317 



It may also happen that in the glutted market in the midst 

 of the season even first-class fruits cannot be sold at a profit, 

 and it then may be advantageous to hold them back and prepare 

 them into some other commercial form. 



Drying affords a cheap-and-ready wa,y of converting into a 

 commercial commodity (which may be stored and disposed of to the 

 best advantage in due season) such quickly perishable products as 

 ripe fruits. 



To those situated in remote localities beyond easy distance of 

 markets or of the highways leading thereto, drying also offers a 

 convenient way of utilising their bulky and perishable crops. 



Observation, experience, and such education as is conveyed by 

 the mistakes of others have resulted in a variety of methods and 

 practices being adopted when drying different fruits. The principles 

 which underlie these methods are the same, but local convenience, 

 the cheapening of the handling, and the ultimate appearance and 

 commercial value of the products turned out have been the main 

 causes of such modifications as the treatment of each kind of fruit 



RAISINS 



is the name given grapes dried in the sun or by artificial evapora- 

 tion. During that process the berries loose about two thirds of their 

 weight, owing to the evaporation of the water they contain. 



Three types of raisin s are manufactured, each type being further 

 sub-divided into grades, viz. : 



I. CORINTH RAISINS. 



Raisins dried from wine grapes. This industry is an important 

 one in parts of Greece, Turkey, and some of the Mediterranean 

 islands. The product is exported to France, Germany, and England 

 where it is turned into white wine, either consumed as such or 

 distilled into brandy. 



These raisins are made from grapes picked when fully ripe. 

 They are or are not dipped in lye and when sufficiently dry after 

 exposure to the sun, they are run through the winnower to separate 

 the stalks from the berries and are packed in 1 and 2cwt. sacks or 

 in barrels. When opened, the contents of these sacks are so crushed 

 together that they form but one mass. This class of 'raisins sells 

 f.o.b. from 10s. to 18s. per cwt. 



II. PUDDING RAISINS OR LEXIAS. 



The bulk of the raisins are of this class. The name Lexia 

 (L. Lixivium) they owe to the fact that unlike Table Raisins they 

 are dipped in a lye. The grapes used in the manufacture of these 

 raisins are the Muscatel Gordo Blanco, the Muscat of Alexandria, 

 the Seedless Sultana and the Currants. 



Picking. The grapes should never be picked for drying before 

 they are dead ripe. 



