Part 20

This turning, however, requires some little knack, so as not to drop any raisins on the ground. The trays may be turned either the short or the long way. If the long way, one tray is first placed on the top of the other, and two men catch hold of the long opposite sides of the trays by placing their hands on the outside quarters of the edge and then pressing firmly. This keeps the raisins steady between the trays, and in turning rapidly, if the bunches are at all entire, few or no raisins will be dropped. In turning the short way, the men grasp with their opposite hands at the middle of the short sides, while with their other hands they catch the outside quarters of one of the long sides. By turning quickly over the long side that is held by the hands of the turners, the operation may be performed without dropping any berries. In small vineyards, where the owner must perform the work alone, he may turn the trays without any help whatever, though, naturally, his work will be somewhat slower. He can operate by the aid of a small contrivance called the catcher, a most simple but very effective little tool. It resembles a miniature stool like those used by the milkers of cows. The seat or top may be twelve inches long by six wide, made from one-inch lumber. On one side are inserted four pegs, each about six inches long. The two opposite ones are inserted very close together, but spread strongly outward. After one tray has been placed on the top of the other, the catcher is pushed over the long edge of the trays, which of course will cause them to jam tightly together on that side. By now grasping the trays on the opposite edge, they may be turned without the aid of any one else, and without any loss of raisins. Some use steel clips for the same purpose, but the common home-made wooden catch is undoubtedly the most practical method, as it is the cheapest.

Turning should, as much as possible, be done in the morning or at least in the forenoon while the air is yet cool and the stems of the raisins damp. The pressure of the tray will not then cause the stems to break off and the quality of the raisins to be lowered. If the bunch raisins are on separate trays, which is best, they may be turned earlier in the day than the second grade, which is not apt to be greatly damaged by the breaking of the stems, as they are to be stemmed anyhow.

_Reversing._--This is an operation not properly understood by every raisin-grower, but is still of the utmost importance, especially for the first-class bunches of the first crop, which naturally dry more slowly than the smaller bunches. But the method is also very useful for the second crop, when late in the season the drying is slow and uncertain. The reversing consists simply in reversing the trays on the ground in such a way that the edges which first faced the north afterwards face the south, or _vice versa_. The object of reversing is plain. It will nearly always be found that the raisins at the top or on the side of the tray nearest the north will dry much more slowly than those on the side facing the south, especially so as soon as the weather begins to turn colder. To prevent this and insure equal drying at the top and bottom, the reversing is performed after the trays have first been turned. This will enable the grower to get his raisins in several days sooner than he otherwise would. Indeed, at the critical period of drying, when fall rains may set in and injure the raisins, it is of the utmost importance to hurry the crop as much as possible; the reversing is at this time almost as important as turning. I have seen the second crop of many a vineyard seriously injured by rain, and its drying delayed only through neglect to reverse the trays. The effect of reversing is oftentimes very striking, and one grower who reverses his trays in time may get his crop in safely, while his neighbor who neglects reversing may lose a great part of his. A few days’ delay at this time of the year is often fatal to the whole second crop, and no pains should be spared in order to hasten the drying by every possible means available.

_Slanting the Trays._--The practice of raising one end of the tray higher than the other is of very questionable value. In the fore part of the drying season, the heat from the sun is such that the raisins receive all the heat they require without being raised at an angle against the sun. Towards the end of the season, I have found that, when the trays have been raised, those grapes which lie on the lower edge of the tray, and accordingly nearest to the ground, dry the quickest, while those at the upper edge dry considerably slower. The cause is that the air a foot above the ground is much cooler than close to the ground; the large space under the raised tray also serves as a cooling room to cool the tray. In some direct experiments made, it was found that, as regards the tail end of the first crop, the raised trays came in several days later than the trays which had remained flat on the ground. In advocating that the trays should not be tilted, I must not be understood to mean that it is not beneficial to keep the tray in a tilted position when there is a close background to sufficiently heat the air equally at the upper and lower end of the trays. This can only be secured by either placing the trays against the side of a hill or on specially prepared drying floors, which are described further on. In this connection I may suggest that when the heat of the sun is not great, and when the raisins dry slowly, the placing of an empty tray behind the drying tray, in order to reflect the sun on the raisins, will considerably hasten their drying. This is a valuable aid in drying, especially when the second crop is late.

_Elevating the Trays._--The practice of elevating the trays containing the tail end of the second crop is a good one. The best way is to place the trays on the top of the vines, when it will be found that the free circulation of air underneath will help to dry the raisins and prevent rot and mold. This method is only adopted after fall rains, but is then of great help in drying the crop.

