248 PROCEEDINGS OF THIRTY-THIRD FRUIT-GROWERS ' CONVENTION. 



phone in September and October, for whenever a cloud no bigger than 

 a man's hand appears every grower expects a terrible storm. When 

 the message does come, " Stack your raisins," the big bell rings, every 

 man on the ranch leaves his work and all hands pile up the trays. If 

 it does not rain, some are ungrateful enough to growl. If it does rain, 

 the raisins are stacked and the grower goes to bed to listen to the patter 

 and pour of the rain. Perhaps all the next day it continues and he 

 frets over the prospect of heavy dews after the first rain. This is one 

 of the pangs of growing raisins. 



The life of a raisin tray is about nine years. After the third j^ear 

 the repairs increase until the tray is like the boy's jackknife, first new 

 blades, then a new handle, until all the original tray has gone glim- 

 mering. The need to-day is for some substitute for wood for trays and 

 sweat-boxes as well as for the packing-boxes. 



The ripening of grapes is shown by the dulling of the bright green 

 foliage and when the juice of the grapes tests twenty-four per cent. 

 Then the trays are hauled out and the flurry of picking, begins. It is 

 not long before the trays stretch along the rows full of the light yellow- 

 green grapes. The air is full of the soft, sweetish, acrid smell of the 

 drying grapes. After ten or twelve days of exposure to the sun the 

 half-dried raisins are turned. This is quickly done by putting an 

 empty tray on a full one and reversing them, leaving the raisins other, 

 side up exposed to the sun. After a week they are stacked and allowed 

 to finish in the shade. This makes a more meaty raisin than if they 

 are permitted to finish entirely in the sun. 



In former years the size of the bunches and berries counted as extra 

 money; then the picking was carefully watched and paid for by the 

 day. Now that all this has passed, the work is contracted. This year 

 the price was $15 a ton, delivered in the sweat-box. This is the highest 

 price we have ever paid. 



The quality of the raisins has fallen steadily of late years. The first 

 and second settings or crops are picked together, and many of the 

 raisins are deficient enough in sugar to be merely dried grapes. 



Raisins are not handsome in coloring and require more skill in 

 adding color to them by means of ribbons and fancy paper than any 

 other class of fruit. The ordinary package of commerce is not only 

 expensive, but it is a hideous, unappetizing-looking affair. At present 

 crude colors seem to prevail, with gold trimmings. No one desires to 

 eat gold or silver. 



The packing of the raisin grape has become centered in the towns. 

 The home packer is down and out in nearly every case. The cause 

 has been railroads and the large seeders. The royalties on raisins 

 seeded had to be paid and it has cut greatly into the profits of the 

 raisin industry, for seeders and railroads charge all the traffic will bear. 



