THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 167 



in a cavity on the plate, then worked out by a pressure with the 

 finger, and when sufficiently concave another raisin is dropped in the 

 hollow and pressed tightly. The faced raisin is thus filled, and when 

 seen from the other side will appear much larger than otherwise. 

 When, again, the top-up method of packing is used, a small block of 

 wood may be employed. This block contains a single cavity of the 

 size, that a raisin when pressed will fill it. The counterpart of this 

 block is furnished with a convex protuberance, and when the two 

 halves are placed together with a raisin between, and pressure is 

 brought to bear, the raisin flattens out and becomes concave just 

 enough to receive the filling. 



In this way no handling with the fingers is done, and the raisin 

 keeps its bloom undisturbed. Nothing is more attractive than a raisin 

 with its bloom untouched; similarly the raisin that has lost its bloom 

 always gives the buyer an idea that it has been fingered. Its appe- 

 tizing quality is gone. Spanish Dehesas are generally both faced and 

 filled. Some objection to this method is that it deceives, but as long 

 as people not only are willing to be deceived but are actually anxious 

 to pay for the deception, there is no reason why the filling should not 

 be used. The deception, besides, is a very innocent one. It has also 

 another excuse: A well faced and filled box is really a work of art; 

 it will help to educate the people up to the appreciation of what fine 

 raisins and fine packing should be. Filling and facing combined are 

 practiced but little in California, and it is doubtful if filled facing will 

 ever grow in much demand here. 



Nailing and Trimming. The boxes are next moved to the nailing 

 table. Two nails are put in the short sides and two in the long sides 

 of the cover. The boxes when nailed are passed to the trimmer, who 

 with a drawknife trims the edges and cuts off the corners diagonally. 

 The latter prevents the boxes or covers from splitting. The best nails 

 are French wire nails for the sides and ends, one and one-quarter 

 inches long, and for tops and bottoms one inch long. 



Labels. I cannot finish this part without adding some words about 

 our labels. It is of importance that o.ur labels and colored lithographs 

 should be appropriate. The time has come when our raisins should 

 stand upon their own merits, and should be designated with appro- 

 priate names. I should wish to see only California names used, 

 California layers instead of London layers, California scenes instead 

 of foreign scenes, which give no idea of our conditions, and which 

 do not help to advertise our State and its resources. Whatever our 

 labels may represent, they should be distinctly Californian. Another 

 point which is but seldom observed on these labels is the shape and 

 color of our raisin grapes. The latter are often represented on the 

 labels, but their shape is seldom observed. Nowhere have we seen on 

 them a true Gordo Blanco or a true Muscat of Alexandria repre- 

 sented, the grapes there pictured being impossible as raisin grapes, 

 or even well-known wine or table grapes, out of which no raisins could 

 be made. The packer has a right to protest against such misrepre- 

 sentations of our fair grapes, especially as the lithographer could just 