_Stacking Against Rain and Dew._--The stacking of the trays is also a valuable help in keeping out dew and cold. Late in the season, when it takes several hours of sunlight to dry the night dews, the stacked trays will be dry when the first rays of the sun are out. When heavy rains are expected, the grapes, whether partially dried or not, should always be stacked. It will keep the stems from rotting off from the berries, and will generally save the crop from being seriously injured. Some growers have an idea that only the partially dried grapes should be stacked, but the green ones are equally benefited.

There are several ways of stacking. The flat-stacking is used principally when the raisins are very dry, and when it is of importance that no air should enter the trays. In flat-stacking, one tray is simply placed on the top of the other, and the circulation of air thus brought to a minimum. In rainy weather, however, the roof-stacking is to be preferred. Instead of placing one tray on the top of another, the trays are placed in two piles joining each other in such a way that the inner end of every tray overlaps the edge of the tray in the adjoining pile. This lifting up of one edge of the tray gives to the whole pile a roof-like appearance, and the angle in which the trays join together becomes steeper the higher the pile grows, until, at the height of three or four feet, the trays slant so much that the raisins cannot rest on them, but are in danger of sliding off, when, of course, the pile should not be made any higher. It takes several times longer to stack the trays in roof fashion than to simply pile them up flat. The advantage of roof-stacking is that it admits more air, and sheds the rain better. In damp weather the piles should not be covered on the sides for any length of time, as the raisins will then mold more rapidly. If, instead of joining two piles of trays, three piles are made to join, the center stack will be flat, while much air is admitted to the raisins. In this stacking the first two trays are placed flat on the ground at almost the distance of one tray. Another tray is made to rest on the inner edge of the lower trays and cover the intermediate space, and so on. This method gives twice as much air space between the trays as regular flat-stacking, and is to be recommended when the weather is damp. A combination of this last method and roof-stacking is used by some, every grower almost having his favorite way to stack. It must be remembered that in very rainy weather no kind of stacking will be of any value, while, when the showers are few and far between, stacking may save the crop.

Stacking is especially valuable in conjunction with dryers, when protection during a few days only is all that is needed. One man can stack about five hundred trays an hour, and the regular picking gang can stack a whole vineyard in a few hours. Should the rain be very heavy and no dryer handy, it is of no use to try to save the crop after the mold has begun to make its appearance, and when the berries have begun to rot. It is then far better to dump the whole crop in the field rather than to spend time, money and anxiety on raisins which must in any case become a total loss.

_Taking Up._--When, at last, the raisins are sufficiently dried, they must be taken up as quickly as possible. This process again consists of three different labors,--the stacking, assorting and boxing. It is of great importance to know exactly when the raisins have sufficiently dried to be ready for the sweatboxes. This can properly only be ascertained by experience, still a few directions will materially help the inexperienced grower in his judgment. A perfect raisin should be neither too hard nor too soft. A raisin is too soft when, after rolling it between the fingers, the least particle of juice exudes through the cracked skin or meat. Such raisins will “sugar” in course of time, and not keep a year. If the raisins, or a majority of them, on a bunch are too wet, they should be spread to the sun for some time longer. If, however, there are only a few underdried raisins in a bunch, the bunch may be taken in, and the soft raisins clipped off afterwards. A raisin is too dry when, in pressing and rolling it between two fingers, the pulp does not move readily inside the skin. Such overdried raisins will not again become first-class raisins; their skin will always be tough, and their color will be somewhat inferior. If but slightly overdried, they may be brought out by equalizing. To know when the raisins are in a proper condition to take up is most important to every raisin-man, and he should never neglect to watch his trays early and late. Upon his good judgment and watchfulness depend the quality of his crop. To prevent too rapid drying out after the raisins are nearly ready, the practice now is to stack the trays in the field.

This stacking simply consists in placing the trays which contain the ready raisins on top of each other, in piles five feet high. On the top of every such pile are placed several loose trays crosswise, so as to shelter the pile from the sun, and possibly even from rain, and other trays are raised up against the sides of the pile in order to exclude as much air as possible. If, however, the raisins are rather underdried, the side trays may be left out so as to allow the raisins to dry more. It is always best to stack the trays before the raisins are fully dried, as they will finish drying and curing in the stack much better than in the sun. The underdried raisins will thus dry just enough, while the overdried ones, or those just right, will not dry much more.

