344 QUEENSLAND AGRICULTURAL JOURNAL. [1 Nov., 1902. . 
“Tt is reckoned that more than three arrobas of fresh fruit are required to 
make one arroba of raisins. The arroba in the Gandia district equals 26% lb. 
“T repeat that with the scalding process the raisins obtained from white 
grapes (pasa escaldada) are less esteemed by the trade and experts than those 
of a darker colour (pasa de sol) obtained according to the procedure customary 
at Malaga, which I will now describe :— 
“The Muscatel vines are generally cultivated on half trellis or bush 
fashions. Their shape resembles the goblet with four or five spurs as adopted 
in Languedoc and the Algerian provinces. When the grape is full-grown and 
the time for cutting them is near, the dry pulverulent earth is heaped up 
around the stock so as to form a sort of cone upon which the greater part of 
the bunches rest. This practice has for its object to obtain the perfection of 
maturity, an elaboration of sugar as intense as possible, for the earth stores up 
heat which the grapes profit by during the night. 
“The cutters carefully detach the bunches of grapes by cutting the stalks 
with a knife or scissors. They choose those that are perfectly ripe, sometimes 
even only a portion of the bunch, and carefully remove and place them on an 
osier pannier measuring about 2 feet in diameter; this flat basket is carried 
about by the labourer either on his head or under his arms. 
“The sun-drying, which concentrates the juice of the grape by evaporating 
the watery part, is done on paseros de toldos and paseros de madera. These last 
only exist on mountainous regions on ground inclined at an angle of 35 
degrees to 45 degrees. They are built up of walls forming a kind of square 
box, in which are spread a layer of figs or grapes to avoid the ill effects of 
nocturnal radiation and dew, and these paseros are covered. over with planks 
every evening, hence the origin of the term paseros de madera, or paseros of 
of wood; the word pasa in Spanish means grapes dried in the sun. 
The following system of paseros de toldos, or paseros of cloth, is much 
more common. A small ditch is dug, delimitating the pasero and protecting 
it against the entrance of water in case of storms, &c. The usual dimensions 
are about 13 feet breadth by 33 to 36 feet in length. A stake at each corner 
is driven and cross each other in an X shape, forming a rest supporting a pole, 
on which is rolled and unrolled a cloth according to the atmospheric conditions. 
This, it will be seen, forms a tent whose open ends are shut with reed mats. 
The ground is covered with a layer of sand or powdered charcoal, which here 
plays the part of accumulator of heat. The bunches, freed from spoilt and 
injured berries, are laid down close together; they are turned from time to 
time, so that each side of the bunch receives the direct rays of the sun. If 
fine weather prevails, the operation is terminated in a fortnight ; an ardent 
sun is not to be feared on condition that the air is not toodry. At Malaga, 
it is the north and north-north-west winds that is feared as much as rain. 
“Packing is a tedious work, requiring intelligent, practised men. The 
workman sitting down, having near at hand the raisins, holds on his knees a 
little board, with a raised edge about 2 inches high, like the lid of a box. This 
' board is of the dimensions of the packing case, and lined inside with sheets 
of paper, which project considerably over the edges. The workman extends 
a bunch upon the left hand, and gently detaches with scissors the ramifications 
or prominent wings so as to make it somewhat flat. In fact, when this first 
pruning is completed, the bunch appears to have been pressed, but this is not 
the case. Placed in position, the workman examines it with care, and adroitly 
fills up the spaces with berries taken from other bunches. Hach berry is 
then flattened with pressure between the thumb and finger, thei curved 
outwards with a push of the latter. This delicate operation is done by pressure, 
for it is necessary to avoid any rubbing which would cause the bloom to 
disappear, to which the trade attaches a value. As soon as the board is 
completely covered, the workman takes hold of the sheets of paper and lifts 
them with their load ; the whole is introduced into the packing case, and the 
paper turned down, making a protective covering for each layer of raisins. 
