GRAPE PRODUCTS 263 



liminary treatment of the juice, the methods are the same in 

 making the red or the light-colored product. For proper keeping 

 it is not necessary to let the juice settle after it is strained, but a 

 clearer and brighter product is obtained if the juice is permitted 

 to settle. In either case the grape-juice should keep indefinitely 

 if the work has been well done. As soon as bottles are opened, 

 fermentation begins with the formation of alcohol. 



RAISINS 



The grape is best conserved as a raisin. Canning is seldom 

 practiced with this fruit. A raisin is a dried grape. Tree- 

 fruits are evaporated as by-products, but the raisin is a primary 

 product. This is a difference worth noting ; for with tree- 

 fruits the cream of the crop goes to the fresh fruit market, while 

 with the grape the entire crop of raisin varieties may go into 

 the cured product. The raisin industry is dependent on a 

 sunny and rainless climate and hence in America is confined 

 to the grape regions of certain parts of California. In this 

 state, raisin-making is a rich resource of the grape-grower, the 

 annual output now averaging well above 200,000 pounds, grown 

 on 120,000 acres of land, and having a market value of $10,000- 

 000. Fresno County, California, produces nearly 60 per cent 

 of the output of the state and the city of Fresno is the center 

 of the industry. The raisin industry does not stand alone in 

 California, as some raisin grapes, notably Muscat of Alexandria, 

 are good dessert sorts and are also much used for wine and 

 brandy. Only the first crop of the variety named is used for 

 raisins, while practically all of the second crop each season is 

 made into wine and brandy. 



Raisins proper are mostly made from the Muscat of Alex- 

 andria, although other large, white, sweet grapes are sometimes 

 used. Sultana raisins, naturally seedless, are made from 

 Sultanina and the Sultana. The dried currants of commerce 



