458 CALIFORNIA FRUITS I HOW TO GROW THEM 



Weather conditions govern the time prunes should remain on the trays. Grasp 

 a handful of prunes and give them a gentle squeeze and open the hand quickly, 

 if the prunes separate they are ready to stack the trays and the fruit should be 

 placed in the bin before it rattles on the trays. 



When the prunes are sufficiently dry put them in a dry place where it will 

 not rain on them, but do not prevent the air from getting to them. Let the wind 

 have free access until the rains set in then close doors and make the house as 

 snug as you can. In making bins, be sure the boards are dry and the bins well 

 above ground, or you will have trouble. Do not let prunes get damaged by rain. 



For dipping before packing, some use a brine dip about five pounds of salt 

 to 100 gallons of water is about right. This salt dip can be used more safely for 

 prunes than for peaches or other pitted fruit, as in some instances it has attracted 

 moisture and caused mold. As to the respective results of a sal solution and 

 glycerine solution, the salt seems to be a cleansing process, which leaves the skin 

 of the fruit in a bright, clear condition and brings out the blue bloom, which is 

 desirable. The glycerine is more of a syrupy or glossy nature, and on prunes 

 that are inclined to be reddish this solution can be used to advantage. A com- 

 mon method of treating prunes is to use the small prunes and suspend them in 

 the steam-heated tank of the Anderson dipper, where they can not come in con- 

 tact with the steam (which causes the skin and meat of the prune to turn dark), 

 dissolve out the juice, thus forming a dip liquor, and this is quite extensively 

 used. 



Raisins. The varieties of grapes used for raisins are described 

 in Chapter XXVIII. The production of raisins has reached such an 

 extent, and employs so much skill and capital, that the processes 

 employed to facilitate the curing and packing are so various that a 

 description of them cannot be attempted. Besides an excellent special 

 treatise has been written on this subject.* However, in beginning the 

 commercial production of raisins, one should visit the raisin farms and 

 packing-houses during the harvest. The following description by T. C. 

 White, of Fresno, gives an outline of practice in the vineyard : 



In Fresno picking commences about the first of September, although there 

 have been seasons when it occurred as early as the 20th of August. The grapes 

 under no circumstances should be picked for raisins until they are ripe. There 

 are three ways by which to ascertain this : First, by the color, which should be a 

 light amber; second, by the taste; and third, by the saccharometer, which is by far 

 the most accurate. A grape may be ripe, and not have the proper color, when 

 grown entirely in the shade. The juice of the grape should contain at least 

 twenty-five per cent saccharine, to produce a good raisin. 



The method of drying is with trays placed upon the ground. The almost 

 entire absence of dew in our locality greatly facilitates this method. The trays 

 are usually twenty-four by twenty-six inches, which hold about twenty pounds 

 of fruit, and should produce from six to seven pounds of raisins. The product 

 of a vineyard depends largely upon its age and favorable conditions, varying 

 from two to nine tons of grapes per acre. 



The trays are distributed along the sides of the roads, from which they are 

 taken by the pickers as they are needed. As the grapes are picked from the 

 vines, all imperfect berries, sticks, and dead leaves are removed from the bunches, 

 which are then placed upon the trays, right side up. A cluster has what is called 

 a right and a wrong side, the wrong side having more of the stems exposed 

 than the right side. Great care should be used in picking, so as to. handle the 

 bunches only by the stem. If the berries come in contact with the hands, some 

 of the bloom will be removed, which will injure the appearance of the raisins. 

 The trays are placed, after filling, between the vines, one end being elevated so 

 that the grapes may receive the more direct rays of the sun. 



Too rapid drying is not desirable. The grapes are left upon the trays until 

 about two-thirds dry, which, with us, will be from six to eight days. They are 

 then turned. This is accomplished by placing an empty tray on top of the one 



*The Raisin Industry by Gustav Eisen, San Francisco. 



