks behind those which were not injured by the sun. Slightly
discolored raisins may partially regain their color by sweating, but
they will not improve otherwise.
After the trays are filled with grapes, the best way is to put several
rows of trays together, or rather to place the trays from three rows of
vines along one of the spaces between the rows. This gives more
compactness to the crop, makes it easier to handle the trays, and
facilitates the stacking of the trays, their turning and reversing, or
any labor with the trays that may be required. By thus clearing some of
the spaces between the rows, admission for trucks and wagons is had
close to the trays.
_Turning._--After the grapes have been exposed to the sun for some days,
they must be turned. By this time it will be found that the grapes have
dried principally on the upper side, while the lower side is yet
comparatively green. The time when the turning of the grapes should be
done depends entirely on the weather. One-half of the drying process
should be over, and this requires a longer or shorter time. When the
time for turning is at hand, it will be found that the under side of the
grapes, or rather the side of each berry that was placed against the
trays, has flattened out and shows concentric circles, which are
considered of much beauty, and greatly valued in all good raisins. When
they are well formed and established, it is generally time to turn. If
the grapes are turned before these concentric circles are hardened, the
latter will open and become less distinct. Another objection to turning
too early is that the upper side of the grapes, if not properly dried
before turning, will dry but very slowly afterwards, and often so slowly
that the raisins may have to be turned a second time, which will prove
both expensive and to the disadvantage of the raisins. One turning is
always enough, and the only one proper. There are several ways to turn.
The Malaga grower, with his raisin floors, must turn his raisins by
hand. The great advantage of our trays is that we can turn much quicker.
The turning is done in our vineyards by placing one tray on the top of
another and then turning them quickly over, when in changing the tray
the bottom side of the bunches will be found to be up.
[Illustration: Raisin Tray Catcher.]
This turning, however, requires some little knack, so as not to drop any
raisins on the ground. The trays may be turned either the short or the
long way. If the long way, one tray is first placed on the top of the
other, and two men catch hold of the long opposite sides of the trays by
placing their hands on the outside quarters of the edge and then
pressing firmly. This keeps the raisins steady between the trays, and in
turning rapidly, if the bunches are at all entire, few or no raisins
will be dropped. In turning the short way, the men grasp with their
opposite hands at the middle of the short sides, while with their other
hands they catch the outside quarters of one of the long sides. By
turning quickly over the long side that is held by the hands of the
turners, the operation may be performed without dropping any berries. In
small vineyards, where the owner must perform the work alone, he may
turn the trays without any help whatever, though, naturally, his work
will be somewhat slower. He can operate by the aid of a small
contrivance called the catcher, a most simple but very effective little
tool. It resembles a miniature stool like those used by the milkers of
cows. The seat or top may be twelve inches long by six wide, made from
one-inch lumber. On one side are inserted four pegs, each about six
inches long. The two opposite ones are inserted very close together, but
spread strongly outward. After one tray has been placed on the top of
the other, the catcher is pushed over the long edge of the trays, which
of course will cause them to jam tightly together on that side. By now
grasping the trays on the opposite edge, they may be turned without the
aid of any one else, and without any loss of raisins. Some use steel
clips for the same purpose, but the common home-made wooden catch is
undoubtedly the most practical method, as it is the cheapest.
Turning should, as much as possible, be done in the morning or at least
in the forenoon while the air is yet cool and the stems of the raisins
damp. The pressure of the tray will not then cause the stems to break
off and the quality of the raisins to be lowered. If the bunch raisins
are on separate trays, which is best, they may be turned earlier in the
day than the second grade, which is not apt to be greatly damaged by the
breaking of the stems, as they are to be stemmed anyhow.
_Reversing._--This is an operation not properly understood by every
raisin-grower, but is still of the utmost importance, especially for the
first-class bunches of the first crop, which naturally dry more slowly
than the smaller bunches. But the method is also very useful for the
second crop, when late in the season the drying is slow and uncertain.
