THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 143 



of three or four feet, the trays slant so much that the raisins cannot 

 rest on them, but are in danger of sliding off, when, of course, the pile 

 should not be made any higher. It takes several times longer to stack 

 the trays in roof fashion than to simply pile them up flat. The 

 advantage of roof-stacking is that it admits more air, and sheds the 

 rain better. In damp weather the piles should not be covered on the 

 sides for any length of time, as the raisins will then mold more rapidly. 

 If, instead of joining two piles of trays, three piles are made to join, 

 the center stack will be flat, while much air is admitted to the raisins. 

 In this stacking the first two trays are placed flat on the ground at almost 

 the distance of one tray. Another tray is made to rest on the inner 

 edge of the lower trays and cover the intermediate space, and so on. 

 This method gives twice as much air space between the trays as regu- 

 lar flat-stacking, and is to be recommended when the weather is damp. 

 A combination of this last method and roof-stacking is used by some, 

 every grower almost having his favorite way to stack. It must be re- 

 membered that in very rainy weather no kind of stacking will be of any 

 value, while, when the showers are few and far between, stacking may 

 save the crop. 



Stacking is especially valuable in conjunction with dryers, when 

 protection during a few days only is all that is needed. One man can 

 stack about five hundred trays an hour, and the regular picking gang 

 can stack a whole vineyard in a few hours. Should the rain be very 

 heavy and no dryer handy, it is of no use to try to save the crop after 

 the mold has begun to make its appearance, and when the berries have 

 begun to rot. It is then far better to dump the whole crop in the field 

 rather than to spend time, money and anxiety on raisins which must 

 in any case become a total loss. 



Taking Up. When, at last, the raisins are sufficiently dried, they 

 must be taken up as quickly as possible. This process again consists 

 of three different labors, the stacking, assorting and boxing. It is of 

 great importance to know exactly when the raisins have sufficiently 

 dried to be ready for the sweatboxes. This can properly only be 

 ascertained by experience, still a few directions will materially help 

 the inexperienced grower in his judgment. A perfect raisin should be 

 neither too hard nor too soft. A raisin is too soft when, after rolling 

 it between the fingers, the least particle of juice exudes through the 

 cracked skin or meat. Such raisins will " sugar" in course of time, 

 and not keep a year. If the raisins, or a majority of them, on a bunch 

 are too wet, they should be spread to the sun for some time longer. If, 

 however, there are only a few underdried raisins in a bunch, the bunch 

 may be taken in, and the soft raisins clipped off afterwards. A raisin 

 is too dry when, in pressing and rolling it between two fingers, the pulp 

 does not move readily inside the skin. Such overdried raisins will not 

 again become first-class raisins ; their skin will always be tough, and 

 their color will be somewhat inferior. If but slightly overdried, they 

 may be brought out by equalizing. To know when the raisins are in 

 a proper condition to take up is most important to every raisin-man, 

 and he should never neglect to watch his trays early and late. Upon 

 hisTgood judgment and watchfulness depend the quality of his crop. 



