450 CALIFORNIA FRUITS: HOW TO GROW THEM 



Trays for Drying. The greater part of the fruit, including 

 raisins, is placed upon trays for exposure to the sun. There is great 

 variation in the size of the trays. The common small tray is made of 

 one-half inch sugar-pine lumber two feet wide and three feet long, the 

 boards forming it being held together by nailing to a cleat on each 

 end, one by one and a quarter inches, and a lath or narrow piece of 

 half-inch stuff is nailed over the ends of the boards, thus stiffening 

 the tray and aiding to prevent warping. A cross-section of such a tray 

 is shown at A. 



A large tray which is used by some growers is four feet square, 

 and is made of slats three-eighths of an inch thick, and one and a half 

 inches wide, the slats being nailed to three cross slats three-eighths of 

 an inch thick and three inches wide, and the ends nailed to a narrow 

 strip one-half inch thick by three-quarters of an inch wide on the 

 other side. A cross-section of this tray is shown at B. 



Cross-sections of drying trays. 



Since large drying yards have been supplied with tramways and 

 trucks for moving the fruit instead of hand carriage, larger trays, three 

 feet by six or three feet by eight, have been largely employed. These 

 tramways lead from the cutting sheds to the sulphur boxes and thence 

 to various parts of the large drying grounds, making it possible to 

 handle large amounts of fruit at a minimum cost. 



Protecting Fruit from Dew. In the interior there are seldom 

 any deposit of dew in the drying season, but occasionally there are 

 early rains before the drying season is over. The fruit is then pro- 

 tected by piling the trays one upon another, in which operation the thick 

 cleats serve a good purpose. In dewy regions the trays are piled at 

 night, or cloth or paper is sometimes stretched over the fruit, thus re- 

 ducing the discoloration resulting from deposits of moisture upon it. 



Drying Floors. For the most part the trays are laid directly on 

 the ground, but sometimes a staging of posts and rails is built to support 

 them, about twenty inches from the ground. The drying trays are 

 sometimes distributed through the orchard or vineyard, thus drying 

 the fruit with as little carrying as possible. Others clear off a large 

 space outside the plantation and spread the trays where full sunshine 

 can be obtained. Drying spaces should be selected at a distance from 

 traveled roads, to prevent the deposit of dust on the fruit. 



Spaces used for drying are often idle the rest of the year and are 

 weed-covered and unsightly during the rainy season, or are cultivated 

 for grain-hay which loosens the surface and deepens the dust. When 

 one has water for irrigation it is often practicable to reduce dust and 