The reversing consists simply in reversing the trays on the ground in
such a way that the edges which first faced the north afterwards face
the south, or _vice versa_. The object of reversing is plain. It will
nearly always be found that the raisins at the top or on the side of the
tray nearest the north will dry much more slowly than those on the side
facing the south, especially so as soon as the weather begins to turn
colder. To prevent this and insure equal drying at the top and bottom,
the reversing is performed after the trays have first been turned. This
will enable the grower to get his raisins in several days sooner than he
otherwise would. Indeed, at the critical period of drying, when fall
rains may set in and injure the raisins, it is of the utmost importance
to hurry the crop as much as possible; the reversing is at this time
almost as important as turning. I have seen the second crop of many a
vineyard seriously injured by rain, and its drying delayed only through
neglect to reverse the trays. The effect of reversing is oftentimes very
striking, and one grower who reverses his trays in time may get his crop
in safely, while his neighbor who neglects reversing may lose a great
part of his. A few days’ delay at this time of the year is often fatal
to the whole second crop, and no pains should be spared in order to
hasten the drying by every possible means available.
_Slanting the Trays._--The practice of raising one end of the tray
higher than the other is of very questionable value. In the fore part of
the drying season, the heat from the sun is such that the raisins
receive all the heat they require without being raised at an angle
against the sun. Towards the end of the season, I have found that, when
the trays have been raised, those grapes which lie on the lower edge of
the tray, and accordingly nearest to the ground, dry the quickest, while
those at the upper edge dry considerably slower. The cause is that the
air a foot above the ground is much cooler than close to the ground; the
large space under the raised tray also serves as a cooling room to cool
the tray. In some direct experiments made, it was found that, as regards
the tail end of the first crop, the raised trays came in several days
later than the trays which had remained flat on the ground. In
advocating that the trays should not be tilted, I must not be understood
to mean that it is not beneficial to keep the tray in a tilted position
when there is a close background to sufficiently heat the air equally at
the upper and lower end of the trays. This can only be secured by either
placing the trays against the side of a hill or on specially prepared
drying floors, which are described further on. In this connection I may
suggest that when the heat of the sun is not great, and when the raisins
dry slowly, the placing of an empty tray behind the drying tray, in
order to reflect the sun on the raisins, will considerably hasten their
drying. This is a valuable aid in drying, especially when the second
crop is late.
_Elevating the Trays._--The practice of elevating the trays containing
the tail end of the second crop is a good one. The best way is to place
the trays on the top of the vines, when it will be found that the free
circulation of air underneath will help to dry the raisins and prevent
rot and mold. This method is only adopted after fall rains, but is then
of great help in drying the crop.
_Stacking Against Rain and Dew._--The stacking of the trays is also a
valuable help in keeping out dew and cold. Late in the season, when it
takes several hours of sunlight to dry the night dews, the stacked trays
will be dry when the first rays of the sun are out. When heavy rains are
expected, the grapes, whether partially dried or not, should always be
stacked. It will keep the stems from rotting off from the berries, and
will generally save the crop from being seriously injured. Some growers
have an idea that only the partially dried grapes should be stacked, but
the green ones are equally benefited.
There are several ways of stacking. The flat-stacking is used
principally when the raisins are very dry, and when it is of importance
that no air should enter the trays. In flat-stacking, one tray is simply
placed on the top of the other, and the circulation of air thus brought
to a minimum. In rainy weather, however, the roof-stacking is to be
preferred. Instead of placing one tray on the top of another, the trays
are placed in two piles joining each other in such a way that the inner
end of every tray overlaps the edge of the tray in the adjoining pile.
This lifting up of one edge of the tray gives to the whole pile a
roof-like appearance, and the angle in which the trays join together
becomes steeper the higher the pile grows, until, at the height of
three or four feet, the trays slant so much that the raisins cannot rest
on them, but are in danger of sliding off, when, of course, the pile
should not be made any higher. It takes several times longer to stack
the trays in roof fashion than to simply pile them up flat. The
advantage of roof-stacking is that it admits more air, and sheds the
rain better. In damp weather the piles should not be covered on the
sides for any length of time, as the raisins will then mold more
rapidly. If, instead of joining two piles of trays, three piles are made
to join, the center stack will be flat, while much air is admitted to
the raisins. In this stacking the first two trays are placed flat on the
ground at almost the distance of one tray. Another tray is made to rest
on the inner edge of the lower trays and cover the intermediate space,
and so on. This method gives twice as much air space between the trays
as regular flat-stacking, and is to be recommended when the weather is
damp. A combination of this last method and roof-stacking is used by
some, every grower almost having his favorite way to stack. It must be
remembered that in very rainy weather no kind of stacking will be of any
value, while, when the showers are few and far between, stacking may
save the crop.