After the stacking is done, the assorting is in order. This consists in taking out every bunch that is not sufficiently dried to go into the sweatbox, and placing them on new trays to dry more. At this time, also, the bad or inferior and red berries may be taken out, if present in a very large quantity on good bunches; but when there are only a few on, it is better not to touch the bunch, as, in handling it, it is only too apt to break. Any further picking out of bad berries had better be deferred to the packing-house. The boxing and assorting, which may be considered together, consist in transferring the different grades of the now dried raisins to separate sweatboxes. This is done in two ways. The number one bunches, which have been placed on separate trays, may now simply be slid into the sweatbox, by a dexterous movement of the tray. Between every two layers of these first-class bunches should be placed a stout manilla paper cut so as to exactly fit the box. It is of importance to have the paper just fit the box, and not be too large nor too small, as in either case the raisins are apt to become mixed and the bunches broken. But, if the grapes have not been assorted from the beginning on separate trays, more work will be required to get them into the sweatboxes. Every bunch must be carefully taken up by hand from the tray, and then placed on the paper in the box. But in doing so many bunches are necessarily broken, as even careful hands cannot help frequent mishaps, while ignorant and careless workmen may do an immense injury to the crop. Too few manilla papers are generally used. Some packers require only two papers in every box, while six or eight, or at least five, papers should be the proper number for every box of very choice or even ordinary layers. We must remember that, the more papers we use, the less apt are the bunches to be injured, but even the best layer bunches will not suffer if placed two layers high between every paper. On top and in the bottom of every box must be one paper, so as to keep out dust. The loose and inferior raisins, which either have been left on the tray after the layers are picked out, or which from the beginning have been placed on separate trays, may now, when perfectly dry, be simply dumped in sweatboxes without any paper.

We have thus at least two kinds of sweatboxes. One kind contains those raisins which are destined to make layers, and which require sweating and equalizing before they can be packed. The other kind contains the loose and drier berries, which are to go immediately to the stemmer and grader, and which would not separate from the stems if they were made to equalize.

_Covering._--If the weather has been favorable, the raisins may have been dried and cured in twelve days. Of these twelve days, the first seven or eight were used for drying the upper side of the raisins. On the seventh or eighth day they were turned, and on the twelfth day they were ready to put in the sweatboxes. But this is fast drying, and drying under favorable circumstances, with a dry wind blowing gently all the time. But sometimes it takes a much longer time to dry, say from fourteen to twenty-one days. In Fresno, where the weather is less favorable, the drying of the first crop may require from two to three weeks. In El Cajon it always takes two or three weeks for the raisins to dry, and in Orange county the drying sometimes requires from thirty days to five weeks. In Malaga the drying is accomplished quicker than in California, because there they cover the raisin floors every night with canvas, and in the morning, when the canvas is unrolled, the raisins are yet warm. The drying, then, has been continued all night, and the raisins have not had time to cool when they meet the first rays of the sun. In California, again, our raisins are cold, possibly even wet with dew or rain, and it sometimes takes the sun until noon to dry up the moisture accumulated through the night.

To counteract this absorption of moisture, many of the raisin-growers in Orange county, California, especially around Santa Ana and McPherson, cover the trays with canvas every night. This method is to be recommended wherever there is any difficulty in curing either the first or the second crop. If this method is employed, I am satisfied that raisins could be grown and properly cured in localities where otherwise no raisin cult is possible. The method of covering the raisin trays at Santa Ana is as follows, varied by different growers, but in the main the same everywhere. The trays are placed together in long rows; about twenty yards long is found to be most convenient. The width of the row is just the width of two trays, or five feet. Thus the row of trays laden with raisin grapes is about sixty feet long by five feet wide. Along the north end of this long row of trays are driven down small posts every six or ten feet, and left extending about two feet above the ground. Along the south side of the row of trays smaller posts are driven down at the same distances, but not allowed to extend so high above the surface of the soil. These pegs or small posts may best be slanting outward, or from the trays. Along the high posts is strung a wire in such a way that it cannot easily get loose. To a long canvas cover are now secured small rings for running on the wire, and on the other side larger rings to hook over the smaller posts in front. If the canvas is only one yard wide, two widths must be sewed together so as to make the canvas six feet wide. The trays, which are two and one-half feet by three feet, when placed side by side will just form a drying floor of five feet, large enough to be covered by the canvas six feet wide. The cost of canvas is six and one-half cents a yard by the bale.

