138 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



is to be preferred, as it protects the trays from dirt and dust, and in dis- 



J tributing 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 



f 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 



v 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 reasserting and handling from the trays, 

 which at this time, when the stems are very brittle, is always expen- 

 sive 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 



