The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1891-12-18
HOME OF THE RAISlN.
fFoRNIA METHOD OF DRY
Ing AND PACKING.

AM B8ing Picked the Grapes are
Aef& In the Field TO Cure-The
sweating Process.
The California method of drying and
packing the raisiu is peculiar aud we'll
worth abrief description. When the
grape feaches certain degree of ripe
ncss aid develops the requisite amount
OF sSecharine matter large force is, put
hta kyineysrd aud the picking be,
cd n punches OF ripe grapes are
! BlaeedS Sesfssuliy on wooden trays aud
are left in the field to cure. The pro-
cess requires from seven days to three
weeks, acdording to the amount Of sun
shine. This climate is SO entirely free
from dew at night that there is NJ
danger of must. The grape cures per-
fectly in tlis way and makes far
sweetcr raisn than when dried by
artificial he'd When the grapes are
dried sufficiently the trays are gathered
and stacked Ia piles about as high rs a
mans waist. Then begins the tedious
but necessary process of sorting into the
sweat boxes. These boxes are about
eight inches dep aud hold 1875 pounds
of grapes. Aound the sorter are three
grapes. In eEh box are three layers of
MANILA paper which are used at equal
intervals to pevent the stems of the
grapes from booming entangled, thus
breaking the file large punches when re-
moved. Tbeserter must be an expert.
He takes t6e buuches by the stem, plac-
ing tho, largest and finest in the first
grade box; those which are medium
sized ia the second grade, and all
broken end ragged punches in the third
class. When the boxes are filled they
are hauled To the brick building known
as the equalizer. This is constructed so
as to permit ventilation at the top, but
to exclude light aud air as much rs
possible from the grapes. The boxes
are piled in tiers in this house and
allowed to remain in darkness for from
ten to twenty days. Here they undergo
sweating process, which ditfuses
moisture equally throughout tue con-
tents of each box. This prevents some
grapes from retaining undue moisture,
and it also softens the stems aud makes
them pliablc.
FROM the equalizing- room the sweat
boxes are taken to the packing room.
Here they are first weighed. The first
ter, whif5 .fie third grade raisIns are
placed inea big machiue that strips of
the stems and grades the loose raisins in
three or four sizes. These are placed in
sacks and sold as loose raisins. The
higher grades are carefully sorted intr
first and second class clusters. After
this sorting the boxes are passed to
women aud girls, vino arrange the clus.
ters neatly in small tive-pouud boxes
with movable bottoms. These boxes
are placed undcr slight pressure, and
four o, them fill one of the regular
twenty spoihd boxes of commerce.
The work of placing the raisins in the
small boxes requires much practice, but
women are found to be much swifter than
men at this labor, and as they are paid
by the box, the more skilful earn from
81 to S3 day. 1t is light, pleasant
work, as the room is large, cool aud well
ventilated, and there is no mixing of the
sexes, such as may be found in many of
the San Francisco -eaIneriss. For
this aessQn !the work attracts nice girls,
; ahd6he maj See many attractive faces in
trip th bugh large packing house.
One heavi tshouldred, masculine looking
German Eoman, who, however, had long,
slender 2iingers, was pointed out as the
swiftest ac".er in the room. She made
regularly So II day. The assurance of
steady work of this kind for three
mouths draws many people to Fresno,
and the regular disbursement of u large
sum as wages every week goes far to
explain the thrift and comfort seen on
every hadt
The fiy8pound boxes of grapes arc
passed to the pressing machine, where
four of them are deftly transferred to Il
twenty pound box. The two highest
| grades of raisins are the Dehesa aud the
London layers. 1t has always been the
ambition of California's raisin. makers to
| produce the Dehesa brand. They know
that their best raisins are equal in size
and quality TO the best Spanish raisins,
| but heretofore they have found the cost
Of fses lf s@Ft stop layer in the Spanish
style very costly, as the rafsins nad TO De
huttCuCt wv IVY OiiuhibOds 10 ~ 10 OOShut-
cally called) by hand. In Spain, where
women work for twenty cents day, this
hand labor cuts no figure in the cost OF
production, but here, with the cheapest
labor ut 81. 50a day, it has proved bar
| to competition. American ingenuity,
however, is likely to overcome this haudi
cap OF high wages. It. G. White, au old
raisin- grower, has invented a packing
plate of metal, with depresslons at regu.
lar intervals just the size OF big risn.
This plate is put at the bottom of the
preliminary packlug-box, and when tho
work of packing is complete the box II
reversed and the top layer, pressed int
the depressions OF the plate, bears ever,
mark of the most careful hand manipula
ton. MIR. Butter used this plate ior til
first time this season, and found it sue
cess, and there is no question Of its gen
erai adoption. Every year sees more at
-tonti.n-puia ~ tho- .r.rssSl-- ,spadins--al
rafsins, as upon this depends much o.
their marketable value. The large pack.
ing houses have done good work in en-
forcing this rule, an the chief sinner;
who still indulge in careless packing are
IL f.. IL.