90 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



Swezy, near Marysville, has raised a seedling from an imported 

 Dehesa raisin, which in size, flavor and all other qualities excels any 

 other table grape known, but the flavor of the grape does not resemble 

 that of the Muscatel. I have seen raisins made from this grape, but 

 they were not desirable; but as a table grape this variety is said to be 

 superior. If so, this grape should be tried in different localities, 

 and may prove a real acquisition. There is no doubt that other 

 seedling raisin grapes have been raised in this State, and we hope in 

 course of time to know all about them. 



Seedless Sultana. This grape is decidedly one of the most import- 

 ant raisin grapes known. Its bunches are very large, sometimes 

 weighing five pounds each. The berries are round and seedless, the 

 size of large peas, of a green color, which, when the grape ripens, 

 turns bright amber yellow, with small brown spots. The leaves are 

 large and very entire, and more yellowish than those of the Muscat. 

 The growth of the vine is upright, with erect or climbing branches. 

 This grapevine in order to bear must be pruned long, and should 

 properly be staked from four to five feet high. The yield of the 

 Sultana is very heavy, and as much as sixteen tons of fresh grapes 

 are frequently harvested from an acre, provided the soil is the 

 very best possible. The grapes begin to color and sweeten several 

 weeks before the Muscat, but they become fully ripe later than this 

 variety, and are on^that account not as extensively grown as they cer- 

 tainly deserve to be. For districts with long summers and autumns the 

 Sultana will prove a very profitable and desirable grape. The native 

 home of the Sultana is Asia Minor. There it is grown principally 

 around Smyrna and in several of the islands in the Archipelago. In 

 California only few Sultana vineyards are planted; still there is 

 undoubtedly a great field for this grape where the seasons are long 

 enough to allow of its perfect ripening. The raisins are light in color 

 and somewhat acid, but with no particular flavor, and in this respect 

 are inferior to the Muscats and the Currants. They are produced 

 either by dipping, as is done in Smyrna, or by sun-drying, as we do 

 in this State. If the dipping process is used, the grapes must be very 

 ripe, else they will turn reddish and dark and lose quality. In Cali- 

 fornia the Sultana grape does well, and only seldom produces seeds. 

 In Eastern Mediterranean countries, except in the few favored spots of 

 Smyrna, or in some of the Islands, this variety rapidly deteriorates 

 and becomes seed-bearing, which of course entirely ruins its useful- 

 ness. The Seedless Sultana was first brought to California by Colonel 

 Agoston Haraszthy in 1861. 



Black Currant. This variety is but little known in this State. The 

 growth is erect and climbing. The bundles are long, narrow and 

 cylindrical, with heavy shoulders. The berries are small, of the size 

 of peas, seedless and black, very sweet and with a peculiar aroma not 

 found in any other variety. The Black Currant should be pruned 

 short, and the young branches require staking in order to bear well. 

 The home of the Black Currant is the Grecian Islands as well as Morea, 

 especially around Patras. Zante, Cephalonia and Ithaca all produce 

 Currants of the highest quality. 