Stacking is especially valuable in conjunction with dryers, when
protection during a few days only is all that is needed. One man can
stack about five hundred trays an hour, and the regular picking gang can
stack a whole vineyard in a few hours. Should the rain be very heavy and
no dryer handy, it is of no use to try to save the crop after the mold
has begun to make its appearance, and when the berries have begun to
rot. It is then far better to dump the whole crop in the field rather
than to spend time, money and anxiety on raisins which must in any case
become a total loss.
_Taking Up._--When, at last, the raisins are sufficiently dried, they
must be taken up as quickly as possible. This process again consists of
three different labors,--the stacking, assorting and boxing. It is of
great importance to know exactly when the raisins have sufficiently
dried to be ready for the sweatboxes. This can properly only be
ascertained by experience, still a few directions will materially help
the inexperienced grower in his judgment. A perfect raisin should be
neither too hard nor too soft. A raisin is too soft when, after rolling
it between the fingers, the least particle of juice exudes through the
cracked skin or meat. Such raisins will “sugar” in course of time, and
not keep a year. If the raisins, or a majority of them, on a bunch are
too wet, they should be spread to the sun for some time longer. If,
however, there are only a few underdried raisins in a bunch, the bunch
may be taken in, and the soft raisins clipped off afterwards. A raisin
is too dry when, in pressing and rolling it between two fingers, the
pulp does not move readily inside the skin. Such overdried raisins will
not again become first-class raisins; their skin will always be tough,
and their color will be somewhat inferior. If but slightly overdried,
they may be brought out by equalizing. To know when the raisins are in a
proper condition to take up is most important to every raisin-man, and
he should never neglect to watch his trays early and late. Upon his good
judgment and watchfulness depend the quality of his crop. To prevent
too rapid drying out after the raisins are nearly ready, the practice
now is to stack the trays in the field.
This stacking simply consists in placing the trays which contain the
ready raisins on top of each other, in piles five feet high. On the top
of every such pile are placed several loose trays crosswise, so as to
shelter the pile from the sun, and possibly even from rain, and other
trays are raised up against the sides of the pile in order to exclude as
much air as possible. If, however, the raisins are rather underdried,
the side trays may be left out so as to allow the raisins to dry more.
It is always best to stack the trays before the raisins are fully dried,
as they will finish drying and curing in the stack much better than in
the sun. The underdried raisins will thus dry just enough, while the
overdried ones, or those just right, will not dry much more.
After the stacking is done, the assorting is in order. This consists in
taking out every bunch that is not sufficiently dried to go into the
sweatbox, and placing them on new trays to dry more. At this time, also,
the bad or inferior and red berries may be taken out, if present in a
very large quantity on good bunches; but when there are only a few on,
it is better not to touch the bunch, as, in handling it, it is only too
apt to break. Any further picking out of bad berries had better be
deferred to the packing-house. The boxing and assorting, which may be
considered together, consist in transferring the different grades of the
now dried raisins to separate sweatboxes. This is done in two ways. The
number one bunches, which have been placed on separate trays, may now
simply be slid into the sweatbox, by a dexterous movement of the tray.
Between every two layers of these first-class bunches should be placed a
stout manilla paper cut so as to exactly fit the box. It is of
importance to have the paper just fit the box, and not be too large nor
too small, as in either case the raisins are apt to become mixed and the
bunches broken. But, if the grapes have not been assorted from the
beginning on separate trays, more work will be required to get them into
the sweatboxes. Every bunch must be carefully taken up by hand from the
tray, and then placed on the paper in the box. But in doing so many
bunches are necessarily broken, as even careful hands cannot help
frequent mishaps, while ignorant and careless workmen may do an immense
injury to the crop. Too few manilla papers are generally used. Some
packers require only two papers in every box, while six or eight, or at
least five, papers should be the proper number for every box of very
choice or even ordinary layers. We must remember that, the more papers
we use, the less apt are the bunches to be injured, but even the best
layer bunches will not suffer if placed two layers high between every
paper. On top and in the bottom of every box must be one paper, so as to
keep out dust. The loose and inferior raisins, which either have been
left on the tray after the layers are picked out, or which from the
beginning have been placed on separate trays, may now, when perfectly
dry, be simply dumped in sweatboxes without any paper.
