THE RAISIN INDUSTRY. 13 



The following formula has been used for Sultana and Sultanina 

 grapes at Fresno : 



Fifteen pounds of " Greenbank's 98-per cent lye" are boiled in 100 gallons of 

 water. This mixture is for grapes containing 25 per cent of sugar. Should 

 their sugar content be less, enough lye is added to remove the bloom and open 

 the pores of the skin of the grapes. After dipping, the grapes are spread on 

 trays and sulphured for 1 to 1£ hours. Observation will show whether it may 

 be necessary to vary this formula a trifle to suit conditions of ripeness and 

 influence of temperature. The length of time required for dipping is ascer- 

 tained by experience, and differs with the strength of the lye, the heat of the 

 solution, and the thickness of the skins of the grapes. 



PACKING RAISINS. 1 



The raisins as received at the packing house are weighed and the 

 loose raisins and those that are to be shipped as dried grapes are 

 immediately run through a stemmer and grader (PL VIII, fig. 1), 

 which stems, cleans, and assorts the raisins into three or four dif- 

 ferent grades, after which they are packed and shipped to various 

 parts of the country, some also being exported. Those producing 

 cluster or layer raisins (if they have not already been equalized) are 

 first stored in the equalizing rooms (PI. VII, fig. 3). In these rooms 

 the sweat boxes, filled with layers of new raisins, are stacked and left 

 usually from 10 to 30 days, or long enough for the overdried berries 

 to absorb moisture from the underdried ones. This sweating also 

 properly softens and toughens the stems, which prevents their break- 

 ing and enables them to hold the berries better. In California, 

 where the climate is so dry, no first-class pack could be made without 

 thus first equalizing the raisins. After having been equalized the 

 raisins are taken out, assorted into the different grades, and placed 

 in trays holding 5 pounds each (PI. IX, fig. 1). The trays of the 

 same grades are then pressed and stacked away in piles ready for 

 packing. 



Pressing the raisins so they look well and so none are burst open 

 is work requiring experience and good judgment. It takes four 

 pressed trays to fill a 20-pound box. The loose raisins that have 

 dropped from the cluster through handling before they were equal- 

 ized are also graded, the largest, of course, making the choicest pack. 



CLASSES OF RAISINS. 



Previous to the consolidated organization of the packers the three 

 best grades of raisins on the stems were known as " Imperial," " De- 

 hesia," and " Fancy Clusters," respectively. The California Raisin 

 Growers' Association established classification and grades similar to 



1 Department Bulletin No. 235. " Control of Dried-Fruit Insects in California." 



