THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 141 



sides. By turning quickly over the long side that is held by the 

 hands of the turners, the operation may be performed without drop- 

 ping 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 oppo- 

 site ones are inserted very close together, but spread strongly out- 

 ward. 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 grasp- 

 ing 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 earlie 3 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 pos- 

 sible means available. 



