THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 135 



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 ascertain- 

 ing 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 yel- 

 low, 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 sweet- 

 ness, 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 bettep 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 sweet- 

 ness even if allowed to hang long on the vines. To know the time 

 after which the grapes do not increase in sugar requires much expe- 

 rience 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 



