180 THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 



the land is fair. Rougher land will cost twenty-five dollars or thereabouts, 

 and if the land is rolling and contains hardpan the expense may reach 

 from fifty to one hundred dollars per acre. The more ' ' naturally ' ' level 

 the land is the better suited it is to raisin-vines under irrigation. 



Irrigation and cultivation, until the vines come into bearing, includ- 

 ing suckering and pruning, all in large tracts of from forty to one 

 hundred acres, ten dollars per acre. If in smaller tracts the expense 

 will be larger. 



Pruning when the vines are in bearing, from two to three dollars per 

 acre. 



Sulphuring twice, two dollars per acre. Sulphur costs from two to 

 three cents per pound. It takes about one ton to twenty-five acres and 

 one man can sulphur from five to six acres a day. 



Topping, about fifty cents per acre. 



Trays, twenty-four by thirty-six inches, cost ten cents in shooks, 

 nailing one cent, nails one cent, total about twelve cents per tray. 



Sweatboxes, fifty cents apiece when ready. 



Packing-boxes: Wholes of twenty pounds, in shooks, six cents, 

 nailing and nails two cents, total eight cents each. Halves of ten 

 pounds, in shooks, four cents, nailing and nails one and one-half cents, 

 total five and one-half cents. Quarter boxes of five pounds, in shooks, 

 three and one-half cents, nailing and nails one and one-half cents, total 

 five cents each. 



Twenty pounds of layer raisins will contain about one-half pound 

 of stems. 



Cost of curing cannot be calculated. It depends upon the manner in 

 which it is done. 



Picking: One man can pick from twenty-five to fifty trays of twenty 

 pounds each a day, at a cost of say from two to three cents per tray, or 

 about a half a ton of grapes a day, equal to a cost per ton of two dol- 

 lars and fifty cents. This places the grapes on the trays, but does not 

 ., assort them. By assorting the grapes when picking, the cost is 

 increased, but better raisins and more good raisins are obtained. 



Turning: Two men can turn twenty acres of grapes a day. 



Packing London payers: One man can pack "carefully" ten 

 wholes or forty trays (of five pounds each) per day. Cost about twelve 

 and a half, cents per box. 



Packing Dehesas : One man can pack ten quarters of five pounds 

 each a day. Cost twelve and one-half cents per quarter box. This 

 includes facing. 



Packing Loose : One man can pack one hundred boxes per day. 



Facing-plate (T. C. White's): Large plate, size nine by eighteen 

 inches, five dollars per plate. Cartoon plate, size five by ten inches, two 

 dollars and fifty cents per plate. 



Manilla paper for sweatboxes, one hundred and fifty pounds per ream 

 at fifteen dollars per ream, size thirty-six by forty-eight. The sheets 

 to be cut in two to fit the boxes. 



Stemming : Steam stemmers can separate and assort fifty tons a day. 

 Hand stemmers run by two men can separate about five tons per day. 



Papers for boxes cost, according to quality, three cents per box, more 

 or less. 



