The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-01-13


The grapes are purchased on the
vines. some by actual weight. others
by estimating the crop from weigh
ing the product of every tenth vine,
writes a correspondent of the SOM
erville Journal. Good judges can
make a pretty good guess at the
number OF tons on an acre Of vines,
and years of practice enable the buy
er to tell very nearly not only The
amount, but the quality Of the rais-
ins 20 be made from the vines which
grow in different soils.
The grapes are picked by crews Of
men under experienced foremen,
and are placed in trays OF wooden
frames, which are piled on top of
each other in wagons and taken 70
the scales, weighed and then taken
t. the drying grounds These COL
sist of about sixty acres Of land
smoothed and cleaned like a brick
yard, and the grapes are spread out
in long rows to dry in the sun. Ten
days or two weeks from the Lying
down" is usually about the time re-
quired to dry them, and then those
thoroughly cured are taken up and
put in sweat-boxes. Probably one
third are not yet cured, and those
are turned over and placed in mar
row rows until the action of old Sol
has mace them ready:
The enormous quantity Of grapes
handled by one firm can be estima-
ted when it is known at one time
this sixty-acre plot was covered and
a portion of it has been covered q
second time. Teams are continually
coming and going, and a small army
Of men are employed to take care of
the grapes and keep teams on the
move. Many women and girls are
also employed picking up the loose
raisins which have fallen from the
stems. The trays are of a number
and capacity to hold 300 tons Of
grapes. Another thing which catches
the eye at the drying ground is the
preparations made for possible rains
in the shape of rolls of oiled paper
stacked up in all directions. This
is in sheets about four feet in width
and sixteen feet long, prepared to
withstand rain by dipping it in boil
ed oil Two car loads of paper and
fifty barrels of oil have been used
this season, but as yet it has not
been found necessary to use the
paper.
When properly dried the grapes
are taken up and put in sweat-bOxes,
probably seventy-fiye or one hun
dred pounds to the box, and hauled
to the packing-house, where they
are piled from floor to ceiling in the
large front room. They are left here
some ten days, and pass through
sweating process. the object being to
equalize the moisture contained in
them. When placed in boxes some
are made drier than others, but
when ready for the packer the in
tention IS to make them, as nearly
as possible, equal and uniform in
that regard. Four layers are placed
in box. and each layer is weighed
by the packer, and the whole must
make exactly the twenty pounds re-
quired
When box is filed the packer
takes it to the scales near the door,
presided over by az expert in the
business, who carefully weighs and
examines it, and, if all right, it is car
ried TO the next room, where it is
nailed up and the corners smoothed
off, and it is ready for the shipment.
Particular care is exercised in grad
ing and weighing. About 125 men are
employed in and about the packing
house, and a steady stream of
boxes" is kept going around the cir
Gle. About 800 boxes a day were
being turned out, or three car loads
every two days.