Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1882-01-02

of leaving out was irregular and uncertain,
and l found it not adapted to orchardlng and
fruit-erowing generally. It is good country
for hops, but not for fruit. Apricots may
do well, but l doubt it. From 1864 to 1869
resided with my family in Oakland, and IN
the meantime | was studying different local.
tiles with view TO finding section tree
from objections for fruit-growing. In the
latter year made purchase OF land at my
present location on Putah creek, and imme-
diately commenced improvements and prepa-
rations for an orchard. set out an orchard of
two hundred acres near D2yisville and hum
dred near Winters, higher up on the creek.
| found the land here too dry for orcharding,
without irrigation. / had not taken into
consideration sufficiently the difference. in
this Putah creek land and that on
the Yuba, in this respect. MY trees on the
Yuba were 16 feet apart, and | planted them
ON the Patah 16 by D. The trees made a
good growth, and promised well for good
crops in the spring and early summer, but
when the time arrived, in June and July, for
the iruit to swell up and ripen, the soil did
not contain sufficient moisture to feed them,
aud the consequence was an inferior quality.
Had my trees been planted 40 feet apart the
orchard might have done much better and
the fruit been of
There is no use in putting more trees on an
acre of land than the soil can furnish sufh-
Gent food and moisture for. The same as in
raising hogs or any other stock, if you
get more than you have food for, you
will make Lo profits in the business.
One robs thu other and none do well. The
soil was strong enough and rich enough, but
1t lacked water or moisture, and the roots
could not take up nourishment without it.
Had I then had my present system of under
ground irrigation l think my orchard would
have proved satisfactory success. | had
also 3 considerable vineyard on the same
place and same quality of soil, aud finding
that my vines did much better than my or
chard trees, / determined to dig up and cur
tail my orchard aud extend my vineyard. l
have now reduced my orchard to about sixty
acres, and have extended and added to my
vineyard, till | have now G thousand acres in
vines on Putah creek, near Woodland, and
near Salsbury's Station, en- the American
liveT, in Sacramento county.
EXPERIENCE IN RAIsIN- MAKING.
The vineyard on my Putah creek land
when purchased it YVES Of the Mission grape,
and having determined to make the produc.
ton of raisins a specially, as early as 1869 ]
grated these vines to the Muscat and Tokay
varieties. / had few raisin grapes the first
year Of grating, and increased the product
each year, but made no raisins till the year
1873. found good market for them for
table use, and shipped considerable guam
tity East. In 1873 | shipped about eighteen
carloads to Chicago and New York, and was
out the entire value of my grapes,
boxes and labor and one thousand dol
lars in money to make up the freight.
Ismade about l 600 boxes of raisins the same
v. ar from Tokay and Museat grapes. The
Tokay raisins were larger and better appear
ing than the Muscat, and were at first pre-
ferred in the market to the Muscat; but ex-
perienee since is that the Tokay, although
they produce larger crops, ripen later in the
season and are not so easily cured and do not
make quite as fine raisin. [ am therefore
grating all my Tokays TO Muscat grapes,
and have now but few of the Tokays left.
and would not advise planting the Tokays for
raisin purposes. They are perhaps a more
profitable grape for shipping long distances.
In 1874 determined to make all my grapes
into raisins. My crop was large one. On
the Winters vineyard forty acres averaged
OVER TWO TONS TO THE ACRE.
1 commenced picking for raisins about
ground l prepared a space outside my vine
yard by clearing off and rolling the soil for
the purpose, and then spreading paper down,
on which | spread my grapes. Not under
standing the necessity of pushing the drying
business l waited till the first and second
crops were,ripe and ready TO pick at the same
time, and this made me late in the sea-
son. On the 9th of September had grapes
enough on the ground to have made
ten thousand boxes of raisins, and so nearly
cured that few more drying, sunshiny days
would have finished them up and secured me
profitable seasons work. But on that day
cloudy and hazy weather set in and stopped
the curing almost completely. Till the 18th
day of October L worked with my half-dried
grapes, turning them over and airing them,
but without much success, and on the 18th of
October it commenced raining. l had then
saved in fair condition about one thousand
boxes, and the balance were entirely ruined.
THIS SEASONS EXPERIENCE
Taught me that the work of picking and cur
ing should begin as soon as the first crop is
sufficiently ripe SO as to get them secured
and out of the way for the second crop. It
also suggested the Importance of having some
means of handling aud turning the grapes
while drying, so as not to have to pick them
and turn them bunch by bunch by hand. In
1875 l commenced as soon as the first crop
was ripe and kept up with the business.
This year [ rolled the soil between the
rows of vines and spread the grapes directly
on the ground. The season being favorable
| made a success, producing about 6 GOO
boxes or 1900 pounds of raisins Of
good quality They were sold at an
average of about 81 70 a box. This year
also, | invented a drying tray for drying
rasins on. and made and used about two
hundred of them, with satisfactory results.
wide and half inch thick and thirty-six
inches long, fastened together by two Stats
one on each end. These slats prevent the
boards from waIpi1g, and make them stronger
to handle. By the use of this tray st least
half of the labor in handling and turning the
grapes is saved. The trays are laid between
the vines, sIsnted slightly to the sun. This
secures more direct action of the rays of the
sun, and carries the water quickly from under
the g;apss in case of rim. They are turned
by placing an empty tray directly on the
grapes, and then two men taking hold of the
two trays together turn them over at one
motion. Two men viii in this way turn from
Jour to six thousand trays in a day without
touching a grape, and almost without pro-
iucing any friction, one upon another. Thus
NO INJURY IS DONE
By defacing the bloom or tearing the grapes
rom the stems, and the punches remain
perfect. So that not only is the work done
much more cheaply, but more perfectly
now use the trey altogether in sun-drying
ny raisins. In 1876 l made about 200, 600
pounds of raisins, drying them successfully in
he sun on the trays. In 1877 | had about
ne same quantity, and [ found that it was
'islly and expensive TO depend entirely on the
un and have the raisins exposed to the
Nd