We have thus at least two kinds of sweatboxes. One kind contains those
raisins which are destined to make layers, and which require sweating
and equalizing before they can be packed. The other kind contains the
loose and drier berries, which are to go immediately to the stemmer and
grader, and which would not separate from the stems if they were made to
equalize.
_Covering._--If the weather has been favorable, the raisins may have
been dried and cured in twelve days. Of these twelve days, the first
seven or eight were used for drying the upper side of the raisins. On
the seventh or eighth day they were turned, and on the twelfth day they
were ready to put in the sweatboxes. But this is fast drying, and drying
under favorable circumstances, with a dry wind blowing gently all the
time. But sometimes it takes a much longer time to dry, say from
fourteen to twenty-one days. In Fresno, where the weather is less
favorable, the drying of the first crop may require from two to three
weeks. In El Cajon it always takes two or three weeks for the raisins to
dry, and in Orange county the drying sometimes requires from thirty days
to five weeks. In Malaga the drying is accomplished quicker than in
California, because there they cover the raisin floors every night with
canvas, and in the morning, when the canvas is unrolled, the raisins are
yet warm. The drying, then, has been continued all night, and the
raisins have not had time to cool when they meet the first rays of the
sun. In California, again, our raisins are cold, possibly even wet with
dew or rain, and it sometimes takes the sun until noon to dry up the
moisture accumulated through the night.
To counteract this absorption of moisture, many of the raisin-growers in
Orange county, California, especially around Santa Ana and McPherson,
cover the trays with canvas every night. This method is to be
recommended wherever there is any difficulty in curing either the first
or the second crop. If this method is employed, I am satisfied that
raisins could be grown and properly cured in localities where otherwise
no raisin cult is possible. The method of covering the raisin trays at
Santa Ana is as follows, varied by different growers, but in the main
the same everywhere. The trays are placed together in long rows; about
twenty yards long is found to be most convenient. The width of the row
is just the width of two trays, or five feet. Thus the row of trays
laden with raisin grapes is about sixty feet long by five feet wide.
Along the north end of this long row of trays are driven down small
posts every six or ten feet, and left extending about two feet above the
ground. Along the south side of the row of trays smaller posts are
driven down at the same distances, but not allowed to extend so high
above the surface of the soil. These pegs or small posts may best be
slanting outward, or from the trays. Along the high posts is strung a
wire in such a way that it cannot easily get loose. To a long canvas
cover are now secured small rings for running on the wire, and on the
other side larger rings to hook over the smaller posts in front. If the
canvas is only one yard wide, two widths must be sewed together so as to
make the canvas six feet wide. The trays, which are two and one-half
feet by three feet, when placed side by side will just form a drying
floor of five feet, large enough to be covered by the canvas six feet
wide. The cost of canvas is six and one-half cents a yard by the bale.
The manner of using the canvas is very simple. The canvas cover, which
is stationary, is attached to the wire and the higher posts. Every
evening the cover is thrown over the trays, the front or lower edge is
hooked by the aid of the rings over the pegs in the ground, and the
trays thus securely sheltered. In the morning, when the sun is up, the
cover is thrown back over the higher posts, and the trays fully exposed.
The trouble to cover is not very great; two men can cover forty tons of
grapes in half an hour, and generally it is considered that the
picking-gang can cover the whole crop in half an hour’s time every
evening, and it takes them as long to uncover in the morning. If well
cared for and properly dried, and stored away in the autumn after the
crop is all in, this canvas cover, with its posts, will last six or
seven years, and if painted or oiled would probably last still longer.
