146 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



The manner of using the canvas is very simple. The canvas cover, 

 which is stationary, is attached to the wire and the higher posts. 

 Every evening the cover is thrown over the trays, the front or lower 

 edge is hooked by the aid of the rings over the pegs in the ground, 

 and the trays thus securely sheltered. In the morning, when the sun 

 is up, the cover is thrown back over the higher posts, and the trays 

 fully exposed. The trouble to cover is not very great ; two men can 

 cover forty tons of grapes in half an hour, and generally it is consid- 

 ered that the picking-gang can cover the whole crop in half an hour's 

 time every evening, and it takes them as long to uncover in the morn- 

 ing. If well cared for and properly dried, and stored away in the 

 autumn after the crop is all in, this canvas cover, with its posts, will 

 last six or seven years, and if painted or oiled would probably last still 

 longer. One yard of canvas can cover thirty pounds of grapes, and for 

 the purpose of utilizing the full space, the trays are made two and one- 

 half by three feet. 



Such is the process practiced in Orange county. If adopted else- 

 where, it would enable many localities to produce good raisins, where 

 the climatic conditions are such that no drying is now practicable. 

 The process is not as good as the one employed in Malaga, but it has 

 some advantages which make it very acceptable. It enables the 

 grower to use trays, and it makes drying-floors unnecessary, and the 

 spaces in the vineyard can be used without taking away room from 

 the vines. On the other hand, the drying-floors of Malaga are warmer 

 and more secure, and almost absolutely safe in case of rain. 



Drying-floors. While, in some parts of California, the first crop 

 dries generally without any difficulty, in other parts rain and dew very 

 frequently interfere with the drying of even the first crop. In many 

 places where raisin-curing is not successful, the same could be prac- 

 ticed profitably if we would adopt the system of drying-floors used in 

 Spain. Even in localities where the first-crop raisins dry well, the sec- 

 ond crop is always exposed to more or less rain, and the raisin-grower 

 annually loses large sums of money on account of not being able to 

 hasten the drying of the second crop. But it is doubtful if the Malaga 

 drying-floors will ever be found practical and come into general use 

 with us. They take considerable space from the vineyard, and are 

 very expensive, but they are very secure, and when once built are very 

 profitable. A limited number of such floors would be very useful jn 

 every vineyard, especially for drying the second crop. At present no 

 such floors exist in this State. The following description gives an 

 idea of how they may be constructed: 



These drying-floors may be built of brick with the long sides as long 

 as required, while the short sides should be about twelve feet long. 

 The back wall is six feet high, while the front wall is only six inches 

 high, which, with the above length of side wall, would give enough 

 slope. In Malaga the interior is filled with black gravel and tamped 

 hard, but for our purpose probably nothing would be superior to as- 

 phaltum, bituminous rock or cement. It must first be ascertained if 

 bituminous rock would not impart a flavor to the grapes, in which case 

 cement would be the most useful flooring. In order to allow the rain 