The manner of using the canvas is very simple. The canvas cover, which is stationary, is attached to the wire and the higher posts. Every evening the cover is thrown over the trays, the front or lower edge is hooked by the aid of the rings over the pegs in the ground, and the trays thus securely sheltered. In the morning, when the sun is up, the cover is thrown back over the higher posts, and the trays fully exposed. The trouble to cover is not very great; two men can cover forty tons of grapes in half an hour, and generally it is considered that the picking-gang can cover the whole crop in half an hour’s time every evening, and it takes them as long to uncover in the morning. If well cared for and properly dried, and stored away in the autumn after the crop is all in, this canvas cover, with its posts, will last six or seven years, and if painted or oiled would probably last still longer. One yard of canvas can cover thirty pounds of grapes, and for the purpose of utilizing the full space, the trays are made two and one-half by three feet.

Such is the process practiced in Orange county. If adopted elsewhere, it would enable many localities to produce good raisins, where the climatic conditions are such that no drying is now practicable. The process is not as good as the one employed in Malaga, but it has some advantages which make it very acceptable. It enables the grower to use trays, and it makes drying-floors unnecessary, and the spaces in the vineyard can be used without taking away room from the vines. On the other hand, the drying-floors of Malaga are warmer and more secure, and almost absolutely safe in case of rain.

_Drying-floors._--While, in some parts of California, the first crop dries generally without any difficulty, in other parts rain and dew very frequently interfere with the drying of even the first crop. In many places where raisin-curing is not successful, the same could be practiced profitably if we would adopt the system of drying-floors used in Spain. Even in localities where the first-crop raisins dry well, the second crop is always exposed to more or less rain, and the raisin-grower annually loses large sums of money on account of not being able to hasten the drying of the second crop. But it is doubtful if the Malaga drying-floors will ever be found practical and come into general use with us. They take considerable space from the vineyard, and are very expensive, but they are very secure, and when once built are very profitable. A limited number of such floors would be very useful in every vineyard, especially for drying the second crop. At present no such floors exist in this State. The following description gives an idea of how they may be constructed:

These drying-floors may be built of brick with the long sides as long as required, while the short sides should be about twelve feet long. The back wall is six feet high, while the front wall is only six inches high, which, with the above length of side wall, would give enough slope. In Malaga the interior is filled with black gravel and tamped hard, but for our purpose probably nothing would be superior to asphaltum, bituminous rock or cement. It must first be ascertained if bituminous rock would not impart a flavor to the grapes, in which case cement would be the most useful flooring. In order to allow the rain to run off, the front wall should be pierced with small holes close to the ground, but this would only be necessary in case the bed is filled with gravel, or no cement floor exists on top of it. Along the back part of the floor should be set a row of uprights of two by four lumber, driven securely in the ground. On the top of each post is set an eyelet, through which runs a stout wire along the whole back of the frame. A canvas cover long enough to reach the whole length of the floor should be used for covering, and, in order to secure it to the wire and the posts, it should be hemmed and furnished with small rings to run on the wire. In front similar rings are set in order that the canvas may be secured to the smaller posts and kept down in case of wind. On such floors common trays may be used. To make the canvas impervious to rain, it may be painted with boiled linseed oil. The above are only suggestions based on the Spanish drying-floors. For a full description of them, I beg to refer to the article on Malaga. In using linseed oil, care should be taken that only pure oil is used. There is linseed oil which contains chemicals which rapidly rot the canvas.

_Dryers._--The subject of dryers is of great importance to the California grower. The last few years have fully demonstrated that every raisin vineyard, no matter where it is situated, should have one or more dryers, in order that the last of the crop may be dried properly when the rain sets in. Many years these dryers are not required, but from time to time they prove of vast value, and if properly constructed are much superior to any drying-floor. But so far no perfect dryer has ever been constructed. Most dryers are too expensive, costing from three thousand to seven thousand dollars, when of a capacity to dry from twenty-five to fifty tons of green grapes at one charge. Nearly all late dryers are constructed with a fan, which sucks the air out through one end of the building. The large complicated dryers are all patented, but there can be no doubt that good small dryers might be constructed by every grower, which will do good service. As, however, so far no very perfect dryers have ever been constructed, and as every owner of one changes and rebuilds every year, we must leave the consideration of the construction of these dryers to some future time when more knowledge or experience will have been gained. Dryers large enough to hold a charge of one ton of green fruit have been constructed at the price of two hundred dollars by Ellwood Cooper of Santa Barbara. They dried their fruit in twenty-four hours, but they were never used for raisins.