One yard of canvas can cover thirty pounds of grapes, and for the
purpose of utilizing the full space, the trays are made two and one-half
by three feet.
Such is the process practiced in Orange county. If adopted elsewhere, it
would enable many localities to produce good raisins, where the climatic
conditions are such that no drying is now practicable. The process is
not as good as the one employed in Malaga, but it has some advantages
which make it very acceptable. It enables the grower to use trays, and
it makes drying-floors unnecessary, and the spaces in the vineyard can
be used without taking away room from the vines. On the other hand, the
drying-floors of Malaga are warmer and more secure, and almost
absolutely safe in case of rain.
_Drying-floors._--While, in some parts of California, the first crop
dries generally without any difficulty, in other parts rain and dew very
frequently interfere with the drying of even the first crop. In many
places where raisin-curing is not successful, the same could be
practiced profitably if we would adopt the system of drying-floors used
in Spain. Even in localities where the first-crop raisins dry well, the
second crop is always exposed to more or less rain, and the
raisin-grower annually loses large sums of money on account of not being
able to hasten the drying of the second crop. But it is doubtful if the
Malaga drying-floors will ever be found practical and come into general
use with us. They take considerable space from the vineyard, and are
very expensive, but they are very secure, and when once built are very
profitable. A limited number of such floors would be very useful in
every vineyard, especially for drying the second crop. At present no
such floors exist in this State. The following description gives an idea
of how they may be constructed:
These drying-floors may be built of brick with the long sides as long as
required, while the short sides should be about twelve feet long. The
back wall is six feet high, while the front wall is only six inches
high, which, with the above length of side wall, would give enough
slope. In Malaga the interior is filled with black gravel and tamped
hard, but for our purpose probably nothing would be superior to
asphaltum, bituminous rock or cement. It must first be ascertained if
bituminous rock would not impart a flavor to the grapes, in which case
cement would be the most useful flooring. In order to allow the rain to
run off, the front wall should be pierced with small holes close to the
ground, but this would only be necessary in case the bed is filled with
gravel, or no cement floor exists on top of it. Along the back part of
the floor should be set a row of uprights of two by four lumber, driven
securely in the ground. On the top of each post is set an eyelet,
through which runs a stout wire along the whole back of the frame. A
canvas cover long enough to reach the whole length of the floor should
be used for covering, and, in order to secure it to the wire and the
posts, it should be hemmed and furnished with small rings to run on the
wire. In front similar rings are set in order that the canvas may be
secured to the smaller posts and kept down in case of wind. On such
floors common trays may be used. To make the canvas impervious to rain,
it may be painted with boiled linseed oil. The above are only
suggestions based on the Spanish drying-floors. For a full description
of them, I beg to refer to the article on Malaga. In using linseed oil,
care should be taken that only pure oil is used. There is linseed oil
which contains chemicals which rapidly rot the canvas.
_Dryers._--The subject of dryers is of great importance to the
California grower. The last few years have fully demonstrated that every
raisin vineyard, no matter where it is situated, should have one or more
dryers, in order that the last of the crop may be dried properly when
the rain sets in. Many years these dryers are not required, but from
time to time they prove of vast value, and if properly constructed are
much superior to any drying-floor. But so far no perfect dryer has ever
been constructed. Most dryers are too expensive, costing from three
thousand to seven thousand dollars, when of a capacity to dry from
twenty-five to fifty tons of green grapes at one charge. Nearly all late
dryers are constructed with a fan, which sucks the air out through one
end of the building. The large complicated dryers are all patented, but
there can be no doubt that good small dryers might be constructed by
every grower, which will do good service. As, however, so far no very
perfect dryers have ever been constructed, and as every owner of one
changes and rebuilds every year, we must leave the consideration of the
construction of these dryers to some future time when more knowledge or
experience will have been gained. Dryers large enough to hold a charge
of one ton of green fruit have been constructed at the price of two
hundred dollars by Ellwood Cooper of Santa Barbara. They dried their
fruit in twenty-four hours, but they were never used for raisins.
