Arizona weekly enterprise., 1890-01-04
sEEDLEss RA1sIN GRAPES.
The Variety That is the Most Profitable.
Fresno Expositor. l

Fresno Expositor.
 At no time since raisin grapes were first planted in California, has there been as much interest in the raisin industry as there is now. The Muscat grape is planted wherever it is likely to do well, while in localities less suit ed to this variety, other kinds are planted, which produce raisins of var ious other brands.
 Among these the Sultana grape is conspicious, although it has of late years fallen into disrepute. Several causes have combined to effect this. The Sultana, although heavy bearer is in one respect late maturing grape We say purposely in one respect, as in reality and practically it is late grape.
 The Sultana, while apparently ripe and edible long before the Muscat, will only produce marketable raisins after the Muscats have already been picked. It is this lateness in coming to perfec- tion which is objectionable.
 To make fine raisin our Sultanas should be dipped and treated in the same way as Valencias or as Symrna Sultanas. At the late season of the year, which 1t is possible to do this here, rain, or at least sand and dust, are apt to interfere and to spoil the crop On this account the seedless Sultana has been generally discarded, and many who formerly had quite ex- tensive tracts of this grape, have of late grafted them with the earlier and better paying Muscat.
 A grape that is now beginning to attract considerable attention is call ed the "Thompson seedless" grape. Of course this grape. so new, at least as regards its name, has not yet prov en what it will be, but indications are that it will become good raisin grape ill Localities where Muscats are not a success. We have naturally seen very little of this grape and it's raisins, but what we have seen satisfies us that the culture of it can be made profit able.
 The origin of the "Thompson seed reason to believe that it is a European variety accidentally imported here. The gentleman whose name the grape now bears, got the cuttings from New York, and as the variety belongs to the Asiatic type, it is almost certain that it had been brought over from Europe.
 Before burdening this variety with new name 1t would have been more proper to first have searched the trans atlantic works on viticulture and tc
 have ascertained if the original name could not be found The present
 name will mislead many to think that
 the grape was originated here. The
 raisins made from the Thompson seed
 less are oblong and very much of the
 size of seedless Muscatel.
 But it does not possess the Muscate
 flavor, but one of it's own, more favor ing that of the well known curran : raisin. The color is also similar tc the Muscat raisin, rather dark witt : blue bloom, very different from that o the Sultana, and not as dark as tht currant.
 : Reports and descriptions of tn, grape combine to show that the vin' is 8 very heavy bearer, even more SC than the Sultana. Many vines which have been pruned short, bore an aver age of thirty pounds to the vine, whIl l those vines which had been prune, : long carried as much as 1O9 pound in the fourth year after grating. The greater yield of long prune : vines makes us think that. this neA variety belongs to the currant grap ], type, which similarly reauira Ibn< pruning, and which besr poorly wher prl1ned short As tlss cllrrant raisir imported to tias country, issone Of ths dirties nzstiest pdncts knoWl 5. u nlan, and orllys Is tolerated beeaus, NC have nothing else to substitute, W,
 beliere ttla:st hat tle production oI ssAdies
 zztor cooking purposes, aaz as3ssss4. The enormous yield of the new grap / is its greatest advantage, and if it hold
 out as 1t now promises, it may becom
 one of the most valuable additions a our raisin vineyards. The little ci l. cular which accompanied the sample Is Of these raisins now in our possession n was evidently not written by an e, h perienced vineyardist or raisin grove e- Through it we learn nothing of Il IS time of ripening, and also many oth' e points of practical importance to Il d raisin man, are similarly not touche upon.
 IT 1t IS desirable that we should SOC d find out the real value of this grap l. as before this is done, few will plant IS on a large scale.
 fe If the grape ripens in time on r. with the Sultanas, little can be dol
 with them. It's early ripening wou
 recommend it highly 1focahflti
 where the Muscatel does not reach