162 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



steady the raisins while the frame was being turned, is now quickly 

 withdrawn, and the five-pound faced layer falls down in the box 

 entirely undisturbed, kept so by the facing-plate which here acted as 

 follower. The box is now ready for nailing, after a label and wax 

 paper have first been placed on top of the plate. Without the facing- 

 plate, a skilled facer can face some forty boxes a day, while from 

 twenty to thirty boxes is a low average. With the facing-plate, the 

 facing can be accomplished with more speed and accuracy. 



Comparative Value of the Two Methods. The top-up method has 

 several disadvantages. It requires a heavy pressure of the raisins to 

 create a smooth, flat surface on which to face. But even if no facing 

 is done, the top layer will always be more or less uneven, and requires 

 heavy pressure to make it smooth, and appear well and to advantage. 

 This heavy pressure always bursts many of the raisins, and causes 

 them to sugar and spoil. It has also another disadvantage, that the 

 facing of the top layer can only be done with the fancy paper pre- 

 viously placed in the box. In facing and manipulating the raisins, 

 this paper becomes more or less soiled and wet. In using the top- 

 down method, the paper is placed in the box at the last moment, just 

 before the final five-pound layer is emptied from the tray upon the fif- 

 teen-pound layer below. I consider these advantages so essential that 

 I must strongly indorse the top-down method, and I believe that, in 

 course of time, it will be generally adopted by all packers who care for 

 the keeping qualities cf their raisins. As to the time and expense 

 required by these two methods, there is but very little difference. The 

 top-down method is possibly a little slower and more expensive, but it 

 is by far the better, and the difference in expense of packing is not 

 great enough to be taken into consideration. 



LAYER RAISINS. 



Sweating or Equalizing. This is a process by which the overdried 

 raisins are made to attract sufficient moisture from the underdried raisins 

 in the same box or bunch, and whereby the overdried raisins are made 

 moister, while the underdried ones become drier. Equalizing also moist- 

 ens the stems sufficiently to prevent them from breaking when being 

 handled. In oiir California climate, where the air is so dry, this equal- 

 izing process is an absolute necessity, and no first-class raisin pack can 

 be produced without the raisins having first been equalized. The word 

 "equalizing " is to be preferred to -'sweating," as the latter word may 

 be misunderstood as meaning that a certain amount of heat is devel- 

 oped by storing the raisins. Heat is indeed necessary, but it should 

 come from the outside air, not from the inside or from the raisins. If 

 from the latter the raisins will be in a fair way to become spoiled. In 

 the foregoing I have described the construction and workings of the 

 sweathouse. It may be suggested that, if there is no sweathouse on 

 the vineyard, a large sail or canvas may be used as a substitute. 

 The latter is simply thrown over the boxes where they are piled out- 

 of-doors, and answers to some degree in keeping the raisins moist. 

 But as this is only a substitute, I shall not dwell longer on its use- 