But as this style of dryer may be adapted to raisins, I will give a few
hints at its construction. The heating apparatus consists of a large
iron drum, or radiator, seventeen and one-half feet long by two and
one-half feet wide, set on a furnace in which is burned wood. The
furnace and radiator are built into a bank, on top of which the dryer is
built. This dryer is simply a large wooden box about seventeen feet
square and six feet high, and looks, as seen from the outside, like a
chest full of drawers. These slide on frames, are deeper than they are
broad, and contain movable bottoms or trays made of small redwood ribs.
They begin about two feet from the top of the radiator; if closer, the
heat would be too strong for the fruit. The ventilation is had by small
sliding doors at the bottom of the chest, through which the air rushes
in, while it goes out through the drawers, which for this purpose are
left open an inch or two. The chest is covered over with an open shed,
which makes the labor pleasant, and enables the attendant to inspect any
drawer at any time without seriously disturbing the heat of the dryer.
The cheapness and effectiveness of such small dryers are such that every
one can afford them. A dozen such small dryers all set in a row in a
bank could be attended to by very few hands. They would also be
preferable to very large dryers on account of the short time required to
fill them, and their raisins can be dried long before a larger dryer has
been filled.
As to the usefulness of steam or fire dryers there can be no doubt. The
idea is not to entirely dry the raisins in them, but only to finish up
the raisins when, on account of unfavorable climatic conditions, they do
not dry any more out-of-doors. The question as to which are best,
“machine-dried” raisins or those dried in the sun, is entirely
unimportant. No one would think of drying raisins entirely in the dryer,
as it would not pay. Raisins properly finished in the dryer are not
inferior to those entirely sun-dried.
_Sweatboxes._--The sweatboxes should be made of strong lumber one inch
thick. The length and width should be according to the size of the tray,
and always one inch larger every way than the tray, in order that the
raisins may be let down readily, or that they may receive a tray. The
height of a sweatbox should be from six to eight inches, no more, as a
greater depth will make them too heavy to be handled with ease by two
men. Six inches in depth is better than eight. In order to secure the
box and prevent it from splitting, the sides should be bound with hide,
iron bands or with twisted galvanized wire. The latter is the strongest
and best, costs the least, and is the easiest to put on.
_Trays for Drying._--The tray consists of a wooden frame made of
well-dried half-inch lumber, nailed to cleats of one inch by one and
one-half inch and of desired length. The lumber most commonly used is
well-seasoned spruce. Pine, if not well seasoned, is apt to give the
raisins a taste of the wood or of rosin, while redwood may discolor the
raisins if exposed to rain or very heavy dew. But as the lumber attains
age, it also becomes less injurious to the grapes. Cottonwood or
poplar-wood, which can be obtained in some places, make most useful
lumber for trays, as they do not contain any taste or other substance
apt to injure the raisins. The size of the tray varies according to the
idea of the raisin-grower, but the size generally adopted is two by
three feet. Formerly a smaller tray was used, but no smaller ones are
now made. A larger size, three by three feet, is used by several
growers, but, while it has the advantage of holding more grapes, it is
also less readily handled than the smaller tray. In the southern part of
California, a tray two and one-half by three feet is very popular. The
tops of the trays are bought in the shape of shingles, which should be
well dried before being nailed, as they will otherwise shrink up and
cause cracks to form in the tray, greatly to the detriment of the drying
of the raisins. Loss is also caused by loose raisins dropping through
such cracks. The cleats should be wet or green, or they will split in
nailing. If too dry, they should be soaked in water over night or for a
few hours. The shingles should be planed on the side which is to be
placed upwards. The cost of the lumber for the trays varies from nine to
twelve and one-half cents in the shooks. For nailing the trays together,
a frame is made of wood and iron. The cleats are placed on the two
short, opposite sides, with a heavy bar of iron immediately underneath
so as to clinch the nails. The planed shingles are then placed on top
and nailed to the cleats with round-wire nails, which clinch
automatically on the lower side as soon as they strike the iron bar. No
cleats are required on the long side of small size trays, but if a
larger tray is used a bar on each side may be required to give the tray
sufficient strength. A good workman, after a few days of practice, can
comfortably nail up four hundred trays a day. When the season is over,
every tray should be nailed up and washed, or at least swept clean and
stored dry. The age of a tray, if cared for, is about ten years.