GRAPES AND GRAPE CULTURE 



107 



depending on the weather, the earliest picked grapes drying in ten days 

 and the later ones often taking four weeks or more. The method of 

 drying is very simple. The bunches are cut from the vines and placed on 

 shallow trays, 2 feet wide and 3 feet long and 1 inch high, on which the 

 grapes are allowed to sun dry, being turned from time to time by simply 

 placing an empty tray upside down on the full one and then turning both 



PICKING AND DRYING RAISIN GRAPES IN CALIFORNIA 



over and taking off the top tray. Some dip and scald the grapes, to 

 cleanse the fruit, to hasten its drying and to give the fruit a lighter color. 

 The layer and seeded raisins are mostly made from the Alexandria 

 grape. The seedless raisins from the Sultana and Sultanina. The seed- 

 ing, grading, packing and shipping of raisins have become separate 

 branches of the industry. 



REFERENCES 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture: 



Year-Book article, "Grape, Raisin and Wine Production in the United States." 



Year-Book article, "Some Uses of the Grape Vine and its Fruit." 



Bureau of Plant Industry, Bulletin 172, "Grape Investigations in the Vinifera 



Regions of the United States." 

 U. S. Dept. of Agriculture, Farmers' Bulletins: 



284. "Insect and Disease Enemies of the Grape East of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains." 



471. "Grape Propagation, Pruning and Training." 

 644. "Manufacture and Use of Unfermented Grape Juice." 

 709. "The Muscadine Grapes." 

 U. S. Dept, of Agriculture: 



209. " Testing Grape Varieties in the Vinifera Regions of the United States." 

 349. "The Raisin Industry." 



"Testing Grape Varieties in the Middle Atlantic States of the United 

 States." 



