246 TRANSACTIONS OF THE 



CALIFORNIA RAISINS, FROM VINE TO TABLE. 



By Geo. W. Meade & Co., San Francisco. 



Edwin F. Smith, Esq., Secretary State Board of Agriculture, Sacramento: 



Dear Sir: In accordance with your request, we beg to hand you here- 

 with, the article on California raisins, which we trust will meet your 

 approbation. It covers the ground pretty fully, and we hope it will be of 

 benefit to all interested in the subject. 



Our experience has been as follows: 



First — During the growing season of the green grapes in the fields, great 

 care must be taken against sunburn, and to see that they are ready to pick 

 at exactly the proper stage. The grape must neither be too ripe, nor must 

 it be under-ripe, and for this purpose they must be carefully examined, as 

 the season for packing approaches, day by day. 



Second — When, in the judgment of experts, the fruit is ready to pick, 

 large forces are at once put to work, and wooden trays, three feet by three 

 feet square, which have previously been prepared by the tens of thousands, 

 receive the bunches of grapes from the pickers, and are immediately placed 

 in the sun. This work then goes on until the entire product of the vine- 

 yard is picked, and placed on the trays. 



Third — From one to two weeks is required for drying, depending upon 

 the heat of the sun and the warmth of the nights. During this process of 

 drying, experts are again required to know exactly at what stage the fruit 

 must be "picked up" and taken to the packing house. 



In point of fact, this is one of the critical periods, and requires, as above 

 stated, the very best services in the way of expert judgment. If they are 

 "picked up" before they are cured just right to make a perfect raisin, or, 

 in other words, if they are either too soft or too hard, when they come to be 

 packed in boxes they will not make first class raisins. 



Fourth — This stage then, having been satisfactorily passed, these raisins 

 from the field are taken to the packing house, which, if it is properly con- 

 stituted, is provided with a large sweat-room. The raisins then are placed 

 in what are known as sweat-boxes, holding a matter, perhaps, of two hun- 

 dred to three hundred pounds, which are piled one upon the other, and 

 marked and numbered as to the date they arrived; and if the work is done 

 properly, they should be allowed to remain in this sweat-room at least a 

 period of two weeks. This process of sweating makes the stems pliable, 

 and at the same time equalizes the moisture, and makes the perfect raisin 

 of commerce. 



Fifth — The process of sweating having been gone through with, the sweat- 

 boxes are taken out into the general packing room, and given to the " assort- 

 ers." These assorters become very expert in the matter, and run through 

 the boxes very rapidly. They select bunches in one instance that will 

 make a Dehesa Cluster; other bunches that will make London Layers; 

 others that will make an Imperial CaL>inet. These selections are all placed 

 in other boxes by themselves, and from thence go to the packers, according 

 to the grading of the fruit as above named. Everything then is ready, 



