142 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



Slanting the Trays. The practice of raising one end of the tray 

 higher than the other is of very questionable value. In the fore part 

 of the drying season, the heat from the sun is such that the raisins 

 receive all the heat they require without being raised at an angle 

 against the sun. Towards the end of the season, I have found that, 

 when the trays have been raised, those grapes which lie on the lower 

 edge of the tray, and accordingly nearest to the ground, dry the 

 quickest, while those at the upper edge dry considerably slower. The 

 cause is that the air a foot above the ground is much cooler than close 

 to the ground; the large space under the raised tray also serves as a 

 cooling room to cool the tray. In some direct experiments made, it 

 was found that, as regards the tail end of the first crop, the raised 

 trays came in several days later than the trays which had remained 

 flat on the ground. In advocating that the trays should not be tilted, 

 V I must not be understood to mean that it is not beneficial to keep the 

 tray in a tilted position when there is a close background to sufficiently 

 heat the air equally at the upper and lower end of the trays. This 

 can only be secured by either placing the trays against the side of a 

 hill or on specially prepared drying floors, which are described further 

 on. In this connection I may suggest that when the heat of the sun 

 is not great, and when the raisins dry slowly, the placing of an empty 

 tray behind the drying tray, in order to reflect the sun on the raisins, 

 will considerably hasten their drying. This is a valuable aid in drying, 

 especially when the second crop is late. 



Elevating the Trays. The practice of elevating the trays containing 

 the tail end of the second crop is a good one. The best way is to 

 place the trays on the top of the vines, when it will be found that the 

 free circulation of air underneath will help to dry the raisins and pre- 

 vent rot and mold. This method is only adopted after fall rains, but 

 is then of great help in drying the crop. 



Stacking Against Rain and Dew. The stacking of the trays is also 

 a valuable help in keeping out dew and cold. Late in the season, 

 - when it takes several hours of sunlight to dry the night dews, the 

 stacked trays will be dry when the first rays of the sun are out. When 

 heavy rains are expected, the grapes, whether partially dried or not, 

 should always be stacked. It will keep the stems from rotting off 

 from the berries, and will generally save the crop from being seriously 

 injured. Some growers have an idea that only the partially dried 

 grapes should be stacked, but the green ones are equally benefited. 



There are several ways of stacking. The flat-stacking is used prin- 

 V cipally when the raisins are very dry, and when it is of importance 

 that no air should enter the trays. In flat-stacking, one tray is simply 

 placed on the top of the other, and the circulation of air thus brought 

 to a minimum. In rainy weather, however, the roof-stacking is to be 

 preferred. Instead of placing one tray on the top of another, the 

 trays are placed in two piles joining each other in such a way that 

 7 the inner end of every tray overlaps the edge of the tray in the adjoin- 

 ing pile. This lifting up of one edge of the tray gives to the whole 

 pile a roof-like appearance, and the angle in which the trays join 

 together becomes steeper the higher the pile grows, until, at the height 



